New York area retail vets Ronny Shmoel and Albert Liniado are betting that the third time will be a charm for Circuit City, Twice Magazine reported on Wednesday. They acquired the Circuit City Corp. brand, domain and associated trademarks in October from IT supplier Systemax, which bought them in a bankruptcy auction but abandoned the U.S. retail channel last fall. Once the No. 1 big-box tech chain, Circuit City succumbed to a rapidly changing marketplace in 2008, and misfired in its second incarnation as an online-only sister site to Systemax’s TigerDirect. This time, what Shmoel and his top lieutenant Liniado have in store for Circuit is an ambitious, multi-tiered plan that calls for retail outlets, web sales, branded and private-label products, licensed kiosks, mobile shops and franchise opportunities, all under the iconic red-and-white banner. The company opens its first store in June, most likely in the Dallas market, and relaunches CircuitCity.com.
