CompUSA, alternative handset channel, vaporizes

CompUSA, a leading consumer electronics retailer and purveyor of unlocked mobile phones, is going out of business, the company announced.
The announcement did not cite a reason for CompUSA’s sale. But the electronics retailer, founded in 1984 in Dallas, had announced last fall that it was up for sale.
The chain, owned by Grupo Carso SA, which controlled by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, is being purchased by Gordon Brothers Group L.L.C., a global restructuring and investment firm specializing in retail, consumer products, real estate and industrial sectors.
The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Gordon Brothers had previously advised CompUSA on the sale of under-performing stores.
CompUSA operates 103 stores across the country and the stores will remain open during the holiday shopping season as the new owners determine which stores will be sold, possibly with the CompUSA brand intact, Gordon Brothers said.
In wireless terms, CompUSA has been one of several alternative channels for Nokia Corp. and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications-both of which focus on GSM technology comprising 40% of the United States market. The big-box retailer also offered unlocked phones from Motorola Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., HTC and Hewlett-Packard Co., as well as acting as a reseller for services and handsets for AT&T Mobility, Sprint Nextel Corp., T-Mobile USA Inc. and Tracfone Wireless Inc.