Fort Worth, Texas
– RadioShack may be exploring strategic alternatives that could include a sale
of the company or a merger with Best Buy, the New York Post reported today.
The story, based
on unnamed banking sources, rekindles rumors from earlier this month of a
pending acquisition by an equity investment firm that had largely been
dismissed.
The Post reports
that RadioShack has given investment bankers the go-ahead to pitch potential
acquirers on a leveraged buyout of the chain. The sales process, supposedly
lead by JPMorgan Chase, could bring in more than $3 billion, the sources said.
RadioShack could
be seen as an attractive asset thanks to aggressive cost-cutting measures by
CEO Julian Day, solid cash flow, and its strong position in the growing
wireless market. Its more than 4,000 small-format stores would also play into
Best Buy’s mobile strategy of rolling out freestanding, mall-based wireless
shops.
Other options for
the chain could include a massive share buyback or even a strategic acquisition
of its own, funded by its $900 million war chest, a Wall Street banker told the
newspaper.
