| Tandy |
 |
| Type |
Subsidiary |
| Founded |
1973 |
| Headquarters |
Regents Park, New South Wales,  Australia |
| Industry |
Retail |
| Products |
Electronic kits, electronic components, alarm systems, landline and mobile telephones, electronic test equipment, tools, speakers, personal computers, books, antennas |
| Employees |
2000+ |
| Parent |
Woolworths Limited |
| Website |
www.tandy.com.au |
Tandy is an electronics retailer in Australia, owned by Woolworths Limited.
History
In the 1970s the Tandy Corporation instigated a chain of RadioShack-style stores in Australia through its subsidiary InterTAN, under the Tandy name. Tandy quickly established stores in major towns and suburbs across Australia and had a major presence by 1980. Many independent electrical businesses in smaller towns added Tandy products to their range. Tandy in Australia were especially well-known for their audio and radio products, most of which carried their Realistic home brand label. Their business expanded rapidly during the CB radio boom of the mid 1970s and the personal computer boom later. Their TRS-80 series of computers was particularly well-known. Tandy's position in the market had some similarities with its local competitor, Dick Smith Electronics. Both companies produced a substantial annual catalogue, though Tandy's was more consumer-oriented with no data section. Its CB radio ranges were similar to DSE but it never carried much amateur radio gear, preferring to focus on scanners and shortwave radio. Tandy never had a relationship with local hobby electronic magazines to the extent that Dick Smith Electronics and Jaycar had (and have). Their small range of kits was imported, with instructions for the American market. Nevertheless Tandy did excel in solder-less kits for beginners, which were marketed under the Science Fair brand. These were normally built on thick cardboard or plastic that held components such as resistors, capacitors, transistors, lights, speakers and meters. Dozens of projects could be built by spring terminals attached to each component with short lengths of insulated wire. Kit sizes ranged from 20 to 200 projects, with the kit being accompanied by a fat book telling you how to build each project. Many people in electronics today got their start from building such kits.[who?] Along with electronic kits, Tandy was known as a place that stocked a range of electronic toys, mainly during the Christmas period. These included many early hand-held electronic games along with many radio controlled cars, buggies and trucks. All were branded with either the "Tandy" or "Radio Shack" brand, however inspection of the stamp on the plastic casing of these toys, often revealed that they were manufactured by other brands. For example, the radio-controlled cars were always manufactured by companies like Taiyo and Nikko. As such, these toys were sold under their original brands in other parts of the world, and were not always exclusive to Tandy. Tandy's toy range expanded during the 1980s as these types of electronic toys experienced great popularity during that period. However, like the stores themselves, the range has been scaled back significantly in the years since. Enthusiasts have mixed opinions of Tandy.[who?] Compared to the more specialised retailers their range was limited. Their 'bubble pack policy', where many components were sold in packs of five to 10 at prices several times the competition, also lost them business. Some customers also resented being asked for their name and address each time they bought even quite small items.[who?] On the plus side some Tandy products were not available anywhere else. For instance their novelty transistor radio range was the biggest of any retailer then and now. Also Tandy sometimes had great 'closeout' sales of old stock and their monthly 'flyer' was eagerly awaited. Many a kid would visit each month to claim their free Radio Shack battery under the Tandy Battery Club Card scheme with no purchase required.[who?] For many years Tandy had three or more times as many stores as their nearest rival, so for this reason alone they were widely regarded as an electronics convenience store;[who?] somewhere to go to in emergencies when nowhere else is nearby or open. As electronics retailing moved away from enthusiasts and towards consumers, Tandy found it hard to compete against other outlets since it was neither one nor the other.[dubious – ] On one hand Jaycar and Dick Smith offered superior ranges of components; chains such as Retravision, JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman were higher profile and fast growing rivals in entertainment electronics. In addition, specialist computer stores assembling white box computers popped up in almost every suburb, slashing margins. In 2001 the Australian stores were sold to Woolworths Limited. While a number of these stores have been closed down or rebadged as Dick Smith stores, many of the most profitable have been completely refitted with a fresh look, as well as a small number of new stores opening throughout 2006 and 2007.
See also
References
External links
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