Radio Shack: Tailwinds may not bring a comeback

There is some traction in the consumer electronics business, but RetailWire panelists seem to agree that it may be too late to help Radio Shack. Here’s my recent comment:

Best Buy’s announcement of an upswing in its sales suggests that the consumer electronics business is not dead after all, and the big box store might also be showing a pulse. It becomes more difficult for a company like Radio Shack — saddled with an image that it tries to embrace one day and mock the next — to compete against the brick-and-mortar or e-commerce giants in its segment.

It’s probably too late in Radio Shack’s history to consider a complete rebranding — including a new name — but it’s worth remembering that Best Buy originated many years ago as a Twin Cities-based audiophile store called “Sound of Music” and decided to walk away from its original brand identity.