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RENTAL ROUNDUP

Bashas' Plans Three Rental Departmentstwo video rental departments by the end of the year and expand another, said Bill Glaseman, video specialist. New stores are planned for November and December, while a remodeled store with an enlarged video department is in progress now, he said.The store had opened two new stores with video rental departments earlier this year, he said. All five departments will

Bashas' Plans Three Rental Departments

two video rental departments by the end of the year and expand another, said Bill Glaseman, video specialist. New stores are planned for November and December, while a remodeled store with an enlarged video department is in progress now, he said.

The store had opened two new stores with video rental departments earlier this year, he said. All five departments will use live inventory display systems in about 500 square feet. There are about 2,000 rental units, of which about 25% are new releases, said Glaseman. The chain now has 44 video departments in 94 total stores.

Despite increased specialty store competition, Bashas' revenues and profits from video rental are holding up, he said. "Bashas' is very committed to video. They are including video in all their new store plans and, if a smaller store is being remodeled, it will also have a video department," said Glaseman.

In-Store Banks: Lackluster Response

DURHAM, N.C. -- A recent study has concluded that customer response to supermarket bank branches has been "lackluster." This may be good news for video executives who have lost space to the financial institutions, said industry observers.

Mentis Corp. here and MarkeTech Systems, Raleigh, N.C., put out the report that found that while supermarket branches cost 60% of what traditional branches cost, they only bring in about half the revenue of traditional banks. "Banks are opening in-store branches because they see it as a way to increase their exposure and capture new customers," Marty Molloy, research analyst with Mentis, is quoted in a recent issue of the American Banker. "But at this point they are not seeing great returns."

Because bank services are not "impulse" purchases, the supermarket traffic does not necessarily benefit from the in-store branches, said Halle Conway, managing partner of MarkeTech Systems.

Michael L. Reddoch, president, National Commerce Bank Services, Memphis, Tenn., said in-store banking results vary. "There are a percentage of banks that do it well and there are a large percentage that don't. There are going to be some people who are rethinking their strategies."

The chart on this page, tailored for the supermarket video market, is based on information taken from more than 1,000 supermarket rental locations serviced by Ingram Entertainment, La Vergne, Tenn.

Top 10 Supermarket Video Rental Titles

Title (Weeks Out) Studio Retail Last WEEk

1 Titanic (2) Paramount $19.95 1

2 The Man in the Iron Mask (5) MGM $104.17 2

3 The Wedding Singer (6) New Line $107.37 3

4 Primary Colors (1) Universal $107.37 New

5 U.S. Marshals (8) Warner $107.37 4

6 Good Will Hunting (10) Buena Vista $107.37 5

7 Wild Things (1) Columbia $105.77 New

8 Jackie Brown (6) Buena Vista $107.37 6

9 The Apostle (4) Universal $107.37 7

10 Wag the Dog (11) New Line $105.77 9