Get your DVD at the petrol station shop

Movie distributor Ster-Kinekor is cashing in on the growing popularity of the petrol station forecourt store with a new franchise concept called Moviestop.

Consumers are now able, along with their milk, bread, cigarettes, chocolate and petrol to add a DVD to their basket once they've signed up.

The customer pays R25 to R27 a day for borrowing a DVD. After 12 days, the movie is theirs to keep at a total accumulated price of R300-R324.

The traditional rental market is being challenged by new forms of digital content, videos on demand and initiatives from Multichoice, including stay-at-home options such as DStv.

Many traditional video stores have closed down because of piracy, and the competition from Pay-TV, cellphones, sport on TV, casinos and digital downloading together have had a negative impact on the industry.

Fuel station convenience stores are becoming true retail destinations as they offer an array of choices combined with ease of access and all-day convenience. Soon they could also offer facilities to pay bills such as water and electricity — and traffic fines.

“We've become a market of instant gratification and what we want we want now. Moviestop is not meant to replace the traditional video store — it's offering the consumer the latest movies and entertainment 24/7 in the most convenient manner possible,” says Russel Rottanburg, CEO of Ster Kinekor Moviestop.

The plan is to extend this service to a wider digital basket that would include booking and printing cinema tickets at a kiosk and, ultimately, music and movie downloads, although this is more a vision for the future.

After a pilot phase in a handful of stores, Moviestop plans to be in nine stores by the end of June, and in 120 by June next year.

Source: The Times

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