Tandy in Stockport

Finding a Tandy ghost sign thanks to The Power of Parker!

A recent post in the excellent Tandy UK (InterTAN Ltd) Facebook Group alerted me to the fact that there's a ghost sign from an old Tandy shop in Stockport. A fellow group member had spotted in the background of a scene in the new BBC comedy The Power of Parker. The show is set in Stockport in November 1990.

Tandy lives on!

The store used to be at 111 Prince's Street. It's now home to a Betfred.

The former Tandy shop in Stockport as it is today

My first job was at a Tandy franchise shop in Abingdon, Oxfordshire back in 1996 where I remember selling a number of electronic products bearing the 'RadioShack', 'Genexxa' and 'Realistic' brand names.

Over the years I've found a few more remains of the brand on the UK high street.

A RadioShack Tandy sign at a shop in Whitstable, Kent (September 2012)

It's crazy to think this Tandy signage has been hidden in (relatively) plain sight in my new hometown!

A Tandy ghost sign in Stockport

Related blog posts:

• Tandy
• Tandy in Hitchin (June 2021)
• Lost Shops - RadioShack in Saint Annes on the Sea (August 2020)
• Long Lost High Street Shops - Tandy (July 2020)
• Tandy in Hitchin (January 2019)
• RadioShack in Lytham Saint Annes (June 2017)

InterTan is still around...

I recently found these new old stock 3.5" Double Density Diskettes in a second hand shop in Blackpool.

A lovely bit of Tandy / RadioShack history.

My first job was at a Tandy franchise shop in my hometown back in the 1990s.

A RadioShack blast from the past

How cool is this RadioShack radio controlled truck?

I found it in a retro shop in Bristol on my recent visit to the city.

It's in superb condition. Especially when you consider it's from 1979!

A very nice piece of retail history.

My first job was at a Tandy shop back in the late 1990's and I sold lots of RadioShack products, including radio controlled cars and trucks.

Tandy in Hitchin

You can still see some Tandy signage at the old Electronic Universe shop in Hitchin, Hertfordshire.

I recently passed through Hitchin en route to Luton and had to make a quick stop to see if the old Tandy signage was still up at the former Electronic Universe shop on Churchgate in the town centre. Luckily some of it still was. However, the sign at the rear of the store has now gone.

My first job was at a Tandy franchise shop in Abingdon, Oxfordshire back in 1996 where I remember selling a number of electronic products bearing the 'RadioShack', 'Genexxa' and 'Realistic' brand names.

It's always fun spotting old brands and signage and a real treat when it's something rare like Tandy. I've also seen some RadioShack signs on my travels.

While in Hitchin I also took a look at a classic Happy Shopper and in Luton took a look at my old local Blockbuster Video store.

A retail time machine

Today is Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day.

I pretend to be a Time Traveler quite a bit by hunting out relics of the past that can still be seen today.

Old UK shop brands from my (time) travels

If you could once again shop at a long lost store which one would it be?

Lost shops

Relics from a lost time.

Kwik Save in Barrow in Furness, Woolworths in Longton, Toys R Us in Preston, Tandy in Hitchin, RadioShack in St Annes on the Sea and Blockbuster in Manchester

Which lost brands do I need to track down next?

Lost Shops - RadioShack in Saint Annes on the Sea

Two years ago today we were still able to shop at a RadioShack in the UK.

The store was in Saint Annes on the Sea on the Fylde Coast and after I discovered it I shopped there every time I visited the seaside town.

Sadly it closed in 2019.

This RadioShack was the last of its kind in the UK. Note the Tandy sign in the top left of the window

Working at Tandy

My first job was at a Tandy franchise shop in Abingdon, Oxfordshire where I remember selling a number of electronic products bearing the 'RadioShack', 'Genexxa' and 'Realistic' brand names.

It's always fun spotting old brands & signage and a treat when it's something rare like Tandy.

Tandy said goodbye to the UK high street in 2001 as the last of the shops was converted after acquisition by Carphone Warehouse.

Other lost shop brands

As well as the RadioShack in Saint Annes on the Sea we've seen a Woolworths Big W in Brunstane, Edinburgh; Toys R Us in Ancoats, Manchester; Tandy in Hitchin; Blockbuster in Fallowfield, Manhester; Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent; BHS in Stockport; Blockbuster Video Express in Colne and Kwik Save in Barrow-in-Furness.

If you know of any other remnants or relics of lost retail brands please do let me know.

Long Lost High Street Shops - Tandy

A look back at Tandy.

I was lucky enough to spot Tandy branding on some signage at a shop while in Hitchin last year. The Tandy signs had been uncovered as the shop on Churchgate was being refurbished following the closure of Electronic Universe. The reveal showed that Electronic Universe had at one point been a Tandy dealer.

In 2016 I spotted this Tandy sign at the back of the shop.

It's always a shame to see CRT tellys going to waste

Working at Tandy

My first job was at a Tandy franchise shop in Abingdon, Oxfordshire where I remember selling a number of electronic products bearing the 'RadioShack', 'Genexxa' and 'Realistic' brand names.

It's always fun spotting old brands & signage and a treat when it's something rare like Tandy.

Tandy said goodbye to the UK high street in 2001 as the last of the shops was converted after acquisition by Carphone Warehouse.

RadioShack

Until fairly recently there was a RadioShack in Lytham Saint Annes. Unfortunately that store closed its doors in 2019.

I bought a VHS tape in there when I first found the shop in 2017

Other relics of the high street

We've also seen the remnants of Woolworths, Toys R Us and Kwik Save on our travels.

Our most local, still visible 'dead brand' can be seen at the old Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester.

Tandy in Hitchin

Spotting some old Tandy branding in Hitchin.

We were recently back in Hitchin, Hertfordshire and spotted the electronics shop at Churchgate had closed down. Electronic Universe had been trading in the town since 1982 and closed due to retirement last February. The old shop signs had been taken down and luckily for us we were able to see some even older branding from when the shop was a Tandy dealer! A nice blast from the past.

A once familiar sight on UK high streets. Circa 1990

While visiting Hitchin Market back in March 2016 I spotted a great old Tandy sign at the back of the shop at Biggin Lane that brought back happy memories for me.

The Tandy sign round the back of the shop

My first job was at a Tandy franchise shop in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, where I remember selling a number of electronic products bearing the 'RadioShack', 'Genexxa' and 'Realistic' brand names. Halcyon days.

In 2001 Tandy said goodbye to the UK high street as the last of the shops were converted after their acquisition by Carphone Warehouse.

I thought the Tandy brand name was still defunct, but it's not as Tandy lives on as an online retailer of electronic components and kits!

Interestingly the name Tandy comes from one of the founders of a leather goods company called Tandy Leather - a business that later became RadioShack.

There is still a RadioShack trading in the UK. It's in Lytham Saint Annes.

RadioShack in Lytham Saint Annes

Last April I blogged about Tandy after my memory was jogged seeing an old sign for the brand at the back of an electronics shop in Hitchin.

Well, at the weekend I found another remnant of the once prominent high street brand - a RadioShack shop in Lytham Saint Annes!

RadioShack on the Fylde coast high street - still weathering the stormy retail sector 

My first job was at a Tandy franchise shop in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, where I remember selling a number of electronic products bearing the 'RadioShack', 'Genexxa' and 'Realistic' brand names.

Great to see the Tandy logo still on display

Stepping into the RadioShack in Lytham Saint Annes was like a time warp. It was brilliant having a chat to the man behind the counter about Tandy and RadioShack too.

They stock a lot of formats of tape at RadioShack

Looking online there are only three RadioShack shops left in the UK. The others are in Chester and Wrexham. As a fan of 'tickable list' challenges I fancy visiting the other two stores to complete the list.

They've got a lot of VHS tapes in stock at RadioShack

Visiting the shop was a bit like the classic shopping trip Alan Partridge makes to the Tandy in Norwich in Knowing Me Knowing Yule.

I treated myself to a new blank VHS tape

In 2001 Tandy said goodbye to the UK high street as the last of the shops were converted after their acquisition by Carphone Warehouse.

I thought the Tandy brand name was still defunct, but no - a search found that Tandy lives on as an online retailer of electronic components and kits!

Interestingly the name Tandy comes from one of the founders of a leather goods company called Tandy Leather - a business that later became RadioShack.

You can find the RadioShack at 47 St Anne's Road West, Lytham Saint Annes, FY8 1SB.