11pm news here in Seattle announces ALL FUTURE SHOPS IN NATION ARE CLOSED AND WILL REOPEN IN A WEEK TO SELL OFF STOCK! Employees in shock. Wasn't Future shops on the list of merchants rolling over to 2000 soon?

-- Ann Fisher (zyax55b@prodigy.com), March 09, 1999

Answers

Ann, please forgive my ignorance, but what are Future Shops?

Please explain what they are, do, sell, etc. How many are in the Nation and where are they located? How many employees do they have?

Also, perhaps there is a link on the Web page of the station you heard this on?

Thanks. There have been many lay-offs recently announced.

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-- Leska (allaha@earthlink.net), March 09, 1999.

Look and find :-)

Future Shop stores in U.S. are closing

[ For Educational Purposes Only ]

03/09/99 2:16 AM Eastern

YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) -- Workers at Future Shop Ltd. stores across the Northwest were told Monday that their stores were closing, the Yakima Herald-Republic reported.

The Vancouver, B.C.-based computer and appliance retailer announced the closure of its United States operations during a 4 p.m. conference call to managers of its stores in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, said Tom Wise, manager of Yakima's Future Shop.

The stores closed their doors at 5 p.m., the newspaper said in Tuesday's editions.

"It was a real shock," Wise said.

"It affects a lot of good people in our store and our company," Wise said.

Future Shop posted a loss of $23.5 million (Canadian) for the nine months ended Jan. 2. However, the company recently reported that January sales rose 19 percent to $147 million from $124 million in January 1998.

Founded in 1982, the company operates 81 stores in Canada and 23 in the United States, including 14 in Washington, six in Oregon, one in Idaho and two in Montana. Future Shop also acquired seven Computer City stores in Canada.

In Oregon, employees at stores in Portland and Beaverton confirmed Monday night that the stores were closing permanently, The Register-Guard in Eugene reported.

The Yakima store had opened in April 1995 and Wise said the business had done well.

"It was very booming," Wise said.

The retailer took out a 20-page advertisement in newspapers across the state Sunday announcing "All on Sale!"

Salesman Drue Pickens said employees were told they will be paid in full and may be working for the next six to eight weeks as the store sells off its inventory.

Wise said there will be a liquidation sale of the store's merchandise, but did not know when that sale could begin.
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-- Leska (allaha@earthlink.net), March 09, 1999.

GET OUTTA HERE! Are you kidding? I'm on the other side of the state where we don't here anything. Are you serious?

FYI: Future Shop is a huge electronics and appliance retailer in the Northwest.

Say it ain't so, I like that store!

Kimbo WA

-- Kimbo WA (aliveandwell@WA.com), March 09, 1999.

Well, Ann, the truth is that the CANADIAN based Future Shop is closing its US stores and has ZERO to do with Y2K.

-- Mutha Nachu (---@firefliesdancingattwighlight.com), March 11, 1999.