Aro Video’s capital idea
A Wellington retail institution is calling on its fans to help secure its future.
One of only two video stores left in the capital, Aro Video is struggling after a ‘‘very, very quiet summer’’ and the demise of DVDs and Blu-Ray disks as Christmas gifts.
‘‘Trading conditions for us have recently tipped over from ‘challenging’ to ‘critical’ and we thus find ourselves again in active survival mode,’’ owner Andrew Armitage wrote in a newsletter earlier this month.
Seeking a more stable sustainable financial model, Armitage told Stuff the business had decided to move towards more of a subscription model.
‘‘I did a lot of thinking over the summer, especially with us being in our 30th year of trading.
‘‘There are a lot of ways we could do what we do badly for the sake of still existing – like cuttingdown store hours – but the only sustainable way forward to me, as we lose traditional custom, was to refocus on giving our customers and supporters better value in return for a monthly payment.’’
Using American platform Patreon, Aro has created a range of AroVideo Library Expansion and Preservation Society supporter pack options from as little as US$1 a month, to a US$60 a month ‘‘bundle’’ that includes unlimited in-store rentals, a T-shirt and a framed picture of the Aro Valley store.
Armitage hoped the new offers would attract both active and passive members of the store, as well as those who had lapsed or were infrequent customers ‘‘who still want us to be around as a valuable resource’’.
He said the move made the store closer to being more like a library – ironic given news that Wellington Public Library is indefinitely out of action due to the building’s need for structural strengthening.
With Island Bay Video now the only other rival in the wider Wellington region, Armitage was acutely aware that such stores were becoming more and more of a scarcity and a novelty.
‘‘However, people have always had strong affection for boutique, independent retail and we know our nice environment and experience offers a substantial point-ofdifference.’’
This isn’t the first time Aro Video has come up with a creative solution in a time of crisis. Back in 2017, the store introduced an Adopt-A-Movie scheme, where the public could sponsor any film in its then 23,000-plus collection.