According to a report from Convenience Store News, NCR yesterday announced it will deploy nearly 500 of its Blockbuster Express DVD-rental kiosks in Kwik Trip convenience stores in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
NCR aims to deploy about 10,000 Blockbuster Express kiosks by the end of 2010. Its 5,000 deployed kiosks are significantly fewer in number than industry leader redbox's roughly 20,000 deployed kiosks.
In related news, Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes, in a Charleston, S.C., Post and Courier interview published yesterday, expressed optimism for the beleaguered rental store's future.
"Here's an analogy: If I want to buy an obscure book title, I'll go to Amazon.com. But if I want to browse and see what's new, I will go to Barnes & Noble," the story quoted him as saying.
Keys predicts that despite the recent closure of more than 1,000 brick-and-mortar stores, Blockbuster intends to leverage its day-of-release contracts with motion picture companies and browsing-friendly environment to retain a share of the DVD-rental market.
