The end of the 90’s brought the downfall of electronics power house Circuit City, leaving BestBuy and Radio Shack to take over the market. Radio Shack of course failed to succeed, leaving BestBuy to control the brick and mortar shopping experience. Many folks think shopping for gadgets to buying physical games at retail locations a thing of the past as Amazon takes over the world.
Ronny Shmoel, the man who bought Circuit City’s assets in October and has since named himself CEO hatched a plan for over 100 retail locations by 2018. A Dallas, Texas location will open in June 2016. The new Circuit City has the support of major brands including Canon, Intel and Sony, after holding successful meetings at CES 2016. The core plan will focus around a robust e-commerce presence, with a smaller number more manageable retail presence.
The stores are focusing on millennials with hopes they will recognize the brand, and continue to shop in physical locations over always shopping on Amazon. The stores will feature 3-D printers, drones, smart phones, tablets, among other gadgets.
CircuitCity.com will relaunch sometime this spring, and I’m excited to see the physical Circuit City locations. Whether the plan works is up in the air. Radio Shack’s downfall was a result of more consumers shopping not only online but using stores like Bestbuy as their show rooms. Let’s see if Circuit City’s comeback is going to be successful, and if it will revive the retail industry.
Tell us in the comments below what you think about Circuit City coming back after almost 10 years.