Tuesday, June 15, 2010

How Flanner's Died

This is an interesting article.

Launching a home electronics business these days would be suicidal, experts say, because the industry is so fast-moving, so price-competitive. For small independents already in it, the chances aren't much better.

Case in point: longtime local retailer Flanner's Home Entertainment in Brookfield, which is preparing to liquidate its inventory after it was unable to keep pace with the evolving industry in a slumping economy.

The article contrasts Flanner's with Chicago's Abt.

What the article does NOT mention is that Flanner's also threw away its automotive-electronics business when they moved to the old Bluemound Furniture/Barnes & Noble site. That business carries extraordinarily high margins, according to a knowledgeable friend, and Flanner's had a solid foothold.

Too bad.

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