Not many may have heard about FirstTech, but it holds the distinction of being the first ever Apple reseller in the world. The store is based in Minneapolis and was founded in 1941. Back then, it was called Team Electronics. It wasn’t till the late 70s, though, when it first started selling Apple machines – the first batch of, actually.
This is sad news, as there is no doubt that FirstTech has always been proud of its heritage and links to Apple, but on the 29th of this month, the store will be closing its doors for the last time.
The move is quite sudden, at least from the perspective of the store’s employees. Product manager Fred Evans says that the news was only shared with the employees on Wednesday, and although some employees thought that closing shop was inevitable, the turn of events was rather quick.
So why is the first ever Apple reseller closing shop when we know that Apple products are selling like hotcakes – more than before?
Fred Evans says it’s due to “market forces, including shrinking hardware margins amid competition from a growing number of aggressive national vendors.” (Source)
Then there’s the fact that Apple opened its own Stores – not one or two, but five! – in the Twin Cities area, which obviously cut into FirstTech’s sales as well.
On the upside, for customers in the area, FirstTech is holding a going-out-of-business sale, which starts today.
