Rich Fiscus
27 Nov 2007 15:52
Redbox, the leading DVD rental kiosk operator in the U.S. announced that they now has a presence at more locations than Blockbuster.
Blockbuster operates more than 4,800 stores in the U.S., as well as 10 Blockbuster Express vending machines at Papa John's and Family Dollar locations in Lexington, KY, and an undisclosed number of vending machines in other cities. By comparison, Redbox kiosks have spread to 46 states, thanks largely to their presence outside McDonald's restaurants.
Despite not knowing Blockbuster's exact numbers Redbox spokeswoman Kristin Zanini said "we feel confident that we have surpassed them nationwide." Zanini wouldn't discuss how many rentals the kiosks have in a given month, but did indicate that in the 12 month period starting in June of last year they rented out 11 million movies. Each kiosk carries 500 new release DVDs, including between 100 and 150 different titles at a given time.
“Redbox offers a level of service and convenience that our competitors simply can’t provide,” said Gregg Kaplan, Redbox CEO. “Customers continue to embrace the Redbox service, and our proven technology and production timeline have allowed us to expand rapidly in the competitive home entertainment industry. We expect this growth to continue at a rapid pace through 2007 and beyond, as Redbox expands its leadership position and becomes a household name in communities nationwide.”
Source: Video Business