told Sunshine Coast Daily in response to a local Maroochydore outlet closing that, "I'm not happy that Maroochydore has gone. It's not something we like to see, absolutely there is a human cost to what's happening here." He went on to add, "the worst thing that happens in a rationalisation is losing stores and losing good people. We've been up on the Coast with Blockbuster for a number of years and with Video Ezy for about 20 years." Uniacke stated that he believed Video Ezy Express rental kiosks would ultimately fill the void left by closed stores. He asserted that "you will see us back in a short space of time. We don't want to leave that territory without the brand too long, we want to stay strong." He also added that franchisees were "lined up out the door to run kiosks in there, so you will see Blockbuster, or maybe Video Ezy kiosks flowing through there", but in the same interview he admitted, "absolutely we will have less stores, but I don't want to do away with them because they form a valuable part of the business." In February 2016 Uniacke blamed high rents and wages as the main factor behind store closures, and stated that he believed the increasing popularity of online streaming did not have a major impact on the business, highlighting that at the time Video Ezy's stores and kiosks offered newer release movies that were available on disc months before they appeared on online services. He also asserted that "the business model for rental stores can be, and still is, viable under certain circumstances." Ultimately, the few rental stores that have hung on the longest have done so through diversification, downsizing, and catering for older customers unwilling or unable to go online, or film buffs looking for more obscure titles not available on streaming services or with poor internet connections. Although Video Ezy's rental kiosks had extended the life of the brand beyond store closures, they were still ultimately affected by a declining customer base as well as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in a lack of new, high-profile titles from being available after a number of blockbuster films had their original 2020 theatrical release dates (and subsequent DVD and Blu-ray releases) delayed into the following year. References External links Video Ezy Australia website Australian companies established in 1983 Australian companies disestablished