ANY lingering hopes that Blockbuster, the DVD and games rental chain, may reopen in Winchester have been dashed.

Administrators Moorfields Corporate Recovery said all the remaining 91 UK stores, would have to close.

The Winchester branch on The Broadway closed earlier this year.

Retail expert Dan Wagner, founder and chief executive of Powa Technologies, said: “The retail landscape is becoming more complex than ever before. Consumer buying behaviour has changed radically in the past 12 months with the plethora of mobile and handheld devices.

“The road to survival does not lie in aggressive discounting – in fact, it’s quite the reverse. The smart money is on the retailers who have made themselves easily available wherever their customers are wanting to buy. The harsh realities are that those who do not adapt to this new environment will follow in Blockbusters footsteps in the not too distant future.”