Stop & Shop, Giant Food in New DVD Rental Kiosk Program
QUINCY, Mass. -- Ahold USA said it plans to offer fully automated DVD rental kiosks in Stop & Shop and Giant Food locations throughout the Northeast, in the wake of a successful yearlong trial at 12 Stop & Shop and Giant stores.
Ahold's partner in the new kiosk program is redbox Automated Retail, LLC, an automated DVD rental services provider based in Oak Park, Ill.
"We are very pleased with the success of redbox in our Hartford and Baltimore markets," said Bill Cummings, e.v.p. of operations for the Stop & Shop/Giant Arena, in a statement. "The quick self-service transaction and $1 per-night price point make it a perfect fit for our customers' busy lifestyles."
The kiosks will start appearing in the supermarkets this March, and by the end of June about 80 percent of Stop & Shop and Giant locations -- over 400 stores -- are expected to have kiosks up and running.
Each kiosk holds more than 500 DVDs encompassing 50 to 60 of the latest movie releases, with new titles available every Tuesday. Shoppers use a touchscreen to choose their preferred movies, swipe a valid credit or debit card, and take their DVDs. Additionally, customers can keep DVDs for as long as they want for $1 per night plus tax and return them to any redbox kiosk across the country.
Redbox currently has over 800 locations, including select McDonald's restaurants, major supermarket chains, and office buildings. December 2005 was the best month of record for the company, which reported more than 1.1 million DVD rentals.
Ahold's Stop & Shop/Giant Food Arena operates 563 stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.
Ahold's partner in the new kiosk program is redbox Automated Retail, LLC, an automated DVD rental services provider based in Oak Park, Ill.
"We are very pleased with the success of redbox in our Hartford and Baltimore markets," said Bill Cummings, e.v.p. of operations for the Stop & Shop/Giant Arena, in a statement. "The quick self-service transaction and $1 per-night price point make it a perfect fit for our customers' busy lifestyles."
The kiosks will start appearing in the supermarkets this March, and by the end of June about 80 percent of Stop & Shop and Giant locations -- over 400 stores -- are expected to have kiosks up and running.
Each kiosk holds more than 500 DVDs encompassing 50 to 60 of the latest movie releases, with new titles available every Tuesday. Shoppers use a touchscreen to choose their preferred movies, swipe a valid credit or debit card, and take their DVDs. Additionally, customers can keep DVDs for as long as they want for $1 per night plus tax and return them to any redbox kiosk across the country.
Redbox currently has over 800 locations, including select McDonald's restaurants, major supermarket chains, and office buildings. December 2005 was the best month of record for the company, which reported more than 1.1 million DVD rentals.
Ahold's Stop & Shop/Giant Food Arena operates 563 stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.