Blockbuster, once the world’s largest chain of home video stores, plans to close upwards of 500 locations across the United States. A necessity due to lowered profits and pressure from net-based video rental services, the once-successful company plans to lower their operating size and focus on high quality store placements and retail outlets.

Alongside their decision, American DVD rental kiosk company NCR plans to capitalize on the wide open rental spaces. Their ‘Blockbuster Express’ DVD kiosk chain – a highly profitable business which licenses Blockbuster’s name directly – plans to operate in areas left without a Blockbuster rental outlet.

The DVD kiosk chain claims that business would resume as normal if Blockbuster were to go bankrupt. Citing their licensed brand name, the kiosk chain noted that their business is operated independently from Blockbuster, sharing only their marketing materials in order to receive greater levels of customer interest.

Los Angeles rental chain Movie Gallery filed for Chapter-11 bankruptcy earlier this year. With a range of independent and franchised rental outlets struggling to remain profitable, the expansion of kiosk-based rental services could be good for studios, and of course, for consumers.

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