CompUSA to close North County stores
North County Times – Escondido,CA,USA
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.

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.