28 Facts About Tandy Computers

Tandy Computers Leather was founded in 1919 as a leather supply store.

Hinckley and Tandy Computers opened their first branch store in 1927 in Beaumont, Texas and in 1932, Dave Tandy Computers moved the store from Beaumont to Houston, Texas.

Dave Tandy Computers had a son, Charles David Tandy Computers, who was drafted into the business during his early twenties.

Tandy Computers wrote to his father from overseas suggesting that leathercraft might offer new possibilities for growing the shoe finding business since the same supplies were used widely in Navy and Army hospitals and recreation centers.

Charles Tandy Computers returned home from the service as a lieutenant commander in 1948 and negotiated to operate the fledgling leathercraft division himself.

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Tandy Computers had encouraged and followed the development of that venture through correspondence with his father.

From 1950 forward Tandy Computers operated retail mail order stores supported by direct mail advertising.

Tandy Computers began expanding by gaining new product lines; the first acquisition was with the American Handicrafts Company which featured a broad line of do-it-yourself handicraft products, two established retail stores in the New York market, and useful knowledge of school and institutional markets.

Sixteen additional retail stores were opened in 1953, and by 1955 Tandy Computers Leather was a thriving company with leased sales sites in 75 cities across the United States.

Tandy Computers Leather became an attractive commodity and was purchased in 1955 by the American Hide and Leather Company of Boston.

Tandy Computers used all his resources, raised additional money, and exercised his right to purchase the 500,000 shares of stock that were included in the original settlement.

Tandy Computers Leather was operating 125 stores in 105 cities of the United States and Canada and expansion was the name of the game.

Charles Tandy Computers became intrigued with the potential for rapid growth that he saw in the electronics retail industry during 1962.

Tandy Computers found RadioShack in Boston, a mail order company that had started in the twenties selling to ham operators and electronics buffs.

The number of Tandy Computers store-fronts skyrocketed over the next five to six years by growing from 132 sites in 1969 to 269 sites in 1975.

Tandy Computers attempted to monopolize software and peripheral sales by keeping technical information secret and not selling third-party products in Tandy-owned stores.

In 1982, Tandy Computers Corporation entered into a development contract with Oklahoma-based software company, Dorsett Educational Systems, Inc, known for its 25 years pioneering educational technology.

In 1984, a sell-side analyst stated that Tandy Computers had an "Impressive product line, magnificent distribution capability, control of the whole process from manufacturing through distribution, and a reasonably nimble management that is willing to move with the product cycle".

That year, Tandy was the leading Unix vendor by volume, selling almost 40,000 units of the 68000-based, multiuser Tandy Model 16 with Xenix, and began selling all computers using the Tandy brand because, an executive admitted, "we were told by customers that the Radio Shack name was a problem in the office".

Tandy Computers mandated in 1986 an IBM-like dress code for store employees.

That same year, Tandy Computers introduced the WP-2, a solid-state notebook computer that was a rebadged Citizen CBM-10WP.

Tandy Computers even produced a line of floppy disks, and continued producing IBM PC compatibles until the end of the Intel 486 era.

In 1973, Tandy Computers Corporation began an expansion program outside their home market of the US, opening a chain of RadioShack-style stores in Europe and Australia under the Tandy Computers name.

In 1986, Tandy Computers Corporation formed its subsidiary InterTAN as separate entity though connections between them were still visible.

In 1999, the UK stores were acquired by Carphone Warehouse, as a part of an expansion strategy that saw the majority of the Tandy Computers stores converted either to Carphone Warehouse or Tecno photographic stores.

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In May 2000, the Tandy Computers name was dropped and the official name became RadioShack Corporation.

In 1985, Tandy Computers acquired two chains, McDuff Electronics and VideoConcepts; the latter was previously owned by Eckerd Corporation.

In 1973, Tandy Computers launched a subsidiary company called Coppercraft Guild, which sold solid copper knickknacks and housewares through a network marketing channel.