Toronto residents may be forgiven if they can’t figure out where the Redbox video pilot project has gone. Last spring, the company announced a national initiative which it was said would concentrate on Toronto and Vancouver. Today, according to the Redbox website, there are 16 of the bargain price vending boxes in Vancouver. Here in Toronto, there are exactly two. One is at a Mac’s store on Jane Street, the other at the Wal Mart on Eglinton Ave. E. in Scarborough. In fact, there are more Redboxes to be found in Hamilton (four) and many of the 53 Ontario communities named by Redbox have two. Ottawa has none incidentally. This sprinkling of vending machines is a contrast with provinces like Alberta, where Calgary alone has 56 units, most of them in Safeway grocery stores. Safeway may be the reason why penetration in the west is deeper than Ontario. In May, Redbox announced deals with Couche Tard (Mac’s and On-the-Run) and Wal Mart to place the units. The Redbox pilot project has no presence east of the Ontario border.
