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Tuesday, Sep. 8, 1998
On Retailing
Local Computer City becomes CompUSA
National PC retailer completes $211 million purchase of Tandy Corp. subsidiary
CompUSA, the nation's No. 1 retailer of personal computers, moved into Corpus Christi last week with the completion of its $211 million purchase of rival Computer City, a Tandy Corp. subsidiary.
CompUSA closed half of the 100 Computer City locations it took over, including at least one each in Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Arlington, Houston and San Antonio.
The only Computer City store in Corpus Christi store remains open and is being converted to the CompUSA format. The 15,000-square-foot store at 5701 S. Padre Island Drive opened four years ago and employs about 31 people.
Blair McDavid, manager of the Corpus Christi store, said most changes, such as new cash registers, will be transparent to customers.
The most notable difference is the CompUSA sign outside the store and its employees' wardrobe. Or, as McDavid put it: ``We take off a blue shirt, we put on a red shirt.''
CompUSA said it will honor all Computer City product warranties, service and training commitments.
The Dallas-based PC retailer said the purchase of Computer City will bolster its ability to sell computers, accessories and training services to customers including consumers, businesses and government.
Replay Sports
Wondering what to do with that piece of exercise equipment that's been gathering dust in your garage for the past several months? A new Corpus Christi retail store says it has the answer.
Replay Sports, a sporting goods consignment shop, has opened at 5301 Everhart at Corona, offering used sporting, recreational and exercise equipment.
The store buys and sells items like golf equipment, tennis racquets, baseball items, fishing rods, bicycles and exercise machines, plus table-top games like pingpong and air-hockey.
Replay Sports says used sporting goods are a way to try golfing, windsurfing or a new piece of exercise equipment without a large investment.
Motors
An automotive service company based in Austin has begun work on a six-bay garage on the south side of Corpus Christi.
Leonard Johnson Garage and Muffler Center is building an automotive center on Burnham Drive near the intersection of South Staples Street and Holly Road, said Leonard Johnson, the company's vice president.
The family-owned company already operates four automotive service centers in Austin. The Corpus Christi store will be its first outside the state capital.
Established in 1972, the garages are full-service automotive shops that specialize in high-performance exhaust systems, Johnson said.
Site work on the garage is complete and crews will pour the slab next week, he said. Oct. 15 is the target opening date.
Q Lube
Q Lube, a subsidiary of Dallas-based Quaker State Corp., has reached an agreement with Lube King to convert the north Rockport fast-lube shop to a Q Lube franchise.
Work already is under way on the conversion of the store at 2610 State Highway 35 to incorporate Quaker State's trademark ``Q'' logo and its green-and-white color scheme.
Franchisees of the new Q Lube location are brothers Ariel and Tony Garcia. Guy Haskell, who has operated the center since 1994, will continue as manager, according to Q Lube.
Salt Lake City, Utah-based Q Lube currently operates more than 600 automotive and marine fast lube centers, including 60 in Texas.
Trends
TeleCheck, a Houston-based check authorization service, reported that nationwide same-store sales for the month of August, or sales for stores open at least a year, grew by 2.8 percent from 1997. In Texas, same-store sales grew 3.8 percent.
``Same-store retail sales grew at a moderate pace as consumers began their back-to-school shopping, with sales in line with the slower growth of the economy,'' said Dr. William Ford, TeleCheck's senior economic adviser. ``The national number was dampened by weak West Coast sales, which may reflect the continued impact of the Asian crisis.''
On Retailing is published each Tuesday in the Caller-Times business section. On Retailing items include new, relocated and expanded businesses. Items for consideration should be submitted to: On Retailing, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, P.O. Box 9136, Corpus Christi, Texas 78469; e-mail Jeffrey Tomich at tomichj@scripps.com; or fax (512) 886-3732; or call (512) 886-4316.Post your comments about local news eventsFront Page || Main Index || News || Business || Texas || South Texas Outdoors || Birdwatching || Sports || Entertainment || Selena || Education || South Texas Attractions || World Wide Web