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The last chain of DVD rental stores in Christchurch is closing its doors, ushering in the end of an era for the city.
United Video in New Brighton will close at the end of April, after nearly 20 years serving the community with cheap entertainment, weekend giveaways and the perfect night out.
Owner Darren Scott said the shutdown was due to a slowdown in mainstream movie releases in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, along with people moving into rentals and online streaming.
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Eilish Bamber-Sawyer was looking for horror movies on United Video in New Brighton.
He had wanted to keep the store open as a service to the New Brighton community, but it was no longer financially viable.
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“We always said we would stay open until we couldn’t make a dollar,” he said.
“We haven’t made a profit from that company for some time, but we stayed there for the community.
“I think it will be sad for them.”
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The United Video store in New Brighton is closing after almost 20 years of operation.
He moved to smaller stores, shortened opening hours and cut costs, but the store still couldn’t be saved.
The closure of United Video will mean that Christchurch only has Alice in the city center, which has branched out into movie theaters to stay afloat, and Dead Video in Lyttelton, which sells collectibles and trades nostalgia for a format that it disappears.
Once the New Brighton store has closed its doors, that will leave around nine United Video stores in New Zealand, down from the 100+ stores at its peak.
Scott opened the New Brighton store on September 20, 2001, just over a week after the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.
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Regular customer Barbara Drayton was stocking up on DVDs to keep going after the store closed.
Before closing, the store’s collection of DVDs, Blu Rays and video games will be sold at discounted prices.
Regular customer Barbara Drayton was filling a bag with DVDs to buy on Wednesday morning.
“It is part of the New Brighton community. It’s a shame. It’s been here forever, ” he said.
“It is quite disappointing. They are slowly shutting down the entire DVD system.
“I think they are just trying to get people to Netflix.”
Eilish Bamber-Sawyer was looking for dark horror movies to add to her collection.
“I used to come here all the time when I was a kid,” she said.
“You can find DVDs here that you can’t find anywhere else.”
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All United Video shares are being sold prior to closing.
United Video staff member Salina Fruean has worked at the New Brighton store for nine years. He said closing would be difficult for his regulars.
“I’ll be sad to see you go,” he said.
“It is a sad loss for regulars. They love being here and they come to chat and recommend things.
“Some of them just come to chat.”
Drayton said he enjoyed talking to Fruean on his regular visits to the store.
“She’s lovely. You can come chat and ask her about movies.
“You can also chat with customers about movies. It’s a good way to connect. “
