FRACKVILLE — The RadioShack/Sprint store is closing Monday at the Schuylkill Mall.
A RadioShack spokesman, who declined to be identified, confirmed the closure on Tuesday.
“We’re sad to see our Schuylkill Mall store location close. In the normal course of business, stores open, close and move locations. We always try to keep any disruption within the neighborhood to a minimum. The store will be closing next week with the last day of sales on Monday,” the spokesman said.
Additional information was not provided.
The 2,609-square-foot RadioShack store at the mall has been there since 1980, when the mall opened. Elaine Maneval, mall manager, confirmed the store is original to the mall. She declined further comment.
The Sprint side of the store is also closing. A person who did not want to be identified said it’s closing Saturday. Roni Singleton, media relations representative with Sprint, confirmed the closure.
“We’re always reviewing our store footprint and evaluating every store’s performance. After thoughtful consideration, we made the difficult decision to close the Sprint store in Frackville. We’re confident this will not impact the level of service we provide to customers in the area. Customers will continue to be able to visit one of several Sprint locations in the area, including company-owned stores and third-party retailers. In addition, customers can always take advantage of the convenience of our online store at Sprint.com for their shopping needs. We recognize that this may be a difficult time for impacted employees, and we will do all that we can, including where possible moving them to another Sprint location. Where this is not possible, Sprint employees will receive separation benefits,” Singleton said in an email.
Gary Hinkle, 28, of Sunbury, decided to take advantage of the good deals Tuesday. He bought some Ethernet cables and chargers. He often shopped at the store when he needed electronics while in the area.
“It’s a shame because they’ve been around for a long time. Nobody likes to see a store close,” he said of RadioShack.
Lydia Fritz, 43, of Saint Clair, also said the closure of the store is disappointing.
“It’s sad. This mall is becoming more empty,” she said.
RadioShack announced in 2014 that it planned to close up to 1,100 stores in the United States. The company has 1,679 locations in the United States, according to its website, www.radioshack.com. There are 86 locations in Pennsylvania. RadioShack Corp. filed last year in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware for Chapter 11 bankruptcy that would enable another company to buy its assets, according to a company news release.