Tesco trial DVD rental kiosks in Ireland
People love going to the movies to catch up on the latest movie blockbusters, and Hollywood has long provided a constant stream of action packed titles. However, recent developments in the Irish movie industry means that there’s as much action going on off the screen as there is on it. The Tesco group in Ireland are joining a host of smaller and independent retailers in implementing a futuristic DVD vending new business opportunity into their stores.
The credit crunch has ushered in a new kind of consumer who seeks cost-effective ways to get access to entertainment. In the US, where the credit crunch has hit hardest, consumers have increasingly turned to DVD rental kiosks as a cheap way to get access to movies. Some of America’s giant corporations have invested in this technology – both McDonalds and Coinstar hold stakes in the largest DVD kiosk provider in America. There are now over 30,000 of these units across the States, and it looks as if recession-hit consumers in Ireland will also soon be utilising this technology.
Demand from consumers for the most cost efficient way to access movies is being met by online rental by post services and traditional stores at present, but it is expected that a dramatic growth in DVD rental kiosks will commence in the second half of 2009. At present, one company pioneering this technology in Ireland is The Movie Booth – they currently have seven kiosks in operation in Ireland but expect this number to reach twenty five by the end of 2009.
The growth of this concept in the USA suggests it will soon also be hitting our shores, and news announced recently by The Movie Booth suggests DVD kiosks will become more commonplace here sooner rather than later.
In June, Tesco will begin a trial of DVD rental kiosks in several of their stores and The Movie Booth hope to deploy their units in each store in Ireland upon completion of a successful trial. The first trials with Tesco will launch in Wexford and Dublin stores in mid-June, and The Movie Booth hope to increase coverage in the group upon the completion of a successful trial. Tesco will join Irish retailers including Centra, Vivo and Supervalu who all cuirrently have DVD kiosks in their stores.
Managing Director of The Movie Booth Carlos Marco said “The retail industry has proven to be the ideal place for our product to be successful – its a great compliment to existing trade but also offers an entirely new service area. It’s proven massively popular in the USA, and we hope that our recent good news will enable us to match that level of success here in Ireland. We’ve been negotiating with Tesco for a while now, so naturally we’re delighted to finally get the chance to work with a retail giantâ€. Visit www.themoviebooth.com for further information.
About the Author
mobile kiosk franchise