InterTAN

Last updated
InterTAN Canada Ltd.
Founded1986;38 years ago (1986)
Defunct2009 (2009)
Successor The Source
Headquarters Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Products Consumer electronics
Parent Tandy Corporation
Website Archive of intertan.com

InterTAN Canada Ltd. was created by Tandy Corporation in 1986 to operate Radio Shack stores in Canada, Europe and Australia. After the UK locations, which were branded 'Tandy', were sold to Carphone Warehouse in 1999 and the Australian locations (which were also branded 'Tandy') to Woolworths Limited in 2001, the company's primary asset was the RadioShack franchise for Canada. InterTAN's relationship with RadioShack was terminated in 2005, after InterTAN became a wholly owned subsidiary of Circuit City on May 19, 2004.

Contents

InterTAN Canada Ltd. was a Canadian consumer electronics retailer based in Barrie, Ontario, that operated stores under the banner "The Source by Circuit City" and a single "THS Studio" location. The Rogers Plus chain was previously operated by InterTAN on behalf of Rogers Communications; the chain is now managed directly by Rogers. As well, conversion or closure of all UpClose and G-Wiz stores, as well as all but one THS Studio, was completed in 2006.

InterTAN filed for bankruptcy protection (under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act) at the same time as its U.S. parent in late 2008. However, the Canadian division was not directly affected by Circuit City's liquidation process announced on January 16, 2009. Bell Canada subsequently announced an agreement to purchase the bulk of InterTAN's assets, specifically The Source. [1]

InterTAN, the corporate entity, was not included in the sale (rather it was itself the seller), [2] and is therefore now considered defunct.

History

InterTAN Inc. was a wholly owned subsidiary of Tandy Corporation of Fort Worth, Texas, which owned retail operations in the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, West Germany, Canada and the United States. Its name being a shortened version of International Tandy. It had estimated annual sales of US$400 million and assets of US$250 million and accounted for 13 percent of the company's annual sales. [3]

It was decided to "spin off" the international retail operations and a separate corporation, InterTAN Inc., was created, with two subsidiaries InterTAN Canada Ltd. and InterTAN Australia Ltd.. The company became a separate entity from Tandy Corporation on 20 June 1986, with InterTAN Canada Ltd. to oversee 873 stores in Canada and 894 stores in Europe and InterTAN Australia Ltd. to oversee 350 stores in Australia. [4] [5] [3]

By 1988, the company had closed unprofitable stores in many countries, including in West Germany. [6]

The French stores were bankrupt by the end of December 1993, shut down along with the Belgian stores and distribution centre. Carphone Warehouse bought the remaining British shops in 1999, one year after InterTAN had closed 69 of the 338 UK Tandy stores. [7]

In April 2001, InterTAN Australia Limited trading as Tandy Electronics was sold to Woolworths Limited for A$112.6 million with 222 stores. [8] [9] [10]

InterTAN was reduced to being the parent company for the Canadian consumer electronics business only. Product offerings occasionally differed from the US chain; a 1989 decision to drop the Tandy Colour Computer in Canada drew a small-scale backlash [11] and InterTAN often carried non-RadioShack items alongside the core Tandy line.

Until June 30, 2005, InterTAN ran stores under the banner RadioShack in Canada, as it had a licensing agreement with the RadioShack Corporation until 2010 to use the American company's trademarks. However, after a purchase of InterTAN by Circuit City Stores, Inc. in 2004, the RadioShack Corporation sued to have that agreement terminated. While that lawsuit was approved in the State of Texas, it was not legally binding in Canada. InterTan filed a lawsuit in Canada stating that since the purchase by Circuit City Stores, Inc. was for only 80% of InterTAN, the latter was still a viable company and thus entitled to keep using the name RadioShack. InterTAN and RadioShack came to a temporary deal by which InterTAN is banned from using the former moniker since July 1, 2005, and as such, all corporate retail consumer electronics stores, and most dealer stores, formerly known as RadioShack are known as The Source . The matter was settled in late 2006; however, the details of the settlement were not made public. RadioShack made a token effort to re-enter the Canadian market in 2005 with nine stores, which it abandoned in January 2007. Remaining RadioShack-branded inventory began to appear in Liquidation World bins in Canada in 2007. [12]

Former InterTAN CEO Brian Levy later became an ER medical doctor. [13]

InterTAN had entered into arrangements with Rogers Communications to run a chain of stores under the Rogers Plus banner, using InterTAN's point-of-sale systems and knowledge of retail operations for the day-to-day management of the stores. This partnership was renewed as part of the Circuit City acquisition, and was set to expire in January 2007.

In April 2002, InterTAN, already one of Canada's largest battery retailers with its RadioShack stores, acquired certain assets and locations of Battery Plus and merged it into its retail operations.

In the first two months of 2007, InterTAN underwent drastic changes. By closing all but one THS Studio location, as well as all but one Battery Plus location, InterTAN began to focus on its core operation: The Source By Circuit City. InterTAN continued closing underperforming locations through the end of February 2007, resulting in the loss of employment for almost 100 Canadians. The positions varied from sales associates, store managers, store assistant managers, district managers, service centre managers, even regional vice presidents.

Circuit City announced that they had retained Goldman Sachs to explore selling off InterTAN in Q1, 2007. Circuit City USA went bankrupt in 2009, during the Great Recession. "The Source" was sold as a going concern to Bell Canada Enterprises.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TRS-80</span> 1977 microcomputer by Tandy Corporation

The TRS-80 Micro Computer System is a desktop microcomputer developed by American company Tandy Corporation and was sold through their Radio Shack stores. Launched in 1977, it is one of the earliest mass-produced and mass-marketed retail home computers. The name is an abbreviation of Tandy Radio Shack, Z80 [microprocessor], referring to its Zilog Z80 8-bit microprocessor.

Tandy Corporation was an American family-owned retailer based in Fort Worth, Texas that made leather goods, operated the RadioShack chain, and later built personal computers.

Tandy may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RadioShack</span> American electronics store chain

RadioShack is an American electronics retailer, which was established in 1921 as an amateur radio mail-order business. Its original parent company, Radio Shack Corporation, was purchased by Tandy Corporation in 1962, shifting its focus from radio equipment to hobbyist electronic components. At its peak in 1999, Tandy operated over 8,000 RadioShack stores in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and under the Tandy name in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

CompUSA, Inc., was a retailer and reseller of personal computers, consumer electronics, technology products and computer services. Starting with one brick-and-mortar store in 1986 under the name Soft Warehouse, by the 1990s CompUSA had grown into a nationwide big box chain. At its peak, it operated at least 229 locations. Crushed by competition from other brick-and-mortar retailers, corporate oversight which was out of touch with evolving market realities, and a failure to make a strong transition to online sales, CompUSA began closing what they classified as "low performing" locations in 2006. By 2008 only 16 locations were left to be sold to Systemax. In 2012, remaining CompUSA and Circuit City stores were converted to TigerDirect stores, and later closed. As of 2023, the CompUSA online website redirects to an error page.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woolworths Group (Australia)</span> Australian multinational retail company

Woolworths Group Limited is an Australian multinational retail and finance company, primarily known for the operation of its retail chain Woolworths Supermarkets across Australia, Woolworths in New Zealand and its discount department store Big W. Headquartered in Bella Vista, Sydney, it is the largest company in Australia by revenue and number of employees, and the second-largest in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pier 1 Imports</span> American online retailer

Pier 1 Imports, Inc., is an online retailer and former Fort Worth, Texas-based retail chain specializing in imported home furnishings and decor, particularly furniture, table-top items, decorative accessories, and seasonal decor. It was publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker PIR. In January 2020, Pier 1 had over 1,000 physical stores throughout the United States and Canada. Pier 1 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on February 17, 2020, and on May 19, 2020, announced it was asking the bankruptcy court to close all stores, due in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circuit City</span> Consumer electronics retailer

Circuit City Corporation, Inc., formerly Circuit City Stores, Inc., is an American consumer electronics retail company, which was founded in 1949 by Samuel Wurtzel as the Wards Company, operated stores across the United States, and pioneered the electronics superstore format in the 1970s. After multiple purchases and a successful run on the NYSE, it changed its name to Circuit City Stores Inc.

Lafayette Radio Electronics Corporation was an American radio and electronics manufacturer and retailer from approximately 1931 to 1981, headquartered in Syosset, New York, a Long Island suburb of New York City. The company sold radio sets, Amateur radio (Ham) equipment, citizens band (CB) radios and related communications equipment, electronic components, microphones, public address systems, and tools through their company owned and branded chain of retail outlets and by mail-order.

Dick Smith Electronics Holdings Limited was an Australian chain of retail stores that sold consumer electronics goods, hobbyist electronic components, and electronic project kits. The chain expanded successfully into New Zealand and unsuccessfully into several other countries. The company was founded in Sydney in 1968 by Dick Smith and owned by him and his wife until they sold 60% to Woolworths in 1980, and the remaining 40% two years later.

The Source (Bell) Electronics Inc., doing business as The Source, was a Canadian consumer electronics and cell phone retail chain. The chain had been present for more than 50 years in Canada, initially as Radio Shack and later as The Source by Circuit City. The Source was owned by BCE Inc., which purchased the assets of InterTAN from its parent, American retailer Circuit City, in 2009. The chain was based in Barrie, Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Incredible Universe</span> Defunct American consumer electronics retail chain

Incredible Universe was a chain of American consumer electronics stores from 1992 to 1997. A typical Incredible Universe store was 185,000 square feet (17,200 m2) of sales floor and warehouse, stocking around 85,000 items.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tandy Electronics</span>

Tandy Electronics was an electronics retailer in Australia originally operated by the American Tandy Corporation, later International Tandy (InterTAN), acquired in 2001 by Woolworths Group. The brand ceased to exist after it was phased out by Woolworths Limited in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Computer City</span> US-based computer superstore chain

Computer City was a chain of United States–based computer superstores operated by Tandy Corporation; the retailer was sold to CompUSA in 1998 and was merged into the CompUSA organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Market (store)</span> Retail store chain in the United States

World Market, formerly Cost Plus World Market, is an American chain of specialty/import retail stores, selling home furniture, decor, curtains, rugs, gifts, apparel, coffee, wine, craft beer, and international food products. The brand's original name came from the initial concept, since abandoned, of selling items for "cost plus 10%". The company was owned by Bed Bath & Beyond from 2012 to 2021, and is currently headquartered in Alameda, California.

Glentel Inc. is a Canadian telecommunications retailer based in Burnaby, British Columbia, jointly owned by BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tandy Leather Factory</span> American leather retailer

Tandy Leather Factory, Inc. is an American specialty retailer and wholesale distributor of leather and leatherwork related products. It operates more than 100 stores worldwide. Originally part of the Tandy Corporation, Tandy Leather has gone through a series of acquisitions and mergers, eventually being sold to The Leather Factory in 2000. The Tandy Leather flagship store next to their corporate headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas also houses the Al and Ann Stohlman Leathercraft Museum.

References

  1. ↑ Simon Avery; Marina Strauss (5 March 2009). "Bell boosts presence in buying The Source". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 5 March 2009.
  2. ↑ "Approval and Vesting Order" (PDF). Alvarezandmarsal.com. 9 March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 July 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Tandy plans spinoff of international operation". Associated Press . 9 June 1986. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018.
  4. ↑ "Tandy Spinoff Plan Wins Board Approval". Chicago Tribune . 10 June 1986. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015.
  5. ↑ "Tandy Plans Foreign Retail Spinoff". The New York Times . 10 June 1986. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  6. ↑ "Happy with its relationship with Tandy, Intertan names UK operations its shining star". Computer Business Review. 3 November 1988.
  7. ↑ "Tandy Announces Store Closures". PR Newswire UK. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015.
  8. ↑ "2001 Concise report to shareholders" (PDF). Woolworths Limited. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  9. ↑ "Annual Report 2009" (PDF). www.woolworthslimited.com.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2012.
  10. ↑ "InterTAN, Inc. Announces Sale of Australian Subsidiary". PR Newswire. 10 April 2001. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  11. ↑ Francis G. Swygert. "Tandy's Little Wonder – The Color Computer: 1979-1991" (PDF). FARNA Systems. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 February 2015.
  12. ↑ "Liquidation World: 75% Off Radioshack Electronics". RedFlagDeals.com. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  13. ↑ Joe O'Connor (5 April 2020). "Heroes of the pandemic: Former CEO of RadioShack now an ER doctor on frontlines of COVID-19 fight". National Post .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.