by CBS4 Newsroom
newsroom@cbs4qc.com
(AP) The five final Blockbuster stores in Iowa will close this spring as part of a move to close hundreds of the video rental shops across the nation.
Stores in Ankeny, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Iowa City and Muscatine will close in April, ending a 20-year presence in Iowa.
The decision follows an announcement in January by Dish Network Corporation that it would close about 300 Blockbuster stores across the country and lay off about 3,000 employees.
Colorado-based Dish Network bought the then-bankrupt video rental chain for $320 million in 2011. It also closed about 500 underperforming Blockbuster locations last year.
Blockbuster has been struggling as it faces competition from DVD rental kiosks, mail order rentals and video streaming.
