TL;DR
The last Blockbuster store on earth is a franchise unit in Bend, Oregon, after the closure of a Perth, Australia location. The store was once part of a chain with 9,000 stores worldwide, but the company declared bankruptcy in 2010 and closed all corporate-owned stores in 2014.
And then there was one. The Associated Press has reported via the Washington Post that a franchise unit in Bend, Oregon will be the last Blockbuster on the planet after the closure of a Perth, Australia location this month.
The AP reports that in its heyday, Blockbuster boasted 9,000 stores worldwide, but after failing to compete with online streaming services its feasibility rapidly waned. The movie rental company declared bankruptcy in 2010, closed all its corporate-owned stores in 2014 and has seen all but one franchise closure in the years since, according to the article.
The article notes that the last Blockbuster’s manager called the store a tourist attraction that “won’t close anytime soon.”
In this story
This story was originally published in 1851 Franchise on March 8, 2019. Burnaze summarizes and links to the original reporting.
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