A look back at the old Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester.
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| This is what was left of Blockbuster Video on Fallowfield Retail Park back in October 2019 |
I found the preserved remains of a 'dead brand' - Blockbuster Video - while in Manchester five years ago today!
It became the first of many former Blockbuster Video stores Emily and I travelled to once we found that there were still some other visible remains of the brand to be seen on high streets and at shopping centres around the UK.
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| Oh, what happened to this sign? |
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| Dark clouds gathered over the brand in 2013 |
Blockbuster Video entered the UK video rental market in 1989 following the purchase of Ritz Video. In 2013 there were over 500 Blockbuster locations in the UK. Throughout that year the number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. On the 16th December 2013 all stores ceased operations.
On the visit to the old Fallowfield shop in October 2019 the Blockbuster Video store sign was prominently displayed on both sides of the main sign at Fallowfield Retail Park and the windows of the shop still retained Blockbuster signage.
Most of the shelves inside had been removed, but the walls and desks clearly retained the brand colours of Blockbuster.
There is currently one independently owned franchise still operating as a Blockbuster Video in the USA and you can find it in Bend, Oregon.
We made several more visits to the abandoned Blockbuster Video shop at Fallowfield Retail Park, including one last look as it was being demolished in January 2024.
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| A sign in the shop window |
Most of the shelves inside had been removed, but the walls and desks clearly retained the brand colours of Blockbuster.
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| The window graphics still looked fresh |
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| Clearly still recognisable as a Blockbuster on the inside |
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| The shelves were bare |
There is currently one independently owned franchise still operating as a Blockbuster Video in the USA and you can find it in Bend, Oregon.
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| Quik Drop box to nowhere |
We made several more visits to the abandoned Blockbuster Video shop at Fallowfield Retail Park, including one last look as it was being demolished in January 2024.
Other Blockbuster Video stores
Here's a list and links to the other Blockbuster Video stores we've visited to date:
- Abingdon, Oxfordshire
- Ashton, Bristol
- Barnsley, South Yorkshire
- Basingstoke, Hampshire
- Billingham, Teesside
- Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
- Chester, Cheshire
- Chorley, Lancashire
- Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
- Colne, Lancashire
- Failsworth, Manchester
- Fallowfield, Manchester
- Felixstowe, Suffolk
- Filton, Bristol
- Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
- Hastings, East Sussex
- Leigh, Greater Manchester
- Luton, Bedfordshire
- Marple, Greater Manchester
- Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
- Nuneaton, Warwickshire
- Oldham, Greater Manchester
- Prescot, Lancashire
- Shanklin, Isle of Wight
- Southampton, Hampshire
- Telford, Shropshire
- Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex
- Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
- Wythenshawe, Manchester
Independent video stores
There are still traces of former video shops to be found on the streets, shopping centres and retail parks of the UK. While most of those are old Blockbuster Video stores, there are remnants of (and in some cases still operating) independent video shops to be seen if you're lucky. Some of those we've snapped over the years include:
- Shahenshah Videos in Luton
- Deane Video Centre in Bolton
- Video Box Office at the Happy Shopper Wayfairer Discount Store in Ilkeston
- Video Future in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent
- The Movie Box in Manchester
- Jubilee Films in Ashton-under-Lyne
- B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever, Bolton
- Video Rentals at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham
- Video Express in Swansea
- Northgate Video & DVD in Bury St Edmunds
Do you still have a video store near you?
By my reckoning there are three video shops still in operation in the UK. They are:
- Northgate Video & DVD in Bury St Edmunds
- 20th Century Flicks in Bristol
- Snips Movies in Bebington, Wirral
I've been to two of the above, with Snips Movies on my to visit list in the future. Hopefully I'll be able to get a membership card for the shop too.
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