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Pandemic Permanently Short-Circuits Fry's Electronics

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A closed Fry's Electronic store is seen on February 24, 2021 in Manhattan Beach, California. - Fry's Electronics, a longtime US retail group known for selling computers and accessories, abruptly shut down its 31 stores on February 24, 2021, citing the pandemic and changes to retailing. "After nearly 36 years in business as the one-stop-shop and online resource for high-tech professionals across nine states and 31 stores, Frys Electronics has made the difficult decision to shut down its operations and close its business permanently as a result of changes in the retail industry and the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic," said a statement on its website. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

Fry's Electronics, which opened in Sunnyvale in 1985, has sold its last modem, mouse or motherboard. The store announced on its website Wednesday that it was shutting down permanently.

The retailer, which said it had 31 stores in nine states, sold every gadget, cable and plug that a frantic consumer would ever need to keep up with the ever-shifting modifications and technical standards of the computer age — not to mention racks of snacks enticingly within reach on the checkout line. Fry's also catered to the DIY tech crowd who wanted to put together or enhance their own digital devices. Over the decades, the store became part and parcel of Silicon Valley culture.

Fry's says it's closing "as a result of changes in the retail industry and the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic."

"The Company is in the process of reaching out to its customers with repairs and consignment vendors to help them understand what this will mean for them and the proposed next steps," the company said in its announcement.

Brian Watt and Jon Brooks

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