Fry’s Electronics, with 2 Valley stores, goes out of business nationwide

PHOENIX – Fry’s Electronics, the chain of consumer tech stores that burst onto the retail scene 35 years ago and eventually landed in metro Phoenix, is officially closing.

The California-based company announced on its website early Wednesday that shutdown operations of the 31 locations in nine states began Tuesday, partially attributing the pandemic.

Two stores in the Valley, in Phoenix near 30th Avenue and Thunderbird Road, and in Tempe near Baseline Road and Interstate 10, went dark.

Shelves had been lightly stocked at the Tempe store for more than a year and the parking lot mostly empty day after day.

“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 the posted letter.

Fry’s Electronics also pointed to changes in the business as a reason for closure.

Founded in the Bay Area in 1985, the onetime popular seller also carried televisions, large and small appliances, and toys in stores that often featured different themes.

The Aztec-themed Phoenix site opened to great fanfare in 1999, while the Tempe location motif was golf.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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