'No Access' zone separates J&R from consumers - J and R Electronics to reopen after World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks - Brief Article

DSN Retailing Today, Oct 1, 2001 by Doug Desjardins

NEW YORK -- Like dozens of small businesses in lower Manhattan, J&R Electronics has been shut down since the World Trade Center collapse Sept. 11. But this veteran consumer electronics retailer, which for 30 years has been known to offer an incomparable assortment of electronics, music and computers in its renowned cluster of storefronts along Park Row, hasn't lost its resolve. Today, nearly three weeks after the attack on New York, this fixture of downtown retailing is preparing to open its doors once again in a move that likely will give itself, as well as downtown New York, a renewed sense of normalcy.

A J&R spokesman told DSN Retailing Today Sept. 20 that the storefront two blocks away from the disaster site suffered considerable "damage from dirt and ash," adding the company hoped it could be re-opened for business "within a few weeks." The superstore located at 23 Park Row was evacuated shortly after the attack; none of its employees were injured.

Though its store has been closed, J&R has continued to do business by phone and on the Internet. Its Web site notifies customers "[its] retail location remains temporarily closed [due to] current conditions in New York City." The retailer has been handling phone and Internet orders through its distribution center in nearby Queens.

It's unclear just how much revenue J&R stands to lose due to the shutdown. According to DSN Retailing Today research, J&R generated $332 million in sales in 2000. No data was available on how much of that total was generated through sales on the Internet.

The retailer played a pivotal role in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. One source reported the store was re-opened by fire and safety officials shortly after the attack and was used as a command center for rescue and recovery efforts.

Last month's attack marked the second time J&R was hit by a tragedy. The retailer was forced to shut down for a period of time in 1993 following the explosion of a truck bomb at the World Trade Center.