RadioShack Corp. says it’s closing 200 more stores this summer. And while it’s not clear if three local RadioShack locations are being targeted, the odds for those stores surviving have improved compared to just a couple months ago.
The 200 figure represents just 5 percent of its total corporate stores, meaning locations in Lutz, New Tampa and Zephyrhills have moved from a 1-in-4 chance of being closed to a 1-in-21. That’s because RadioShack decided not to follow through on its plans last March to close 1,100 stores nationwide by spring after failing to come to an agreement with its lenders.
However, that doesn’t mean the company — which spoofed its connection to the 1980s in a Super Bowl ad last winter — doesn’t have a lot of work to do to become profitable again.
The biggest move will be finding a way to differentiate RadioShack from other stores that sell cellular phones, including wireless carriers themselves, the company’s chief executive, Joseph Magnacca said, in a release.
“Even in this environment, we are making progress on our turnaround strategy,” he said. “We are building a pipeline of new products that will bring differentiation and newness to our stores in the form of high-margin private brand and exclusive items, including those from new partnerships like Quirky and PCH.”
RadioShack will choose which stores to close based on how much money they are making, the kind of lease agreement each one has, and area demographics.
RadioShack operates three locations in the local area, including at 23012 State Road 54 in Lutz, at the Shops at Pebble Creek in New Tampa at 19416 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., and at 7248 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills.
