Blockbuster video in Jackson shopping center closes

Blockbuster video in Jackson has closed.

The store, 2050 Walton Drive, Suite D, was mostly bare Friday morning. All that remained inside the building were a few stacks of DVDs.

The closure marks the second business to vacate space inside the shopping center. Dollar Tree closed its doors Aug. 8. Great Clips and Check Please of Jackson are now the only tenants inside the shopping center.

Blockbuster spokesman Randy Hargrove said the store was a franchise and had let its lease expire rather than choosing to renew it.

Jackson Chamber of Commerce executive director Brian Gerau said he hopes other businesses might take advantage of what he called a prime location.

"We always hate when a business closes, whether it's Blockbuster or any other type of retail," Gerau said. "We'll do our best to get someone in there like Blockbuster to take up that space.

"That's a loss of jobs and revenue," he said. "It's something we have to prepare ourselves for and try to fill that void as soon as possible."

The closure comes at a time when retail sales are struggling despite a 1 percent increase in January and the video rental company is facing competition from mail-in video order companies like Netflix.

Blockbuster announced Feb. 11 it will offer a pilot program during the second quarter that allows customers to rent video games and movies as part of a monthly subscription plan. The company said it is launching the program as the first step in a plan to make Blockbuster Total Access the only online rental service offering movies and games.

bblackwell@semissourian.com

388-3628