Independents Stake Out Niche in Redbox Domain

NORTH VANCOUVER, BC, September 11, 2012 (Press-News.org) Redbox is not the only option for people who want to rent DVDs from kiosks at convenient locations and affordable prices. Independent operators like Bob Ennis and his partner Randi Haas, who live in Bucks County, PA near Philadelphia, are carving out a niche for their DVD rental kiosk business amid the Redbox machines.

"We're providing service for the little gems in rural areas, the under-served marketplaces that fall under the radar for Redbox, but still have a high volume of traffic," says Ennis, who acquired his three kiosks from a privately held company called DVDNow Kiosks.

DVDNow Kiosks provides movie rental machines as a business opportunity to entrepreneurs, giving them a chance to profit from the popularity of DVD rental kiosks. While Ennis notes that Redbox tends to favor large chains and big box stores, DVDNow Kiosks has the flexibility to do both: the company's operators can serve large chains and also meet the needs of independent stores and their customers.

For store owner Bill McGlone, DVDNow Kiosks was just what he was waiting for. The departure of Blockbuster Express from his Main Street Market store in downtown Bangor, Pennsylvania created a vacuum for his customers, many of whom live within walking distance of the store.

"We don't have a movie rental company anymore in Bangor," he says, and the nearest Redbox is about eight miles away. "When our store had Blockbuster Express, it did quite well, so when I was given the opportunity to go with DVDNow, I jumped on it. The more we can do for our customers to make this a one-stop shop, the stronger our relationship will be."

Research shows that people still love their DVDs. Despite the closure of video stores across the U.S., demand is still strong for movie rentals on physical discs. Blu-ray and DVD rentals accounted for 62 percent of U.S. movie rental orders in the first half of 2012, while video streaming made up 38 percent, according to market research company NPD Group's VideoWatch VOD report, released August 2012.

The kiosk started renting movies at the Main Street Market on September 6, 2012. His first kiosk was already operating at George's Dreshertown Market in Dresher, Pennsylvania.

"The kiosks really sell themselves," says Ennis, who says the couple decided to get into the DVDNow kiosk business for the lifestyle potential as well as for the opportunity to explore additional business opportunities and interests.

"We wanted a business that would allow us to pursue a lifestyle. We didn't want long days, a brick and mortar store or employees."

DVDNow provides the flexibility they wanted because the kiosks are fully automated. Customers select titles and pay by credit card, and even make reservations online using DVDNow's custom-designed Connections Software. All this can be managed in as little as five to 10 hours a week.

"We're putting our toes in the water slowly with one or two kiosks, and gradually wading in deeper into the pool," Ennis says. "We'll be able to gear up very quickly by adding additional kiosks."

About DVDNow

DVDNow launched in June of 2006 and quickly became the leading provider of independently operated DVD rental kiosks. Today, with operations in over 15 countries, DVDNow has the largest independently operated DVD rental kiosk network in the world. It is based in North Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Website: http://www.dvdnow.net

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Media contact:
Kimberley Fehr, 541-222-0335