Blockbuster Gets "Convenient"
DALLAS -- Blockbuster movie rental stores here are getting some "convenient" additions, reported the Dallas Morning News.
Company executive Jim Keyes, the former CEO of convenience chain 7-Eleven, is testing different concepts catered to the surrounding demographic of a dozen area stores, including offering snacks, cappuccino or a fountain drinks, the report stated.
An old-fashioned soda counter with chrome stools and a black-and-white checkerboard tiled floor was inserted in a store across from Southern Methodist University, while a Blockbuster across from a 7-Eleven and a McDonald's in McKinney has a self-serve coffee and soft drink bar, the newspaper reported.
Other additions include selling big-screen TVs; offering rentals in the morning; providing free Wi-Fi and place to play video games on big screens; and providing technology to watch movies, read books or create videos at store locations, the report stated.
"I'm a big believer of the physical relevance of a store. People like to shop, whether it's in a Neiman Marcus or a Blockbuster," Keyes told the newspaper. "But we need to change our stores to become a destination for entertainment."
Analyst Arvind Bhatia, with Dallas-based Sterne Agee & Leach, told the paper he found the test stores promising, and added it's too early to tell whether the investments will generate a return. His favorite concept was the full-service beverage counter co-branded as a Coca-Cola cafe. The concept may generate an impulse purchase on top of the price of a rental, he said.
Keyes declined to specify how long the prototype stores will be studied, but said that the company will roll out ideas as they catch on, the report stated.
Company executive Jim Keyes, the former CEO of convenience chain 7-Eleven, is testing different concepts catered to the surrounding demographic of a dozen area stores, including offering snacks, cappuccino or a fountain drinks, the report stated.
An old-fashioned soda counter with chrome stools and a black-and-white checkerboard tiled floor was inserted in a store across from Southern Methodist University, while a Blockbuster across from a 7-Eleven and a McDonald's in McKinney has a self-serve coffee and soft drink bar, the newspaper reported.
Other additions include selling big-screen TVs; offering rentals in the morning; providing free Wi-Fi and place to play video games on big screens; and providing technology to watch movies, read books or create videos at store locations, the report stated.
"I'm a big believer of the physical relevance of a store. People like to shop, whether it's in a Neiman Marcus or a Blockbuster," Keyes told the newspaper. "But we need to change our stores to become a destination for entertainment."
Analyst Arvind Bhatia, with Dallas-based Sterne Agee & Leach, told the paper he found the test stores promising, and added it's too early to tell whether the investments will generate a return. His favorite concept was the full-service beverage counter co-branded as a Coca-Cola cafe. The concept may generate an impulse purchase on top of the price of a rental, he said.
Keyes declined to specify how long the prototype stores will be studied, but said that the company will roll out ideas as they catch on, the report stated.