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Micro Center

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Micro Center
Company typeDivision
Founded1979; 45 years ago (1979), in Columbus, Ohio[1]
FoundersJohn Baker and Bill Bayne[2]
Headquarters
Hilliard, Ohio
,
U.S.
Key people
ProductsComputers, Consumer Electronics & Accessories
Revenue$2.4 billion (2015[6])
Number of employees
2,750 (2016[6])
ParentMicro Electronics, Inc.
Websitemicrocenter.com
The former Micro Center store in Houston, Texas, which was replaced with a newly constructed 32,000 square foot store in 2015[7]
The Micro Center store in Columbus, Ohio
The Apple department in Micro Center Queens, New York

Micro Center is an American computer retail store, headquartered in Hilliard, Ohio. It was founded in 1979, and as of 2024, has 28 stores in 19 states. The chain is a highly electronic and mechanical center for building personal computers and gaming computers.

History

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Micro Center was founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1979 by John Baker and Bill Bayne, two former Radio Shack employees, with a $35,000 investment.[2][8] Rick Mershad is the current CEO and President of Micro Center. Mershad was one of the first 10 employees of the company, starting as a Sales Associate two years after the company's founding.[9] The first Micro Center store was established in a 900 sq ft (84 m2) storefront located in the Lane Avenue Shopping Center in Upper Arlington, Ohio. The store benefited from its proximity to Ohio State University and the scientific think-tank Battelle Memorial Institute, which provided a large customer base and a source of computer-literate salespeople.[10] Their goal for the first year was $30 million in sales, and they achieved $29.9 million.[8]

In the fall of 1997, Micro Center expanded into Silicon Valley by opening a store in Santa Clara, California.[11] To compete against what was then the dominant computer retailer in California, Fry's Electronics, Micro Center stressed its better employee pay and superior customer service.[11]

In 2009, Micro Center developed an "18-minute pickup" service where customers who order merchandise on their website can pick it up from the store in 18 minutes.[12]

On July 23, 2012, Micro Center suddenly closed its Santa Clara store—its only one in Silicon Valley—after it was unable to negotiate a further extension of its store lease.[13] By then, the store's front facade had already become a dated relic of the late 1990s, with long-obsolete logos from Hayes, USRobotics, Practical Peripherals, Lotus Software, and Fujifilm.[13]

In January 2014, the company planned to open two new New York City stores in Brooklyn and Queens.[14]

As of 2024, there are 28 Micro Center stores nationwide in 19 states, including California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia. A new store in Santa Clara (in a different location than the previous one) is planned to open in 2025, delayed from 2024.[15][16]

Corporate structure

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Micro Center is a subsidiary of Micro Electronics, Inc., a privately held corporation headquartered in Hilliard, Ohio.[17]

Stores are sized up to 60,000 sq ft (5,600 m2), stocking about 36,000 products across 700 categories, including major name brands and Micro Center's own brands.[18] Micro Center is an approved seller of all Apple products.[14] The company has had Apple departments in all stores since 1982, and has included "Build Your Own PC" departments, and "Knowledge Bars" for service and support since 2007.[2][19]

Public profile

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Micro Center was the first retailer in the United States to sell the DJI Mavic Pro drone, launching it by hosting a three-day demonstration in their Columbus store's parking lot which was open to the press and the public.[12]

In a 2015 interview, Micro Center CEO Rick Mershad described how their product line is changing: the STEM movement is driving students and adults to make their own creations, and Micro Center is focusing on Arduino projects and Raspberry Pi, which require more consultative selling.[20]

Media reception

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Joan Verdon of The Record noted that meeting customer's needs with a high level of service and skilled salespeople are Micro Center's "claim to fame". She also quoted Doug Olenick, editor at TWICE, a major consumer electronics trade publication, who said that the store's salespeople, compared to others in the industry, are extremely well trained.[10]

In 2021, the store started to offer a free solid-state drive to new customers, but Storage Review was not impressed, concluding "it's free, but it's still not worth it". More generally, they noted that: "Micro Center's Inland brand is to tech what Amazon's dozens of brands are to toilet paper, shampoo, and such."[21]

Awards and rankings

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In 2014, Micro Center was ranked 93rd on a list of the 100 hottest retailers in the United States compiled by the National Retail Federation.[22]

In 2015, the industry trade journal Dealerscope ranked it as the 18th largest consumer electronics retailer in the United States and Canada.[23]

In 2016, Forbes magazine ranked it 195th among America's largest private companies.[6]

In October 2016, Micro Center stores won first and second prizes in Intel's annual "Score with Intel Core" competition, and donated their prize money to local schools.[24][25]

In 2019, Micro Center stores won first and third prizes, making two more prize money donations to local schools.[26][27]

See also

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According to the American business research company Hoover's, the major competitors to Micro Center's parent company Micro Electronics are:[18]

References

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  1. ^ Eaton, Dan (January 16, 2014). "Micro Center opening stores in Brooklyn, Queens". Columbus Business First. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Franklin, Peter D. (November 4, 1990). "The Miracle on Lane Avenue". The Columbus Dispatch.
  3. ^ "For Profit Corporation Annual Report" (PDF). www.sos.ks.gov. September 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  4. ^ "Peggy Wolfe at Micro Electronics, Inc.: Chief Operating Officer". leadferret.com. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  5. ^ "Micro Center Doubles Down on Unmatched Customer Support in the Tech Retail Industry" (Press release). [preweb.com]. April 22, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c "Micro Electronics on the Forbes America's Largest Private Companies List". Forbes. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  7. ^ "S&P selected to build new Micro Center store near Galleria". Houston Chronicle. April 21, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  8. ^ a b Columbus Dispatch DFAS Magazine, "Doing the Right Thing Right" December 1995, p.12
  9. ^ "Interview with Microcenter CEO Rick Mershad". YouTube. November 24, 2015.
  10. ^ a b Verdon, Joan (March 16, 2007). "Service is their password - Computer chain to open N.J. store". The Record. Hackensack, NJ. p. B01. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  11. ^ a b Slonaker, Larry; Langberg, Mike (August 24, 1997). "Expansion Into New Markets Will Test Fry's Spotty Record on Customer Service". San Jose Mercury News. p. 13A – via NewsBank.
  12. ^ a b "Micro Center First Retailer to Host DJI Mavic Pro Experience". News Channel 10. November 18, 2016. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  13. ^ a b McCracken, Harry (August 13, 2012). "Technology in the 1990s, as Captured in Obsolete Computer Store Signs". Technologizer (Time). Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Eaton, Dan (January 16, 2014). "Micro Center opening stores in Brooklyn, Queens". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  15. ^ "Computer Store in Santa Clara, CA". Micro Center. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  16. ^ "Micro Center Announces Opening of New Santa Clara Store". PRWeb. April 17, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  17. ^ Hoover's Handbook of Private Companies. Hoover's, Incorporated. March 2001. ISBN 978-1-57311-067-9.
  18. ^ a b "Company Profile - Micro Electronics Inc". Hoover's (a subsidiary of Dun and Bradstreet). Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  19. ^ Verdon, Joan (April 27, 2007). "Steady as she grows". The Record. Hackensack, NJ. p. B01. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  20. ^ Adafruit Industries: Interview with Microcenter CEO Rick Mershad on YouTube
  21. ^ Beeler, Brian (August 24, 2021). "How Good is Micro Center's Free SSD?". StorageReview.com. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  22. ^ Malone, JD (August 2, 2014). "Columbus companies among top retailers". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  23. ^ Spinale, Laura (2015). "Top 101 CE Retailers: Retailers Post Modest Increases in a Turbulent Marketplace". Dealerscope. North American Publishing Co. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  24. ^ "Micro Center to Present $45,000 in Donations from Intel to Local Schools". www.prnewswire.com. October 11, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  25. ^ McGowan, Mary Kate (October 24, 2016). "Computer store to donate $10,000 to Powers Ferry Elementary". Marietta Daily Journal. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  26. ^ Brubaker, Paul. "Intel, Micro Center Bolster District's One-to-One Device Initiative with Donation of $25,000 to Buy 40 Dell Chromebooks" (PDF). Paterson Public Schools. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  27. ^ "Score with Intel Core". East Meadow School District. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
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