RadioShack’s shambling remains were provided another jolt of life today. Radioshack Powerhorn 32-2038a… when they were acquired by another business that plans to relaunch the once-great seller as an online-focused brand.
The store’s remains were purchased by Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV), a start-up founded in 2019 that’s been scooping up brand names from other faded retail giants too, consisting of Pier 1, Modell’s Sporting Goods, Dressbarn, and more. REV states RadioShack’s website currently has “strong existing sales and sales potential,” and the company is “positive” it can further raise awareness of the brand globally.
REV claims it’s successfully reversed other business it’s released as online brand names. The Wall Street Journal reported that Dressbarn more than doubled its profits in between the 2nd and first quarter of 2020.
RadioShack was founded in 1921 and ended up being a retail staple in the ’80s and ’90s for anybody wanting to grab tech basics. For a long time, that meant actual radio components, however wound up consisting of lots of electronic toys (one Verge editor fondly remembers his Armatron) and ultimately phones. Its fortunes decreased greatly as online shopping arrived, and the company declared bankruptcy two times in the past 5 years. RadioShack still certifies its name to third-party “authorized” stores and sells branded items within some locations of HobbyTown, a crafts merchant– similar to how you can still find “Sharper Image” products at Kohl’s although that seller shut its physical doors over a decade back. REV didn’t state whether those RadioShack licenses would remain. Radioshack Powerhorn 32-2038a
REV states it will “soon relaunch” RadioShack’s website. For those of you still sticking on to fond memories of the store, there’ll be a familiar adequate place to go when you want to purchase overpriced HDMI cables and knockoff headphones.