Rogers Plus

2025-10-02T20:21:54Z

2001:569:7E1E:2D00:3009:71FD:BAA3:518D:

{{Short description|Retail Outlet of Rogers Communications}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Rogers Plus
| logo = Rogers Plus logo.jpg
| type = [[Division (organisation)|Division]] of [[Rogers Communications]]
| foundation = 1988
| defunct = April 16, 2012
| location = [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]]|
| industry = [[Retail]]
| products = [[Cable modem]]s, [[home video]], [[mobile phone]]s, [[netbook]]s, [[set-top box]]es, [[tablet computer]]s
| services = [[Renting|Rentals]] for home video, [[video game]]s and [[video game console]]s; sales and support of Rogers services 
| revenue = [[Image:Red Arrow Down.svg|12px]]$355 million [[Canadian dollar|CAD]] (2010)
| num_employees = 4,500
| owner = [[Rogers Communications]]
| homepage = [http://www.rogersplus.ca/ rogersplus.ca]
}}
'''Rogers Plus''' was a brand name for the retail operations of [[Rogers Communications]]. It was formerly two separate brands, namely the Rogers Wireless chain of telecommunications stores previously operated by [[InterTAN]] under licence from Rogers, and the '''Rogers Video''' chain of [[video rental store]]s. In early 2007, Rogers retired the Rogers Video and Rogers Wireless brand names from its stores and re-branded them as '''Rogers Plus'''.

At its peak, there were over 300 Rogers Plus stores. Rogers Plus stores also provided sales and service for cable television, Internet, [[Rogers Telecom|home phone service]] and [[Rogers Wireless|wireless phone]] service in markets where they offered these services.

==History==
[[File:Toronto Canada Rogers Plus.jpg|thumb|The exterior of a Rogers Plus video rental shop in [[Davisville Village|Davisville]], [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]].]]

===1980s to 1990s: inception, acquisitions and expansion===
Rogers Video was established in 1988. The company's operations grew considerably in the 1990s through take-overs of smaller, local chains. For example, in [[Saskatchewan]] and [[Manitoba]], Rogers took over eight stores from TVS Video Superstore<ref>{{cite magazine |date=May 25, 1996 |title=newsline… |pages=70 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pw0EAAAAMBAJ&q=%22rogers+video%22&pg=PA70 |access-date=October 1, 2012|last1=Nielsen Business Media |first1=Inc }}</ref> and Family Video (not to be confused with the Saskatoon-based Family Video chain that became VHQ) chains. {{citation needed|date=April 2012}}
These acquisitions allowed Rogers Video to gain the title of the fifth largest video rental shop chain in North America until its demise. In the country's [[National Capital Region (Canada)|National Capital Region]], which mainly consists of [[Ottawa]], the rental chain agreed to provide services in both English and French.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/content/hoc/archives/committee/352/olan/evidence/14_96-11-26/olan14_blk-e.html |title=Official languages (14) |publisher=[[Parliament of Canada]] |access-date=October 1, 2012}}</ref> Rogers Video also received multiple "Canadian Retailer of the Year" awards in that decade and the next to come.

===2000s: DVD-by-mail service and rebranding===
In 2004, Rogers Video began a partnership with [[Zip.ca]] to provide a [[DVD-by-mail]] service called '''Rogers Video Direct'''. This allowed users to rent online and have [[DVD]]s delivered by mail. In December 2011, Rogers Video Direct closed and customers were redirected to the Zip.ca website. The company changed the name of their chain to Rogers Plus in 2007.

===2010s: rental business discontinued, another rebranding===
[[File:Rogers Video store interior.jpg|thumb|The interior of a Rogers Plus video rental shop in April 2012]]

Rival home video retailer [[Blockbuster LLC|Blockbuster Video Canada]] shut down all of its Canadian video rental stores in 2011. Following this, Rogers Plus also announced plans to shut down its video rental operations.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/rogers-exits-video-store-business-1.1211282 | title=Rogers exits video store business | CBC News}}</ref> Rogers ceased rentals on April 16, 2012 and sold all of its previously viewed rental inventory at "[[buy one, get one free]]" prices to customers. The majority of the Rogers Plus stores would remain open and continue to offer cable TV, Internet, and wireless products and services, although most of these downsized and/or relocated to smaller spaces in the same mall/plaza, as the now-redundant space for rental operations took up over half of typical Rogers Plus store footprint. In May 2012, the company announced in stores and on their website that they would cease renting movies and games, encouraging customers to choose Rogers Anyplace TV or Rogers On Demand instead.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rogersplus.ca/images/movieexit.jpg | title=movieexit.jpg | publisher=Rogers Plus | access-date=2012-05-03}}</ref> In October 2012, the Rogers Plus brand name was phased out and remaining stores were simply branded as Rogers stores, similar to how [[Bell Canada]], [[Telus Communications]], and [[Shaw Communications]] stores are branded.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://twitter.com/RogersNicolas/status/252863782966140928|title=Twitter Feed | author = Nicolas | publisher = Twitter | access-date = 2012-10-01}}</ref>

==Awards==
Rogers won multiple "Canadian Retailer of the Year" awards. Five were awarded by [[Premiere (magazine)|Premiere]] in 1992 and from 1994 to 1997 inclusive. Four more were awarded by [[Entertainment Merchants Association]] in 1993, 1995 and 1997.

== See also ==
* [[Video rental shop]]
* [[List of Canadian companies]]
* [[Redbox]]

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://www.rogersplus.ca/ Rogers Plus Website]

{{Rogers Communications}}
{{Video rental shops}}

[[Category:Retail companies established in 1988]]
[[Category:Retail companies disestablished in 2012]]
[[Category:Companies based in Toronto]]
[[Category:Rogers Communications]]
[[Category:Video rental services of Canada]]

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Rogers Plus