NEW VIDEO MOVIE RENTAL TO LOCATE HERE

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- When Terry Monroe left his job a few years ago, he took a chance with the movies, and it's paying off.

"I've never looked back," says Monroe, president of C & M Video, a video movies rental chain headquartered in Effingham, Ill. "We developed a plan and it's working out."

C & M Video will open a store in Cape Girardeau in the near future.

"We're negotiating for a location now," said Monroe. "We hope to open here within 30 to 60 days."

Monroe founded C & M Video in 1984. The C & M plan was to locate expansions in towns of less than 50,000 people.

"Smaller communities are great markets for carefully managed, well-stocked video stores," said Monroe. "A lot of national chains pass up the smaller markets."

C & M, which recently acquired B.A.C. Video, a Belleville-based company, now has 39 stores in operation, including 17 company stores and 22 franchised operations.

"The Cape Girardeau operation will be the 40th store, and the first in Missouri," said Monroe. "We hope to open 10 additional franchised operations this year in the St. Louis area."

Monroe said the company is also looking into other Illinois areas, along with Southwest Indiana and Eastern Iowa.

Monroe said most of the stores range from 3,000 to 5,000 square feet and contain from 3,000 to 5,000 video tapes.

"We always look for a high visibility, high traffic area," said Monroe.