Le SuperClub Vidéotron

Le SuperClub Vidéotron Ltée, which includes the Jumbo Video and Microplay chains, is a Canadian brand of franchised video stores. It is owned by Quebecor Media, with operations concentrated in Quebec. It was the largest video store chain operator in Canada, maintaining corporate-owned stores until 2018. As of 2023, the brand franchises a total of 14 stores: two SuperClub,[1] two Jumbo Video and ten Microplay stores.

Vidéotron Le superclub
IndustryVideo rental
Founded1989
HeadquartersSt. Leonard, Quebec, Canada
Area served
Quebec
ParentVidéotron (Quebecor Media)
Websitesuperclub.videotron.com

History

In 2004, SuperClub took over the Jumbo Video and Microplay franchises. Jumbo Video operates 17 video rental locations nationwide, while Microplay focuses primarily on video games, but also rents and sells movies. The Microplay name has recently appeared on a number of in-store boutiques at SuperClub locations throughout Quebec. In 2006, most Rogers Video stores in Quebec were closed or converted to Le SuperClub Vidéotron. There are currently 69 Microplay locations and the vast majority of them are co-located with SuperClub locations in Quebec.

As of August 2005, the chain operated more than 185 locations through Quebec under the SuperClub brand. They also have locations in Edmundston, New Brunswick, and Rockland, Ontario. They had also opened locations in Moncton and Fredericton. Those stores were eventually bought out by Rogers and converted into Rogers Video stores.

Their location in Square One Shopping Centre was recently closed down along with many other stores, including Cavendish Mall in Côte Saint-Luc as well as Kirkland, Quebec, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Beaconsfield, Quebec as well as in Montreal's Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough. They also closed their location in Hawkesbury, Ontario.

Their head office was located in the city of Montreal's Saint-Léonard borough.

Subsidiaries

Microplay

Microplay founder Bill Pearce originally established a shop on Bank Street named Gamer Video in 1981, which rented Atari and Intellivision games; it was one of the first Canadian businesses to rent video game cartridges. Gamer Video was destroyed in a fire in 1983. In 1986, Pearce and childhood friend Mason Copeland opened Microplay. At that time, Pearce and Copeland made weekly trips to the United States to avoid high markups charged by Canadian video game distributors.[2][3] The store had two locations in Ottawa and one in Toronto by April 1989, and also acted as a supplier to 25 Canadian video game stores.[2] Microplay began franchising in June 1993, expanding to 28 stores, and became regarded as Canada's leading video game specialty chain.[4] Microplay's first United States location opened in Bradenton, Florida in July 1994.[5] By December 1994, Microplay was operating 120 franchisees along with six corporate-owned stores.[3]

Locations

As of December 2022, Le SuperClub Vidéotron listed the following locations as movie rental stores:

  • Aylmer
  • Boucherville
  • Buckingham
  • Cap-de-la-Madeleine
  • Charlesbourg
  • Fabreville
  • Gréber ‡
  • Greenfield Park
  • Île-Perrot
  • Jonquière
  • L'Assomption
  • Lachine
  • Lafontaine
  • La Plaine
  • Lavaltrie
  • Mascouche
  • Mont-Laurier †
  • Pointe-aux-Trembles
  • Roland-Therrien
  • Saint-Antoine
  • Saint-Constant
  • Saint-Eustache
  • Saint-Hubert ‡
  • Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
  • Saint-Lin †
  • Saint-Luc
  • Saint-Nicolas
  • Saint-Romuald
  • Victoriaville

† indicates current Le Superclub Vidéotron locations. Both are affiliated with Club Vidéo Flash.
‡ indicates former Le Superclub Vidéotron locations affiliated with Club Vidéo Flash.

Logos
  • Logo used from 1989 until 2007 (the Quebecor Media name was added in 2001 after the sale of Vidéotron at Quebecor)
    Logo used from 1989 until 2007 (the Quebecor Media name was added in 2001 after the sale of Vidéotron at Quebecor)
  • Logo used from 2007 until 2011
    Logo used from 2007 until 2011
  • Logo used from 2011 until 2017
    Logo used from 2011 until 2017

References
  1. Provost, Anne-Marie (January 7, 2023). "«Des tonnes de copies» pour les amoureux de la cassette". Le Devoir (in French). Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  2. Dupuis, Michel (April 2, 1989). "More stores renting video games". The Ottawa Citizen. p. 25. Retrieved March 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Trimble, Andrew (December 6, 1994). "It's all in the game". The Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved March 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Microplay heaven for video fans". Brantford Expositor. December 11, 1993. p. 14. Retrieved March 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Microplay Video Games Opens In Cortez Plaza". The Bradenton Herald. July 28, 1994. p. 7. Retrieved March 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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