CompUSA to close North County stores

By: PATRICK WRIGHT - Staff Writer
MARCH 1, 2007

NORTH COUNTY ---- The CompUSA computer stores in San Marcos and Encinitas will close by the end of May, a spokeswoman for the company said Wednesday.

The Dallas-based company announced a major restructuring that it said includes the closing of 126 of its 225 stores nationwide. The closures are concentrated in certain markets, including its Los Angeles and San Diego regions. All four stores in San Diego County and one in Murrieta will be shuttered.

The San Marcos store is at 2085 Montiel Road, and the Encinitas store is at 1046 N. El Camino Real.

George Whalin, president of Retail Management Consultants in San Marcos, said that CompUSA has been struggling as a minor player in an industry that includes the much larger names Best Buy, Circuit City and Wal-Mart, with more than 800 stores nationally.

Whalin said that even with the restructuring, the company might not survive because it doesn't have a unique identity. "You have to have something that distinguishes you, and they didn't have anything," he said.

As part of the realignment, the company will get a $440 million cash infusion from its owner, the Mexican conglomerate Grupo Carso, which bought the company in 2000 for $798 million. Grupo Carso put the chain up for sale in September, according to the Dallas Morning News.

CompUSA, founded in Dallas in 1984, reported revenues of $4.6 billion in 2005, the most current available.

Comments On This Story

Note: Comments reflect the views of readers and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff.

Floyd wrote on February 28, 2007 10:05 PM:"CompUSA has an identity, all right. They advertise prices that they do not honor because you have to apply for a rebate by mail that either does not come, or is merely a discount coupon on another purchase. If they had actually offered their products at the advertised prices, they would have been a big success! "

billy wrote on March 01, 2007 11:05 AM:"When i first moved to north county comp usa was the only game in town. now they have competition there is really no reason to shop there. comp usa doesent even try to compete with the big computer stores. if you want to pay 25%+ more than any other computer store in north county, comp usa is the place for you. they do have alot of products in stock and could be a great store if they provided good customer service. people would pay more if they offered somthing different than the other stores in north county. "

Press 1 for English, Press 2 for deportation wrote on March 01, 2007 4:16 PM:"Thanks for letting me know CompUSA is owned by a Mexican conglomerate. I'll be sure not to shop there until Mexico does something to keep their own people in Mexico and help us, not hurt us, on illegal immigration."

Skip wrote on March 01, 2007 5:01 PM:"I stopped shopping at Comp USA a couple of years ago because I got so tired of responding to their Sunday Sale ads, only to find out that the store never had any stock of the item on hand. I sent them a letter complaining and they sent me back a form letter that did not address the issue. I still remember when a computer flight simulator game came out in 2004, and they were giving away a free flight manual with purchase of the game. What they did not tell you was that each store in the San Diego Area only got 4 books to give away. I ended up calling about a dozen stores to find out that had the promo, but with all of the phone calls and driving it probably would have been cheaper to go someplace else. I DO NOT SHOP AT COMP USA ANYMORE. There are just too many choices that have better customer service."

Skip wrote on March 01, 2007 5:35 PM:"If they change the name of the store in San Marcos, to "COMP MEXICO", they may have better business."

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