The owner of Britain’s longest surviving video rental store has said his business is surviving because of Gen Z’s love of retro.
Colin Richards, 70, opened TVL Allstar Video in Haverhill, Suffolk, in 1984, as a company that leased video tapes to other shops.
It later developed into a video renting store and now has around £8,500 DVDs that customers can rent for £2 a week.
Despite the closure of rental chain Blockbuster in 2013, Colin’s store has survived thanks to the younger generation coming in for a ‘retro’ experience.
Colin Richards owner of T.V.L Allstar Video rental store in Haverhill, Suffolk
Colin pictured with some of his top Christmas films to rent, with The Muppets Christmas Carol taking the top spot
Colin says his business has survived thanks to the younger generation’s love of anything ‘retro’
He said: ‘A lot of our older customers are bringing in their children and grandchildren into the store to give them the experience the used to have on a Friday night.
‘It’s very infectious because the children won’t even be able to walk past the shop without wanting to come in.
‘Normally, they try and rent the same film, that’s their favourite, every time.
‘Obviously people have streaming services at home, but the difference is when you come into the store and pick the movie, you make an effort to sit down and watch it.
‘With streaming, you can easily be distracted and come away from it and do something else.
One of Colin’s most popular rentals is Forrest Gump which has been rented at least 2,000 times
People can rent a film from Colin for around £2 a week
The business originally started as a company that leased video tapes to other stores
Colin pictured with manager Geraldine Everitt, 50, in the video rental store
The store now has a selection of around 8,500 DVDs to choose from
‘But when you’ve got an actual disc, you tend to sit down and watch it – and that’s the difference.’
The video store is believed to be the last in the UK but Colin believes they have stayed open because they have ‘diversified into other things.’
One of the most popular films to rent is Robert Zemeckis’ timeless classic – Forrest Gump – which has been rented at least 2,000 times.
Alongside renting DVDs, the father-of-two also sells stationary, repairs scratched DVDs discs and runs a successful photocopying and printing service.
The store has also turned into a hub for the local community and Colin says they have customers who come in for a chat ‘on a daily basis.’
He said: ‘We have a lot of people who come into the store on a daily basis, because we’ve been here for such a long time.
Colin said the store also acts as a community hub, particularly for the older generation
Colin said Covid was one of the most difficult times for the store, as many customers went elsewhere and it has been difficult to get them back
Colin Richards holding some of the films to rent including Mission Impossible and Joy Ride
Colin pictured next to a stack of videos to rent including the classics Flashdance and Footloose
Colin pictured at the front of the store which is believed to be Britain’s longest surviving video rental store
‘The older generation sometimes need help with filling out forms or getting stuff out of their forms, so they come in often just so have a chat.
‘We might be the only person that they talk to that day.
‘We’ve been here such a long time that people know we are here and know if they need help with anything, then they can come in and see us.
‘We are like a social services really – I sometimes joke we should put up a sign above the shop that says ‘Haverhill Social Centre.’
‘But at the end of the day, I love doing the job.’
When the store opened, it cost £1.75 a night to rent out a film but now customers have to pay £3.25 for a newly released film or £2 a week for any other film.
Colin said if prices were to change in line with inflation, then one film could cost around £5 to £6 per night.
He admitted that Covid was an ‘absolute nightmare’ for his business and it has been ‘very difficult’ to get some of his customers back.
When the store was forced to close, his customers went elsewhere and it has been hard to get those customers back.
It was only at the beginning of 2023, that Colin saw his business return to some normality.