The video rental shop themed bar formerly known as Blockbusters NQ is now known as Rewind NQ.
.jpg "Rewind NQ in Manchester")
The inside of the bar is still packed with old VHS tapes!
.jpg "Rewind NQ in Manchester")
.jpg "Rewind NQ in Manchester")
Check out the Rewind NQ website for more information.
.jpg "Rewind NQ in Manchester")
Showing posts with label nostalgia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nostalgia. Show all posts
Friday, October 25, 2024
From Blockbusters NQ to Rewind NQ in Manchester
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Saturday, October 19, 2024
39 years of Blockbuster Video
Not completely gone, and not completely forgotten.
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| This was the sign at the Blockbuster Video store in Nuneaton, Warwickshire when it was uncovered for a short period of time in 2021 |
The first Blockbuster Video store opened in Dallas, Texas, USA on this day in 1985.
At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 stores around the world. 500-plus of those were in the UK.
There has been a boom in nostalgia for the brand - which back in the day was seen as something of a 'category killer' that saw off many smaller operators.
Blockbuster in the UK
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| The remains of the Blockbuster Video Express store in Billingham, Teesside in 2020 |
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 last stores closed on the 16th December.
There are still clearly visible remnants of the brand on the high street and on retail parks. And we've been to most of them on our travels!
Blockbuster Video stores we've visited
Check out the 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
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| A ghost sign at the old Blockbuster Video Express store in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight in 2021 |
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.
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Video Store Day 2024
Today is Video Store Day.
Do you still have a video store near you?
International Independent Video Store Day is observed on the third Saturday of October each year.
This year is the 14th Annual International Independent Video Store Day.
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
Unfortunately B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever, Bolton closed in July this year. We visited that particular video shop on Video Shop Day in 2020!
It's nice to see there are still some businesses active in the sector though!
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| Northgate Video & DVD Video Rental and Sales shop in Bury St Edmunds, August 2024 |
There are still traces of former video shops to be found on the streets, shopping centres and retail parks of the UK. Most of those are old Blockbuster Video stores. But there are remnants of independent video shops to be seen if you're lucky. Some of those I'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
- 20th Century Flicks in Bristol
- Video Express in Swansea
- Video Rentals at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham
- Northgate Video & DVD in Bury St Edmunds
Blockbuster Video stores we've visited to date include:
- 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
Find out more about the event on the International Independent Video Store Day website.
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Tuesday, October 08, 2024
The Blockbuster Video Store in Fallowfield, Manchester - Five Years On
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.
Do you have a favourite defunct brand? Are the remains of an old brand still visible near where you live or work? Do let me know.
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Thursday, September 19, 2024
International Independent Video Store Day 2024
This year is the 14th Annual International Independent Video Store Day.
International Independent Video Store Day is observed on the third Saturday of October each year.
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
Unfortunately B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever, Bolton closed in July this year. We visited that particular video shop on Video Shop Day in 2020!
It's nice to see there are still some businesses active in the sector though!
|
| Northgate Video & DVD Video Rental and Sales shop in Bury St Edmunds, August 2024 |
There are still traces of former video shops to be found on the streets, shopping centres and retail parks of the UK. Most of those are old Blockbuster Video stores. But there are remnants of independent video shops to be seen if you're lucky. Some of those I'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
- 20th Century Flicks in Bristol
- Video Express in Swansea
- Video Rentals at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham
- Northgate Video & DVD in Bury St Edmunds
Blockbuster Video stores we've visited to date include:
- 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
Find out more about the event on the International Independent Video Store Day website.
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Thursday, September 05, 2024
Toys R Us inside WH Smith at the Trafford Centre
Toys R Us has opened at the Trafford Centre in Manchester.
.jpg "Toys R Us in WH Smith at the Trafford Centre")
The new Toys R Us concession is now open inside WH Smith at the Trafford Centre.
.jpg "Toys R Us in WH Smith at the Trafford Centre")
.jpg "Toys R Us in WH Smith at the Trafford Centre")
.jpg "Toys R Us in WH Smith at the Trafford Centre")
.jpg "Toys R Us in WH Smith at the Trafford Centre")
.jpg "Toys R Us in WH Smith at the Trafford Centre")
.jpg "Toys R Us in WH Smith at the Trafford Centre")
While the last of the original Toys R Us stores in the UK closed on the 24th April 2018 the brand returned to the UK in 2022 with an online presence, and further expanded in 2023 with the opening of nine concessions inside WH Smith.
.jpg "Toys R Us in WH Smith at the Trafford Centre")
There are currently 39 Toys R Us concessions in WH Smith shops, with more planned to open through 2024. Visit the Toys R Us website for more information.
.jpg "Toys R Us in WH Smith at the Trafford Centre")
Working at Toys R Us
My first job while at university in the year 2000 was as one of Geoffrey's helpers at the Luton store. I worked on the video game and electronics section.
Toys R Us concessions in the USA
Emily saw a Toys R Us at a Macy's department store in Fort Worth, Texas and a sign for one at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on a trip to the USA earlier this year.
The old Toys R Us
It's been very interesting to find that there are still remnants of the brand on some retail parks in the UK and we've visited several of these closed, abandoned, derelict and demolished Toys R Us locations on our travels.
Former Toys R Us locations we've been to on our travels:
- Brighton Hill Retail Park in Basingstoke
- Central Retail Park in Manchester
- Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich
- Deepdale shopping centre in Preston
- Festival retail park in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
- Gateway retail park in Reading
- Gemini Retail Park in Warrington
- Interchange Retail Park at Copdock Mill, Ipswich
- St James Retail Park in Northampton
- Teesside Retail Park in Stockton-on-Tees
- The Leisure Plaza in Milton Keynes
- Trafford Centre in Manchester
- Western Esplanade in Southampton
- Wolverhampton Road in Oldbury
- Wyvern Retail Park in Derby
Lost Toys R Us Stores
My book about Lost Toys R Us Stores is available to buy from Amazon.
There were once 105 Toys R Us stores in the UK. The business ceased trading in 2018 and all of those shops closed. It is still possible to find traces of the brand on some retail parks and shopping centres around the UK. The book takes a look at some of those old stores between 2019 and 2021.
Buy Lost Toys R Us Stores on Amazon.
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Happy Shopper shops
Looking back at our visits to Happy Shopper shops since 2020.
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| A Happy Shopper shop sign in Ormesby St Margaret, Norfolk |
We felt very nostalgic during the coronavirus pandemic and one of the old brands from our childhood we thought about was 'Happy Shopper' - the name alone conjures up images of the 1980's.
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| A sign at the Pleasant News Happy Shopper in Wisbech (2021) |
Emily's first job was at a Happy Shopper in Ipswich and I remember seeing the Happy Shopper shops and branded products a lot when I was growing up in Oxfordshire back in the 1980's and 1990's.
We didn't think there would be many - or any - of the original orange and yellow branded shops still around, but we were proven wrong when we saw one in Preston in September 2020.
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| A Happy Shopper shop in Preston |
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| Visiting a fully branded Happy Shopper shop is like stepping back in time |
The Happy Shopper branding was changed in the year 2000 and I think it lost a lot of its charm and individuality. Many of the former Happy Shopper shops have since been rebranded as Premier shops.
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| You could still see the 'newer' Happy Shopper branding on Pleasant News in Wisbech in 2021 |
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| The shelves inside the store were still the classic orange and yellow design |
Since spotting the old shop in Preston we've been lucky enough to spot and snap a few more.
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| The Happy Shopper on Page Hall Road in Sheffield in 2020 |
Here's a list of posts about other Happy Shopper shops in:
- Preston
- Sheffield (Sharrow Lane)
- Sheffield (Page Hall Road)
- Ilkeston
- Hitchin
- Fallowfield, Manchester
- Ashwellthorpe
- Ormesby St Margaret
- Lowestoft (2011)
- Lowestoft (2021)
- Wisbech
- Sittingbourne
- Burton-on-Trent 1
- Burton-on-Trent 2
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| At the Happy Shopper shop on Chaucer Road in Sittingbourne |
You can view my YouTube Playlist of Happy Shopper shop videos here.
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Saturday, February 24, 2024
A Happy Shopper shop in Ilkeston, Derbyshire
Finding a Happy Shopper shop in Ilkeston.
.jpg "The Wayfairer Discount Store Happy Shopper shop in Ilkeston, Derbyshire")
On our way back home from a trip south we visited the abandoned Toys R Us in Derby as well as the still open Happy Shopper shop in Ilkeston.
.jpg "The Wayfairer Discount Store Happy Shopper shop in Ilkeston, Derbyshire")
One of the retro brands I remember clearly from growing up in the 80s and 90s was Happy Shopper. The colourful sign with the happy chappy face is a lovely throwback. Happy Shopper received a rebrand in 2000, but if you are lucky you can still find the original branding and signage on some shops.
.jpg "The Wayfairer Discount Store Happy Shopper shop in Ilkeston, Derbyshire")
.jpg "The Wayfairer Discount Store Happy Shopper shop in Ilkeston, Derbyshire")
.jpg "The Wayfairer Discount Store Happy Shopper shop in Ilkeston, Derbyshire")
.jpg "The Wayfairer Discount Store Happy Shopper shop in Ilkeston, Derbyshire")
Other Happy Shopper shops
We didn't think there would be many - or any - of the original orange and yellow branded shops still around, but we were proven wrong when we saw one in Preston in September 2020.
Since then we've been lucky enough to spot and snap a few more.
Take a look at my posts about other Happy Shopper shops in:
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
Remains of a Happy Shopper shop in Ormesby St Margaret, Norfolk
A ghost sign at the old Happy Shopper shop in Ormesby St Margaret, Norfolk.
We were surprised and amazed to see an old Happy Shopper sign while en route to Hemsby during an East Anglian Road-Trip.
We had taken a couple of detours because of traffic and ended up on a different road towards the seaside that took us through the village of Ormesby St Margaret. We're always looking for points of interest and new things to spot when on our travels and as we drove past the village shop we both said to each other jokingly "I wonder if that used to be a Happy Shopper?"
Imagine our shock when we saw a really old, classic Happy Shopper sign in one of the shop windows!
Other Happy Shopper shops
We didn't think there would be many - or any - of the original orange and yellow branded shops still around, but we were proven wrong when we saw one in Preston in September 2020.
Since then we've been lucky enough to spot and snap a few more.
Take a look at my posts about other Happy Shopper shops in:
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
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