BC Business
Rogers closes video stores | BCBusinessRogers will close its 93 remaining video rental stores nationwide, including eight in the Lower Mainland.
One of Canada’s largest telecommunications companies is packing in its DVD rental business, leaving the country without a national rental chain. On the heels of Blockbuster Canada going bust last year, Rogers is now following in its footsteps with its own video stores. Rogers announced Wednesday it would shutter its remaining 93 stores across the country. No big surprise, considering the company declared it would close almost half its stores just this past December.
On the heels of Blockbuster Canada going bust last year, Rogers is now following in its footsteps with its own video stores. Rogers announced Wednesday it would shutter its remaining 93 stores across the country. No big surprise, considering the company declared it would close almost half its stores just this past December. The company admitted its rental sales had been in decline since way back in 2005. It would be easy to blame the ease and availability of online movie services like Netflix as the killer of their brick-and-mortar counterparts, but in the case of Rogers and Blockbuster, the inability to adapt to changing tastes and technology was the more likely culprit. Canadians must now rely on either local rental stores or online streaming services as Rogers’ exit leaves the country without a national rental chain. Hopefully the fall of the two video store franchises will cue the resurgence of local outlets such as Vancouver’s beloved Videomatica. According to Rogers’ website, the Lower Mainland was home to eight Rogers video rental locations.