Insight-Driven Retailing Blog

Circuit City Rises from the Ashes

By David Dorf on May 24, 2009 1:54 PM

You may not have noticed, but CircuitCity.com relaunched on May 19th under new management. Systemax bought the Circuit City website for $14 million in cash plus a share of future revenue over the next 30 months. When CompUSA was close...

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Retail Has Changed Forever

By David Dorf on May 14, 2009 8:01 PM

I read an interesting article in Forbes called Why Retailing Will Never Be The Same Again. It says that the industry is splitting into three camps: those that compete on price, those that compete on uniqueness, and those that can't...

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Investments for Retail in a Down Economy

By David Dorf on February 27, 2009 11:18 AM

As continued proof that retail is taking it on the chin, About.com published their list of retail bankruptcies for 2008 and 2009. It contains well-known brands such as KB Toys, Linens 'N Things, Circuit City, and the latest victim Ritz...

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Store Location Matters

By David Dorf on February 6, 2009 11:37 AM

The closing of Circuit City was bad enough, but the ripple effects that will be felt across the US are only just beginning. This ABC News article looks at the side-effects of such a large closing, especially with respect to...

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Best Buy Goes Social

By David Dorf on January 26, 2009 6:31 PM

Realizing that the Web is becoming more social, Best Buy made a great move by exposing their on-line product catalog to developers on the Web. Now website developers can include pictures, prices, searches, and reviews from www.BestBuy.com in their own...

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Circuit City Liquidates

By David Dorf on January 16, 2009 10:11 AM

As a former Circuit City employee, I was saddened to hear that CC will be liquidating after not securing a buyer interested in preserving the retail chain. All remaining 567 stores will be liquidated in order to settle its substantial...

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Web 2.0 Honeycomb

By David Dorf on December 4, 2008 10:00 AM

If you caught my article in RIS News entitled Web 2.0 Shapes the Next Generation of Enterprise Retail Software, then you have some idea of Oracle Retail's direction for user interface design. But here's a little more detail for those...

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Gift Cards

By David Dorf on December 1, 2008 4:29 PM

Just about all retailers offer gift cards these days. They make shopping so much easier for people struggling to find the perfect gift. You can even get a $100,000 gift card from Four Season's if you're feeling particularly generous. (Let...

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Circuit City Files Chapter 11

By David Dorf on November 10, 2008 7:34 AM

After announcing it would close 155 stores then laying off several hundred people at its Richmond, Virginia headquarters, Circuit City announced this morning that it has filed for Chapter 11 protection. This follows the demise of Gateway Country Stores, Good...

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Retail Feels the Pain

By David Dorf on October 22, 2008 6:07 PM

For a few retailers, there will be no Christmas at all. This year several have announced closings and associated "going out of business sales." Shoe Pavillion, a 64-store retailer that has been in business for 29 years, is closing all...

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