Family Video gives free rentals for 30th birthday
Third-largest bricks-and-mortar rentailer now at 573 stores
By Jennifer Netherby -- Video Business, 11/13/2008
NOV. 13 | Thirty years after Family Video founder Charlie Hoogland opened his first store because he got stuck with a surplus of videos, the chain is giving away millions of rentals to customers to celebrate its anniversary.
The nation’s third-largest video rental chain is offering free rentals on a selection of catalog films to all customers who walk through the doors at any of its stores through Nov. 17.
Family, which just opened its 574th store, rented 1 million free videos between the start of the anniversary promotion on Oct. 17 and Halloween.
“I hope we give another 2 million rentals away,” Hoogland said in an announcement. “Our customers are enjoying the celebration, and our employees are having a blast.”
The anniversary comes as Family records its best year ever and continues to open new stores, director of sales and marketing Raelene Ohanesian said.
“I think our business has been so successful for so long because of Charlie and Keith,” Ohanesian said. “Charlie Hoogland is a financial genius, and his son Keith is a chip off the old block. If you asked the Hooglands, they would say we’re so successful because we hire smart and talented people who work hard.”
Family Video began renting videos in 1978 after Charlie Hoogland took over his father’s company, Midstates Appliance & Supply Company, which fatefully got stuck with a large quantity of videos.
Since that time, the privately owned company has slowly grown into the No. 3 rentailer. Much of its growth came in the last decade, with the company telling VB in 2004 that it planned to boost its store footprint from 328 stores then to more than 500.
It has stayed true to its name—Hoogland’s son Keith Hoogland is president, while Charlie is CEO.
Ohanesian said the company doesn’t know what the future will hold, but it will continue to evolve with the industry.
“In the short term, we anticipate that we’ll continue to open new stores just as we always have,” she said.
