Credits roll on movie classic
‘Great degree of sadness’ as Netflix factor forces Mt Eden video shop to close after 36 years
[Videon is] closing essentially because the industry is in decline. Tim Beatson, senior staff member at Videon
The Netflix factor has delivered the death blow to Auckland video institution Videon after the Mt Eden store was slowly being strangled by online movie piracy.
Through the peak years of DVD and VHS videotape, Videon was a goto shop for weird, obscure and arty films and TV shows — as well as stocking the blockbusters.
But after 36 years trading on Dominion Rd, first south of Balmoral Rd and later near Valley Rd, Videon has surrendered to market forces.
It will close on December 31.
“It’s closing essentially because the industry is in decline and the owners don’t have a feasible pivot strategy to be able to sustain the business,” said senior staff member Tim Beatson.
An attempt to find a buyer on Trade Me had failed and now the business was being wound down.
Four years ago online piracy of films was the force killing off suburban video stores, but now it is paid streaming video services such as Netflix.
Australian-owned rental chain Video Ezy announced this year it was pulling out of New Zealand.
In Auckland, only about 20 video rental stores exist these days.
For the kind of selection offered by Videon, Beatson points to Auteur House in Hamilton, Aro Video in Wellington and Christchurch’s Alice in Videoland.
“We are struggling against the tide,” Beatson said, “in terms of what can be delivered much more conveniently and quickly, depending on your broadband access.
“Certainly in the last year we have struggled the hardest.”
Videon had held more than 30,000 titles, including international films, silver-screen classics, festival movies and special interest titles.
Beatson said some stock had been sold and there were negotiations to sell many other titles to a trust which wanted to make them publicly available through university libraries.
Describing customers’ reactions to Videon’s decision to close, he said: “There’s a great degree of sadness around the idea it will no longer be operating as a business, because it is quite unique in its field.”