The old Blockbuster Video Express store in Billingham

A look at the old Blockbuster Video Express store in Billingham town centre, Teesside.

We visited the former Blockbuster Video Express store in Billingham town centre back in April 2021.

The shopfront was very well maintained and it was nice to see the original signage.

Finding other old Blockbuster Video shops.

It's always fun to see ghost signs, remnants of old & dead brands and interesting signage while out and about on our travels. Since I found the remains of the Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester in October 2019 I've been intrigued to see the brand still has a lingering presence on the high street. The last Blockbuster Video shop ceased trading in the UK in December 2013!

Our travels have taken us to several former Blockbuster stores:

• 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

Blockbuster in Billingham, Teesside

A look at the old Blockbuster Video shop in Billingham.

Blockbuster in Billingham, Teesside

The old Blockbuster Video Express store in Billingham town centre, Teesside, England was still standing when we visited last April.

Blockbuster in Billingham, Teesside

There were a few remnants inside too.

Many thanks go to LaserDisc Turtle on Twitter for letting us know about the store's existence and Visual Sound on Instagram for letting us know it was still there.

Blockbuster in Billingham, Teesside

Blockbuster Video

The first Blockbuster Video store opened in Dallas, Texas, USA in 1985.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 stores around the world. 500+ of which were in the UK.

Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013. At the start of that year there were 528 Blockbuster locations in the UK. The number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. The remaining stores closed on the 16th December.

There is now just one Blockbuster Video store left open. It's in Bend, Oregon, USA.

However, the UK's high streets, shopping precincts, malls and retail parks still hold traces of the brand. And we've been to most of them!

We've now been to 27 former Blockbuster Video stores since we found the remains of the Fallowfield shop near to us in Manchester.

• 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
• 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
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Other Blockbusters

We've found a few other 'Blockbuster' stores on our travels - with one former store becoming a book shop called Bookbuster and a Crazy Golf hole themed on a store.

We've also seen out that a new video shop-themed bar called Blockbusters NQ is opening in Manchester's Northern Quarter later this year.

Blockbuster in Billingham

A look at the old Blockbuster Video Express in Billingham town centre, Teesside.

The former Blockbuster Video Express in Billingham is one of the last remaining Blockbuster storefronts that is almost fully intact in the UK.

It's always interesting seeing ghost signs for lost brands and even better when those ghost signs are so fresh looking.

Blockbuster in the UK

Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013. At the start of that year there were 528 Blockbuster locations in the UK. The number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. The remaining stores closed on the 16th December.

Blockbuster around the world

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 Blockbuster stores operating around the world. There is now just one remaining store open. It's in Bend, Oregon, USA.

Blockbuster visits

We've visited a number of former Blockbuster locations, including:

• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Colne, Lancashire
• Chester, Cheshire
• Felixstowe, Suffolk
• Hastings, East Sussex
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
• Marple, Greater Manchester
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Prescot, Lancashire
• Telford, Shropshire
• Chorley, Lancashire
• Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Leigh, Greater Manchester
• Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Wythenshawe, Manchester
• Billingham, Teesside

Blockbuster Video Express in Billingham

A visit to the old Blockbuster Video Express store in Billingham town centre, Teesside.

This is one of the very last remaining Blockbuster store shopfronts that is almost fully intact in the UK.

What a sight!

Many thanks to LaserDisc Turtle on Twitter for letting me know about the store's existence and Visual Sound on Instagram for recently letting me know it was still there.

We live near an abandoned Blockbuster Video store here in Manchester. It's always an eerie, interesting and nostalgic thing to drive past the old shop at Fallowfield Retail Park.

Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013. At the start of that year there were 528 Blockbuster locations in the UK. The number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. The remaining stores closed on the 16th December.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 Blockbuster stores around the world. There is now just one remaining store open. It's in Bend, Oregon, USA.

We've visited a number of former Blockbuster locations, including the site in Colne, Lancashire last summer.