The end of Blockbuster Video in the UK

Blockbuster Video closed in the UK on the 16th December 2013.

The last Blockbuster Video shop ceased trading in the UK on this day 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.

Even now in 2025 there are still some clearly visible remnants of the brand on the high street and on retail parks.

The first Blockbuster Video.

The first Blockbuster Video store had opened in Dallas, Texas, USA on the 19th October 1985.

The last Blockbuster Video on Earth.

The very last Blockbuster Video store in operation is in Bend, Oregon, USA.

Our 'local' store.

Until January 2024 there was an abandoned Blockbuster Video store near us here in Manchester. It was always an eerie, interesting and nostalgic thing to drive past the old shop at Fallowfield Retail Park.

From 9,000 to 1.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 Blockbuster stores around the world. 500+ of which were in England, Scotland and Wales. Interestingly in Northern Ireland the Xtra-Vision brand was used by the owners in-line with the Republic of Ireland.

Nowadays it you want to rent a film from Blockbuster you'll have to travel to the last Blockbuster Video on the planet - Bend Blockbuster in Oregon.

Visiting the last bits of Blockbuster Video in the UK.

Check out these posts about other former Blockbuster Video stores we've been to in:

• 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

Lost brands.

Emily and I have spent the last few years reminiscing about 'the good old days'. One of our areas of interest is in old retail brands - we're both marketers by profession and two of my first jobs in the 1990's and the year 2000 were at Tandy and Toys R Us, while Emily's first job was at a Happy Shopper shop. It's been fascinating to find remnants of these brands - and a number of other lost, dead and defunct brands - on the high street and at retail parks around the UK.

Video rental shops in the UK (July 2025)

A look at video and movie rental shops in the UK.

You can still rent films from a number of video shops in the UK.

Video shop memories.

Growing up in the 80s and 90s I've got fond memories of visiting video shops with my family and picking out a film or two (generally one of the Police Academy films, action flicks, or horror movies as I got older!).

I found the preserved remains of a Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester in 2019. And during the coronavirus pandemic my interest in lost brands and retail history was piqued. Since then I've been to several former Blockbuster Video stores around the UK, as well as finding some other old, and some still open, video shops on our travels!

How many video shops are there in the UK in 2025?

Our most recent estimate shows there are currently seven 'video shops' still in operation offering physical media movie rentals in the UK as at July 2025.

They are:

• 20th Century Flicks in Bristol
• Fast Forward in Ayr, Scotland
• Northgate Video & DVD in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
• Snips Movies in Bebington, Wirral
• Stones Video Library & Sweet Shop & Vaporiser Shop in Lowestoft, Suffolk
• TVL Allstar Video in Haverhill, Suffolk
• VideOdyssey in Toxteth, Liverpool

We've been to 20th Century Flicks, Northgate Video & DVD and TVL Allstar Video, and are looking forward to going to Fast Forward, Snips Movies, Stones Video Library and VideoOdyssey.

Northgate Video & DVD shop in Bury St Edmunds (May 2025)

While there are nowhere near as many as there once were, it's still very nice to see there are businesses active in the 'video rental' sector in 2025.

Do you know of any other video shops in operation? Please do let us know.

Non-rental video shops.

There is also Straight To Video - 80s Video Shop in Alfreton, Derbyshire. While they don't actually rent physical media, the shop is a treasure trove of nostalgia. And they do have items for sale.

We're looking forward to a trip there.

Video shop speakeasies, bars, and venues.

The nostalgia for video shops and the culture they provided back in the day has been translated to a few speakeasies, bars and other venues incorporating a video shop theme.

You can't rent any of these films on VHS at RBT Video

These include:

• Pixel Busters in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire - an arcade and social gaming venue hidden behind a video store.
• Rewind NQ in Manchester's Northern Quarter - check out my blog post 'Drinking in a 'video shop'')
• RBT Video in Wakefield - take a look at the blog post from our visit
• Vice & Co in Lincoln - here's a blog post from our visit

And Bunga 90 - a re-imagining of the Bunga Bunga restaurant and entertainment venue as a 90's fever dream! - is planned to open in Covent Garden, London on the 18th September 2025. The venue will see you step through a video shop frontage to enter a venue full of retro games, karaoke and more.

Blockbuster Crazy Golf.

Interestingly there are 'Blockbuster' store-themed minigolf holes in the UK! They're part of the Golf Fang indoor crazy golf courses. This was the one at The Custard Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham back in 2017.

A Blockbuster Video themed Crazy Golf hole at Ghetto Golf (now Golf Fang) in Digbeth, Birmingham (November 2017)

Video shop pop-ups.

In April this year there was a KitKat x Blockbuster pop-up video shop that was part of a nostalgia inspired campaign to launch KitKat's new sharing bars.

KitKat x Blockbuster Video Shop pop-up in Soho, London. Photo by Gareth Holmes (April 2025)

Signs and traces of old video shops.

There are still traces of former video shops to be found on the streets, shopping centres and retail parks of the UK if you look for it!

VHS tapes and DVDs to rent at B.V.C. Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever (October 2020)

While most of these relics and ghost signs are of old Blockbuster Video stores, there are still signs of independent video shops to be seen if you're lucky (and actually visit and rent from if you're really lucky!).

An old video rental sign inside a Happy Shopper shop in Ilkeston (November 2020)

The list below has links to those we've snapped over the years:

• 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

Jubilee Films video shop in Ashton-under-Lyne (August 2020)

• B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever, Bolton (closed down in 2024)
• 20th Century Flicks in Bristol (still operating, but closed on the day of our visit)
• Video Express in Swansea
• Video Rentals at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham
• Northgate Video & DVD in Bury St Edmunds (still operating, but closed on the day of our visit)
• TVL Allstar Video in Haverhill (still operating)

TVL Allstar Video DVD rental shop in Haverhill, Suffolk

We're looking forward to checking out the other still operating stores on our travels in the future.

Blockbuster Video shops.

I've enjoyed researching the lost brand and seeking out remnants of old Blockbuster stores over the last few years.

An ex-rental Blockbuster VHS tape with stickers

Here's a list, with links to blog posts about the former Blockbuster Video store locations 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

A sign for the old Blockbuster Video Express store in Colne, Lancashire (August 2020)

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 Blockbuster Video stores around the world. 500+ of which were in England, Scotland and Wales. Interestingly in Northern Ireland the Xtra-Vision brand was used by the owners in-line with the Republic of Ireland.

An Xtra-vision ex-rental VHS tape from Ballymena, Northern Ireland

The last Blockbuster Video shop ceased trading in the UK in December 2013.

'Free Blockbuster'.

The first Free Blockbuster was created in 2019 and since then more have been created in the USA, Canada, Australia and the UK.

Emily visited the Free Blockbuster Las Vegas at Sohn vintage shop in Las Vegas last year and swapped some of our DVDs for some wrestling VHS tapes!

The Free Blockbuster Las Vegas at Sohn vintage shop in Las Vegas (September 2024)

You can find Free Blockbusters in several locations throughout North America, one in Australia, and there is one in the UK - at Midsomer Magpie in Midsomer Norton, Somerset, England.

Check out the Free Blockbuster website for more information.

Video rental shop watch.

Do you still have a video rental store near you? Please get in touch or let us know in the comments if you do!

An ex-rental cover for what would've been our local video shop here in Edgeley, Stockport

A video rental shop in 2025: Northgate Video & DVD in Bury St Edmunds

There's a video and DVD rental shop in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

While visiting family in Bury St Edmunds last year we spotted the sign for Northgate Video & DVD - a video rental shop!

We returned last week and were pleased to see the shop was still there.

Unfortunately the owner was on holiday until after we left so we didn't get a chance to have a browse and perhaps buy some ex-rentals.

We've spent the last few years documenting the last traces of Blockbuster Video stores here in the UK, and we've found some other video shop signage on our travels.

Northgate Video & DVD in Bury St Edmunds is one of only a handful of video rental shops still in business in the UK. Long may it continue!

The Power of Parker - filmed in Stockport - is back on the telly

The new series of The Power of Parker starts today, Friday 30th May.

The second series of The Power of Parker will be available to watch on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer from Friday 30th May.

This series of the Stockport-based comedy will be set in 1992.

We won't need to tape the new series as it'll be available on the BBC iPlayer too

We're looking forward to watching - the first series was very funny, and also interesting to see all the filming locations in and around Stockport.

Last November I saw some of the set in Stockport, with the former Bright House shop on Princes Street being turned into 'Parker's Power & Electricals' electrical goods shop!

Watching the first series we also noticed that there was still a piece of Tandy signage in the town!

The Power of Parker returning for second series

The second series of The Power of Parker starts on Friday 30th May.

The new series of The Power of Parker will be available to watch on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer from Friday 30th May.

We're looking forward to seeing The Power of Parker back on the box

This series of the Stockport-based comedy will be set in 1992.

We won't need to tape the new series as it'll be available on the BBC iPlayer too

We're looking forward to watching - the first series was very funny, and also interesting to see all the filming locations in and around Stockport.

Last November I saw some of the set in Stockport, with the former Bright House shop on Princes Street being turned into 'Parker's Power & Electricals' electrical goods shop!

Watching the first series we also noticed that there was still a piece of Tandy signage in the town!

RBT Video in Wakefield - a video shop speakeasy

A visit to RBT Video in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

We visited RBT Video in Wakefield while in the city for the Star Walk event at Trinity Walk.

We've wanted to revisit Wakefield and go to RBT Video for quite a while, so it was brilliant to check out the speakeasy and visit the pop culture event at the shopping centre too.

We've been nostaglic for the halcyon days of the video shop for a few years now, and while you can't actually rent out videos at RBT, it is fun checking out the video shop 'front' to the speakeasy.

I don't remember seeing R.B.T. on the shelves at my local Ritz Video back in the day!

Definitely not a Blockbuster Video shop

You don't need to ask Spuds MacKenzie to let you into the bar, but you do need to know the movie codename of the week to gain access!

Inside the bar at RBT Video

Behind this wall of VHS tapes is a bar!

My movie pick - it's no Pulp Fiction though

A poster for RBT Video's events we spotted while at Subs & Suds - a sister venue of RBT Video and part of the Host & Home group. Emily got a delicious Chicken Parm and Fries for lunch there (while I played Street Fighter II on one of the arcade machines)

Take a look on the RBT Video website for more information, opening times, and clues on how to gain access to the bar behind the VHS tape stacked shelves!

NOT a V.H.S. Rental shop

Kim's Video On Tour in the UK

Watching the documentary film Kim's Video at The Light cinema in Stockport.

We went to the Stockport screening of Kim's Video at The Light cinema last night and had a superb time.

It's a fascinating and intriguing documentary and was brilliant to watch on the big screen.

The documentary follows filmmaker David Redman on his quest to find and save the 55,000 strong collection of VHS tapes and DVDs from the once popular, but now defunct Kim's Video store in New York City.

You can find out more about Kim's Video On Tour in the UK on the Cinetopia website.

Check out the Kim's Video collection at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.

Visit The Light Stockport website for more information.

A really nice touch about the screening was the addition of a mystery video swap box for customers to add an item to before the film - and to take one from after the viewing! As big fans of physical media and old video shops this was brilliant to see.

Dropping our two DVD picks in the mystery video swap box

We got a lovely Kim's Video VHS tape graphic sticker as part of our ticket too!