The UK division of Tandy has sold all 270 of its retail outlets to mobile company Carphone Warehouse. Tandy was never allowed to call itself Radio Shack in the UK because the name was in use by a chap on Finchley Road. He was approached by Tandy 10 years ago and offered him a vast amount of UK pounds sterling. He refused to sell out, although the shop, which sold valves, plugs and the like, appears to have gone from Finchley Road. The UK outlets are to concentrate on selling mobile phones and accessories, which is a great shame. Although no-one ever seemed to buy their PCs or radios there because they were a tad expensive, the shops were great for picking up bulldog clips, serial cables and those little odds and ends us IT journalists seem never to be able to live without. According to Charles Dunstone, Carphone Warehouse's MD, the shops have performed much better in the last eighteen months and have good potential. ®