Circuit City Store is Closing: Chain to Offer Some of Falls’ 50 Workers Jobs at Other Sites

By Mary Ethridge, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

Feb. 22–The Circuit City store on Main Street in Cuyahoga Falls is closing Friday, a victim of intense competition among electronics retailers.

Circuit City closed a location in Fairlawn two years ago. The chain now has 16 stores in Ohio, including one in Canton and a few in suburban Cleveland.

Some of the store’s 50 employees will be offered jobs at the remaining stores. Others will be given severance packages based on length of service, said corporate spokeswoman Amanda Tate.

The Falls store opened in the mid-1990s in the heat of Circuit City’s battle for dominance of the consumer electronics market with Minnesota-based Best Buy Co. The two giants spread wildly a decade ago, knocking many regional players such as Sun Television & Appliances Inc. and Fretter Appliances out of the business.

Several department stores, including Kaufmann’s, eliminated their major consumer electronics divisions in that period.

But in response to falling sales, Circuit City initiated a makeover strategy two years ago. The chain is remodeling old stores, relocating some and building superstores in hot markets.

“It’s a continual process for us. We’re always evaluating the shopping trends. People just weren’t going to that store anymore,” Tate said.

Officials at the Cuyahoga Falls Economic Development Department said Tuesday they knew nothing of the closing and declined to comment.

Mary Ethridge can be reached at 330-996-3545 or methridge@thebeaconjournal.com

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