Radio Shack brand sold, could a B&M comeback be in the works?

[Brian Lutz]

https://www.thestreet.com/retailers/bel ... qwXehRqi6U

The rights to the Radio Shack brand in the US, Canada and 30 other countries have been purchased by Unicomer (which already owned the rights to the brand in Central/South America and the Caribbean and operates stores under the brand) and although they have not yet announced anything publicly it is speculated that they could be preparing to reopen retail stores in the US.

The brand was previously owned by a company called Retail ECommerce Ventures that has accumulated a portfolio of defunct retail brands and basically done nothing notable with any of them (examples include Linens 'n Things, Dress Barn, Pier 1 and Modell's).

[ClownLoach]

https://www.thestreet.com/retailers/bel ... qwXehRqi6U

The rights to the Radio Shack brand in the US, Canada and 30 other countries have been purchased by Unicomer (which already owned the rights to the brand in Central/South America and the Caribbean and operates stores under the brand) and although they have not yet announced anything publicly it is speculated that they could be preparing to reopen retail stores in the US.

The brand was previously owned by a company called Retail ECommerce Ventures that has accumulated a portfolio of defunct retail brands and basically done nothing notable with any of them (examples include Linens 'n Things, Dress Barn, Pier 1 and Modell's).

I've seen brick and mortar Radio Shack "dealer stores" in rural areas. There's one in San Luis Obispo. Going to assume they're licensing the name... Unless they had a license and then the name was sold, and the new owner didn't realize... Anything is possible!

[storewanderer]

There was a dealer in Quincy, CA at 85 East Main Street part of a Car Quest Auto Parts dealer but I am not sure if the Radio Shack part of that is still active. There was some program out there supporting the dealers.

Quincy is an odd one. Dollar Tree went out of business there (lack of customers).

[BillyGr]

https://www.thestreet.com/retailers/bel ... qwXehRqi6U

The rights to the Radio Shack brand in the US, Canada and 30 other countries have been purchased by Unicomer (which already owned the rights to the brand in Central/South America and the Caribbean and operates stores under the brand) and although they have not yet announced anything publicly it is speculated that they could be preparing to reopen retail stores in the US.

The brand was previously owned by a company called Retail ECommerce Ventures that has accumulated a portfolio of defunct retail brands and basically done nothing notable with any of them (examples include Linens 'n Things, Dress Barn, Pier 1 and Modell's).

I've seen brick and mortar Radio Shack "dealer stores" in rural areas. There's one in San Luis Obispo. Going to assume they're licensing the name... Unless they had a license and then the name was sold, and the new owner didn't realize... Anything is possible!

Yes, the dealer stores were basically franchises using the name in conjunction with other businesses. Thus, they may very well just not have taken down a sign (or maybe they even still have merchandise left over they are still trying to get rid of).

[ClownLoach]

https://www.thestreet.com/retailers/bel ... qwXehRqi6U

The rights to the Radio Shack brand in the US, Canada and 30 other countries have been purchased by Unicomer (which already owned the rights to the brand in Central/South America and the Caribbean and operates stores under the brand) and although they have not yet announced anything publicly it is speculated that they could be preparing to reopen retail stores in the US.

The brand was previously owned by a company called Retail ECommerce Ventures that has accumulated a portfolio of defunct retail brands and basically done nothing notable with any of them (examples include Linens 'n Things, Dress Barn, Pier 1 and Modell's).

I've seen brick and mortar Radio Shack "dealer stores" in rural areas. There's one in San Luis Obispo. Going to assume they're licensing the name... Unless they had a license and then the name was sold, and the new owner didn't realize... Anything is possible!

Yes, the dealer stores were basically franchises using the name in conjunction with other businesses. Thus, they may very well just not have taken down a sign (or maybe they even still have merchandise left over they are still trying to get rid of).

The SLO one definitely didn't forget to take down the Radio Shack sign... They're actively marketing themselves as Coast Electronics Radio Shack (the Coast part of the sign being small) with many signs, new and old. Looks like over the years they've also accumulated old in store signage from other closed Radio Shack locations and installed it inside. No accident there.

Radio Shack makes sense as a franchise with small junky weird stores like this one. There's a market for someone who wants a transistor or fuse and such, along with cell phone and small electronics repair. For someone who would otherwise open a no-name cell phone repair place, licensing the Radio Shack brand and getting access to their traditional line of product (aka electronics parts) would probably be a low risk addition to those stores.