Homeware killed the video store
Amalgamated Video’s inner-city store closed on Tuesday.
“It’s the end of an era,” says full-time staff member Jason Hawkins. “Things have changed since I started working here six years ago.”
Gone are the good old days when people would spend hours perusing the aisles of dusty videos in search of an ideal film. Illegal downloads have led to fewer rentals and more video stores rent out mainstream, commercial films.
“We’re somewhere in between Aro Video and Video Ezy I guess,” says Hawkins. “But I think we were better – we had more selection and we are cheaper.”
He says he will now rent from Aro Video because he lives there and he will have time while he searches for a job.
Briscoe Group Group Managing Director, Rod Duke, says it is a shame that the store, which has branches in Miramar and Kilbirnie and Lower Hutt, will not re-locate. He has never been into the store.
“I’m only interested in the real estate, I’m not interested in videos,” he says. “It’s a bit of a shame it’s not re-locating.”
The property, as well as the adjacent City Wholesale Cars area which will be used for a car park, was sold for an undisclosed amount. The Amalgamated Video building will be used for Briscoe’s off-site storage.
“The property has significantly higher value than what we will be using it for but we have a five-year project for development.”
‘We have this short-term plan but we’re not sure in the long-term,” he adds.
Have Your Say
0 Comments
No comments.