Tandy Corporation was an American family-owned retailer based in Fort Worth, Texas that made leather goods, operated the RadioShack chain, and later built personal computers.

[1] Unable to keep up with cost-cutting competitors, Tandy exited the PC business in 1993, selling its assets to AST Research, retaining its profitable goods-making units.

degree at Texas Christian University, then began attending the Harvard Business School to further expand his education.

As World War II escalated Charles was called to serve his country in the military and relocated to Hawaii.

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

As a result, the two original founders came to an agreement in 1950 that Hinckley would continue to pursue the shoe findings business and the Tandy partners would specialize in promoting leathercrafts.

A growing do-it-yourself movement, prompted by a shortage of consumer goods and high labor costs, continued to gather momentum.

Tandy 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 Leather was a thriving company with leased sales sites in 75 cities across the United States.

He 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.

When the votes were counted on the day of that pivotal stockholders meeting, the Tandy group took management control of General American Industries.

The corporate headquarters were also moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where Charles D. Tandy became the president and chairman of the board.

He found RadioShack in Boston, a mail order company that had started in the 1920s selling to amateur radio operators and electronics buffs.

The 18-story office building was initiated as phase I of a massive downtown development with plans to cover eight city blocks and become the new headquarters of the Tandy Corp.

This plan was publicized as a strategy to provide intensive leadership and tailored management of the three distinct and diverse businesses of the company, each of which recently had reached a substantial size.

[7] Tandy was one of three companies (along with Commodore International and Apple) that started the personal computer revolution in 1977 by introducing complete pre-assembled microcomputers instead of a kit.

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

A market research company reported in 1981 that not selling others' products slowed Tandy's growth, and predicted that competitors would benefit.

[9] Discussing the report, Wayne Green, publisher of 80 Microcomputing, warned that the company might have become overconfident from defeating "poorly financed and inadequately managed competitors", and that IBM and others would not likely be "as myopic and hidebound as Radio Shack".

The 1000 helped Tandy achieve a 25% personal computer market share in 1986, tied with Apple and in second place behind IBM.

Also that year, the company produced an interactive, multimedia CD-ROM player called the Tandy Video Information System (VIS).

Tandy stores in the UK sold mainly own-brand goods under the 'Realistic' label and the shops were distinguished on the high street by continuing to use written sales receipts and a cash drawer instead of a till as late as the early 1990s.

Staff were required to take the name and address of any customer who made a purchase, however small, in order to put them on the company's brochure mailing list, which often caused disgruntlement.

The Incredible Universe concept was Tandy's attempt to compete with other electronics giants such as Best Buy, Circuit City, and Lechmere.

A joint venture between Tandy Corporation and Trans World Entertainment, the first two stores, located in Arlington, Texas, and Wilsonville, Oregon, opened in 1992.

Sales were below average compared to Tandy's profitable RadioShack line, and by late 1996, the company had decided to sell or close all 17 Incredible Universe stores.

Alan Bush, former EVP of RadioShack and Jim Hamilton, known as the "Father of Computer Retailing," were the strategists behind the rapid growth and success.