Circuit City

Circuit City (NYSE: CC) is the second largest electronics retailer in the United States. Based in Richmond, Virginia, its over 600 stores located throughout the country have departments like Audio and Video, Camcorders and Photo, Home and Office, Music and Movies, and Toys and Games. The chain of stores also has services such as Express In-Store Pickup (24-24 Pick-up Guarantee), and Price Match Plus Guarantee.

On February 11, 2005, a hedge fund headquartered in Boston, Highfields Capital, offered to takeover Circuit City for $17 a share, arguing that existing management had failed to maximize shareholder value.

On March 7, Circuit City's board rejected this offer, but doubled its own share buy back program.

Circuit City owns The Source by Circuit City (formerly Radio Shack) chain in Canada.

Circuit City started and owned the CarMax Group as a wholly owned subsidiary until fall 2002, when CarMax, Inc. was spun off as a separate corporation


Diversity

Circuit City scored a 29% on the 2004 Corporate Equality Index by the Human Rights Campaign.


Circuit City-Owned Brand Names

* Centrios
* ESA
* Liquid Video
* NexxTech
* Verge



Slogans

* "Where Service is State of the Art" (????-1995)
* "Price, Selection, and Service"
* "Imagine That" (2001)
* "We're with You" (2001-2004)
* "Just What I Needed" (2004-Present)
* "Circuit City makes it Simple" (2005 Holiday Season)


Trivia

Sometime in the late 1970's, when the company that was to become Circuit City was seeking a new name for its stores, a marketing firm was hired to find suitable names. One of the firm's principals mentioned this to his nephew, a Pennsylvania electrical engineer, who quickly thought of the name Circuit City. The engineer signed a release form and was paid $50 for his suggestion.