Red Box plans expansion, hiring

With shoppers watching their wallets during the recession, more people are finding Redbox DVD machines more difficult to pass up.

The fully-automated DVD service offers new release rentals for $1 a night. The number of kiosks is growing rapidly.

From an initial launch of 12 kiosks in 2002, Redbox, based in Oakbrook Terrace now features more than 15,000 locations nationwide and is expecting more than 20,000 additional locations by the end of the year.

The company has more than 1,200 employees nationwide with more than 500 employees in the Chicago area. Redbox is looking to hire nearly 200 more employees in this area by the end of the year in areas including management, customer service, administrative, repair and information technology.

The kiosks caught on, especially in supermarkets, where they catch customers’ eyes as they push their grocery carts through the checkout counters. The machines are also popular at Walgreen and Wal-Mart stores.