A Dundee collector is donating his massive haul of 20,000 VHS tapes to what is said to be the UK’s last remaining video rental shop.
George McInnes is passing on his stash of videos to Andy Johnson – who runs VideOdyssey in Liverpool.
Andy is making the 600-mile journey to Dundee to pick up the tapes, saving them from being sent to landfill.
It comes amid a boom in people seeking out retro ways to watch films and TV shows, using a format that was most popular more than 20 years ago.
Dundee man’s collection from car boot sales
George is said to have amassed his collection at car boot sales over the years.
Andy, 42, said: “I’m on my way to Dundee just now.
“Thankfully, I have a very understanding wife, as we have a three-year-old boy, and they’ve both travelled with me to pick up VHS hauls.
“But we have had nothing like the size of this collection in Dundee.
“A lot of amazing movies were never brought out digitally and they’re in danger of being lost forever.
“Not to mention the millions of hours of precious family memories that people only have on VHS tapes.
“I can see VideOdyssey becoming a national archive for tapes. It’s important to protect them for future generations of film fans.”
VHS tapes started to decline in the early 2000s following the arrival of the DVD, which offered consumers the chance to watch films and TV shows in a higher quality format.
Physical sales of movies were then overtaken with the launch of online streaming services.
That industry is now worth tens of billions of pounds and is expected to grow further in the coming years.
‘Mission to save film’
But Andy says he is on a “mission to save film”.
He added: ” I hoped there would be a good reaction to opening a video shop, but the response has been phenomenal.
“I’m absolutely blown away by the love and support we have received.
“Especially during the various lockdowns, where we offered a ‘nostalgia SOS’ pack with a player and 10 tapes.
“VHS is starting to have a similar comeback seen with vinyl.
“People want that physical connection to their favourite films, rather than the cold experience of playing something from the cloud.”