Civic Video

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CIVIC
IndustryHome entertainment
Founded1985
HeadquartersAlexandria, New South Wales, Australia
Area served
Australia and New Zealand
ServicesHome video rentals
(VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, Ultra HD Blu-ray, console games)
ParentCivic Retailing Pty Ltd
WebsiteCivic Video
Civic Video reward cards

CIVIC (formerly known as Civic Video) was a home video rental chain that offered titles on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray, as well as console video games, for rent. At its peak it operated hundreds of franchise and corporate-owned video rental shops in Australia and New Zealand. In the late 2000s and 2010s the chain saw significant store closures. Two stores remain as of May 2021, one in Australia and one in New Zealand.[1]

The demise of the business and the Australian and New Zealand video rental industries as a whole is attributed largely to the introduction of online streaming services.[2]

History[]

Australia[]

Civic Video store in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.

Civic Video was formed in Australia in 1985. Its head office was located in Alexandria, Sydney, with state operations offices in Canberra, Brisbane and Perth. Civic Video is a trade name used by Civic Retailing Pty Ltd.[3] The principal shareholders of Civic Video also owned VOD Pty Ltd.[4]

In the mid-1990s the company operated over 250 stores in the country, and opened a new store every month.[5] However, by April 2018 only 13 stores remained in Australia.[6] The company shut its head office in June that same year.[7] In November 2019, only three Civic stores remained in Australia.[8] In July 2020, only a single store remained in Windsor, New South Wales.[1]

New Zealand[]

Civic Video, Ponsonby Road, New Zealand

CIVIC New Zealand was launched on 1 December 1998 with 28 stores. The New Zealand head office was located in Auckland, and at its peak boasted over 22,000 followers on Facebook.

As of 2018 their website listed 20 outlets remaining in New Zealand.[9] In January 2019, it was reported that only a half-dozen outlets still existed, with one facing imminent closure.[10] As of May 2021 a single store remains at Tauranga.[citation needed]

Slogans[]

  • Its A Civic Video Night Tonight (1988-1995)
  • Get It Switched On, Get into Civic Video (1994-1996)
  • C it at Civic (2003)
  • Have a hot night in with CIVIC (2012)[citation needed]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Last Civic Video shop moves Windsor premises, re-sets longevity challenge
  2. ^ "Technology killed the video store". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  3. ^ "Civic Video Privacy Policy". Civic Video Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  4. ^ "Concurrent Computer and VOD Pty Ltd Take Video-On-Demand 'Down Under' with Australia's First Commercial Deployment" (Press release). Concurrent Computer Corporation. 27 June 2001. Archived from the original on 15 December 2004. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  5. ^ Video booms despite pay-TV
  6. ^ Civic Video's closing credits | Busselton-Dunsborough Mail
  7. ^ Civic Video to close head office, Windsor store will keep trading
  8. ^ Windsor Civic Video still trading as another video shop bites the dust
  9. ^ Final credits for Te Awamutu's last DVD store - NZ Herald
  10. ^ New Zealand's largest DVD rental store closes - Newstalk ZB

External links[]

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