The shop’s remains were acquired by Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV), a start-up founded in 2019 that’s been scooping up brand names from other faded retail giants as well, consisting of Pier 1, Modell’s Sporting Product, Dressbarn, and more. RadioShack’s shambling remains were provided another shock of life today when they were acquired by another company that plans to relaunch the once-great retailer as an online-focused brand. While it doesn’t look like this news will get us any closer to having a community shop that stocks resistors, there’s a certain convenience in understanding that RadioShack books and sets will still be around for the next generation. To their credit, they did try and rekindle their relationship with hackers and makers by asking the neighborhood what they ‘d want to see in their stores. Like the majority of you, we have fond memories of the Golden Age of RadioShack, back before they thought offering phones and Televisions was somehow a good concept. Getting a precise count of just how much merchandise the business still has on hand after shuttering most of their physical places in 2017 definitely sounds like something the new owners would wish to do. As of this writing the website presently states that sales have been briefly stopped to permit stock restructuring, though it’s uncertain if this is directly related to the buyout or not. REV states they prepare to relaunch the rather dated RadioShack site just in time for the company’s 100th anniversary in 2021. There will be millions of bored kids and adults looking for something to do during the long winter nights, and an electronic set or two shipped to their door might be simply the important things. As the United States mulls even more lockdowns in response to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, it’s difficult to disagree.
While journalism release does not outright preclude the possibility of brand-new physical RadioShack locations, it’s clear that REV thinks the future of retail isn’t to be discovered in your regional strip mall. As the name indicates, REV specializes in online retail, having previously revamped the Internet presence of other insolvent services such as Pier 1 Imports and Dressbarn.
The disadvantage, at least for folks like us, is that there are no immediate plans to return the iconic electronics merchant to its brick-and-mortar roots. Radioshack Timer Pins Analog… has officially been acquired by Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV), giving the troubled business a new lease on life. The bright side is that as of today RadioShack.