United Video South City Owners Will Soon Call It A Day
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The biggest franchise video store in Australasia is finally closing its doors after 39 years.
United Video South City Invercargill will no longer be renting DVD’s from Friday May 26, and begin to start selling off all of its titles – with 80,000 in stock.
Three years ago the business started downsizing from 120,000 stock units and got rid of old box sets and back catalogue DVDs.
There was no need to keep six copies of every video made anymore, but now owners Daryle and Kim Blackler have decided to call it quits.
Their video store used to be the size of a supermarket, and were initially optimistic when they downsized that they’d still be renting DVDs in five years.
But Daryle said the changing landscape doesn’t make it practical to stay open, particularly with Disney no longer making DVD’s and streaming instead their new movies go straight to Disney+.
“With streaming there is no need for art work, packaging and warehouses and most families are set up for streaming nowadays.”
The South City franchise was the only megastore in New Zealand and the couple say what they enjoyed the most was the first 20 years in business.
Once a year they would travel to the United States with other video store owners and were invited to meet with various actors, such as Dudley Moore and Jean-Claude Van Damme.
“Video has been very good to me… but we’re not children anymore,” Daryle said.
The couple has other business interests including in Queenstown where they own a bar and also property developments.
Anybody wanting to get their hands on a classic should pop into the store while they still can – Daryle doesn’t know exactly when the last day will be.
“There is a lot of stock in our shop that you just wouldn’t be able to buy on Amazon. There are some real gems.”
United Video closed its Dunedin store in 2018 and the one in Morrinsville will be the last remaining franchise store left.
Owner Wilfred Buser came to New Zealand in 2000 from South Africa with his family, and said his United Video store still has 40,000 films available to rent, in the small Waikato town.
There is another United Video in Masterton that combines with a clothing store and continues to rent a small number of films.