I own the UK's only surviving DVD rental store, and business is booming

2024-12-29 109

The owner of Britain's longest surviving DVD rental store is surprised that business is booming - 40 years after they opened.

Colin Richards, 71, opened TVL Allstar Video in Haverhill, Suffolk, in 1984 and it originally started as a company that leased video tapes to other shops.

He then decided to start renting films and the store now has around 8,500 DVDs including Forrest Gump - which has been borrowed at least 2,000 times.

But while the rise of streaming services like Netflix largely killed off the movie rental business, Colin says he has a steady flow of loyal customers who keep him in profit.

And his store in Haverhill, Suffolk, is still renting out DVDs to families for £2 a week - 11 years after Blockbuster shut down.