South Robertson Blvd. Blockbuster to Close

Beverly Hills will lose its last movie rental store when  closes its doors on Jan. 22.

The corner store at the intersection of South Robertson and Charleville boulevards has been in operation for at least a decade. It is no longer offering rentals and is selling its entire stock of DVDs, video games, snacks and even furniture.

Still, several patrons were trying to rent DVDs there Tuesday, despite the red “everything must go” signs.

Many Blockbuster stores in California were closed last year after the chain was acquired by Dish Network. Employees at the Beverly Hills location were informed last week about the store’s impending closure and were not given a reason for the decision, Assistant Manager Anthony Ruiz said.

The closure comes as the city’s  is looking for ways to revitalize Robertson Boulevard and the surrounding area. There are several vacant storefronts on South Robertson and Olympic boulevards. An often-cited problem is a lack of public parking, although that was not an issue for Blockbuster, which has a sizeable parking lot.

Councilman John Mirisch, who is leading the task force, said he did not know if any retailer has made plans to open in the Blockbuster building.

“The closing of the Blockbuster probably has very little to do with the local area and much more to do with the evolution of the entertainment business,” he said, referring to the trend of movies being streamed over the Internet.

The Beverly Hills Blockbuster will remain open from 12-9 p.m until its scheduled closure. The store is advising its customers to transfer their accounts to one of three nearby Blockbusters: 677 S. La Brea Ave., 4470 Sunset Blvd. and 9201 Venice Blvd.

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