The news earlier this week is pretty bleak for computer brick and mortar/on line retailer PC Club/Club IT. After shutting down operations and closing stores earlier in the week after the company announced that it was filing for Chapter 7 reorganization, it appears that the company is in the process of or has been sold to a new investor who is committed to restarting operations.

All of this came as quite a shock to PC Club/Club IT employees who were laid off earlier in the week. Now, calls are being made to recall employees and they are being told that they once again have a job. The details are still a bit sketchy, but it appears that the online Club IT sales will resume first, and then stores will be re-opened a little at a time, according to several sources that seem to be in the know.

However, it would appear that all is not good in the case of the retail stores, as reports of missing merchandise and cash have been rumored. Sources seem to suggest that this will have to be dealt with first before a store with reported theft will be re-opened, which could delay things. It has been suggested that they will conduct audits and make sure that the inventory and books are in order before re-opening a store.

It is good to see that PC Club has been saved from going the way of the dodo, but that does not guarantee that they will be able to turn a profit in such a tough market space. The truth is, however, that in many computer retail markets the options are VERY limited; and many people still want to shop at a computer store, rather than going to a bigbox superstore such as BestBuy, Circuit City or Frys.

The best news has to be for all of the people who had PCs in for service at PC Club/IT Club when it closed. It does appear that they will be able to recover their computers, and that is maybe the best news of all, along with the news that employees will be offered their jobs back.