Family Video

Family Video Movie Club Inc. was an American video rental chain located in the United States and Canada. The family-owned company was headquartered in Glenview, Illinois.
== History ==
In 1946, Clarence Hoogland founded Midstates Appliance and Supply Company. His son Charles Hoogland inherited the business in 1953. The company later became a distributor for Magnetic Video. After getting stuck with a large inventory of excess video movies in the late 1970s, Charles had the idea to start the Video Movie Club in Springfield, Illinois in 1978. The club originally charged a $25 membership fee and $5 per rental and later evolved into Family Video.
Because Blockbuster's main focus was larger cities, Family Video decided to establish themselves mostly in rural areas, suburbs, and small and midsize cities instead.
In 2003, Family Video relocated its headquarters from Springfield to Glenview, Illinois. By 2013, Blockbuster closed almost all of its remaining stores. By the end of 2016, Hastings Entertainment liquidated, making Family Video the sole-surviving video rental chain in the United States.
In addition to the brick and mortar store front, Family Video has branched off into other markets such as real estate, 24-hour fitness centers, cell phones, and cable television. The company also sells new and previously used items online. Family Video expanded into the Canadian market in 2012.
In 2013, following the continued decline of competing video rental stores, Family Video formed a partnership with Marco's Pizza providing space for the franchise in many of its stores. The company is using the partnership as a way to deliver video rentals with pizza orders. Family Video also leases space to other retailers such as hair salons and fitness centers. Unlike much of its competition, Family Video owns the real estate housing their stores, helping them to avoid unsuccessful lease negotiations that led to the demise of Blockbuster and Movie Gallery, which includes Hollywood Video. And rather than depending on the revenue-sharing model used by others in the business, the chain buys and owns their movies, allowing them to keep all the rental profit. In addition, it owns a fiber-optic network in the Central Illinois region, called iTV-3, as well as a small chain of fitness centers named StayFit-24.
== Later years ==
In 2013, following the continued decline of competing video rental stores, Family Video formed a partnership with Marco's Pizza, providing space for the franchise in many of its stores. The company used the partnership as a way to deliver video rentals with pizza orders. Family Video also leases space to other retailers such as hair salons and fitness centers. Unlike most competitors, Family Video owned the real estate housing their stores, helping the company avoid unsuccessful lease negotiations that led to the demise of Blockbuster, Movie Gallery, and Hollywood Video. Rather than depending on the revenue-sharing model used by others, the chain bought and owned its movies to keep all the rental profit. In addition, it owns a fiber-optic network in the Central Illinois region, called i3 Broadband, as well as a small chain of fitness centers named StayFit-24.
In late 2019, the number of stores was reported to be almost 600, down from a peak of 800, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the chain was forced to close 200 stores in autumn 2020, with about 300 locations remaining.
On January 5, 2021, the company announced all remaining 250 stores would close. It was announced the chain would become an online web-store only, offering new and used video sales along with Family Video branded merchandise i.e. t-shirts, coffee mugs and tumblers, hats, gym bags, key chains, water bottles etc.  However, the website was closed at the end of March 2022, ending Family Video's business after forty-four years.
Category:Electronic Stores
Category:Retailers by type
Category:Retailers
Category:Department stores
Category:Discount stores