LionDen
01-23-2013, 07:47 PM
http://www3.pcmag.com/media/images/357602-dish-network.jpg?thumb=y
Brick-and-mortar Blockbuster retail stores have been disappearing for more than a decade now, but get ready to say goodbye to a few more. Dish Network this week announced that it will shutter another 300 locations.
Dish is expecting to close about 300 Blockbusters in the coming weeks, a company spokesman said, leaving 3,000 employees without a job.
The closures will affect underperforming stores or those nearing the end of their lease, though specific locations have not yet been announced. Only 500 U.S. Blockbuster stores will remain, 26 of which are near Dish's Colorado headquarters.
Dish hasn't given up on the once-popular video rental chain just yet, saying that "we continue to see value in the Blockbuster brand," which it acquired out of bankruptcy for $320 million in 2011. At the time, Blockbuster boasted 1,700 physical stores and a streaming service.
"While Blockbuster's business faces significant challenges, we look forward to working with its employees to re-establish Blockbuster's brand as a leader in video entertainment," Tom Cullen, executive vice president of sales, marketing, and programming for Dish, said in an April statement following the acquisition announcement.
Some of those challenges included failing stores. This week's move comes almost a year after the company announced plans to shut down 500 retail locations. The company has been evaluating locations on a store-by-store basis. "We will continue to analyze store level profitability and — as we have in the past — close unprofitable stores," the spokesman said.
The company pondered turning its Blockbuster subsidiary into a streaming video service to rival Netflix's Watch Instantly, but in October abandoned those plans. However, Dish still offers a Blockbuster streaming and DVD movie rental service bundled with its pay TV service.
pcmag
Brick-and-mortar Blockbuster retail stores have been disappearing for more than a decade now, but get ready to say goodbye to a few more. Dish Network this week announced that it will shutter another 300 locations.
Dish is expecting to close about 300 Blockbusters in the coming weeks, a company spokesman said, leaving 3,000 employees without a job.
The closures will affect underperforming stores or those nearing the end of their lease, though specific locations have not yet been announced. Only 500 U.S. Blockbuster stores will remain, 26 of which are near Dish's Colorado headquarters.
Dish hasn't given up on the once-popular video rental chain just yet, saying that "we continue to see value in the Blockbuster brand," which it acquired out of bankruptcy for $320 million in 2011. At the time, Blockbuster boasted 1,700 physical stores and a streaming service.
"While Blockbuster's business faces significant challenges, we look forward to working with its employees to re-establish Blockbuster's brand as a leader in video entertainment," Tom Cullen, executive vice president of sales, marketing, and programming for Dish, said in an April statement following the acquisition announcement.
Some of those challenges included failing stores. This week's move comes almost a year after the company announced plans to shut down 500 retail locations. The company has been evaluating locations on a store-by-store basis. "We will continue to analyze store level profitability and — as we have in the past — close unprofitable stores," the spokesman said.
The company pondered turning its Blockbuster subsidiary into a streaming video service to rival Netflix's Watch Instantly, but in October abandoned those plans. However, Dish still offers a Blockbuster streaming and DVD movie rental service bundled with its pay TV service.
pcmag