FYE is Media Play reborn

Four former Utah Media Play stores are about to be reborn under the FYE logo, offering "all things entertainment," from DVDs to digital products, electronics and accessories.

Trans World Entertainment Corp. confirmed this week it is converting former Media Play stores, including its Salt Lake City/Redwood Road, Riverdale, Midvale and Orem locations, to the FYE brand. The stores are set to open in mid-June and are expected to create 200 jobs.

The company, based in Albany, N.Y., received approval in March from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York to buy most of Musicland's assets, including 335 of its 400 stores. Musicland includes the Sam Goody, Suncoast Motion Picture Co., On Cue and Media Play brands.

James A. Litwak, Trans World president and chief operating officer, told the Deseret Morning News that the acquisition of six Media Play superstores, which occurred in a separate deal, will enable Trans World to test the superstore concept in a solid market.

"We're very excited about it," Litwak said. "We've never had 50,000-square-foot, freestanding stores before, so this is new. And we knew how successful the Utah Media Play stores were before, so we thought it'd be the perfect environment to test the concept and make sure we're doing things right and that our customers are happy."

Trans World will test the FYE superstores in Utah and in Buffalo, N.Y. If it's successful, Litwak said, the company may expand the concept to other markets.

Litwak couldn't immediately say whether the Utah Suncoast or Sam Goody stores were included in the 335 stores acquired by the company, or whether they were among the remaining 65 stores acquired by Hilco Merchant Resources LLC for liquidation.

Musicland had operated its Sam Goody, Suncoast and Media Play stores in Utah, including Sam Goody stores at the Layton Hills and Red Cliffs malls and a Suncoast store at Crossroads Plaza. The Crossroads store has since closed.

In its May 18 quarterly earnings conference call, Trans World Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert J. Higgins said the company "acquired the most profitable locations from Musicland, and (we) have a great opportunity to improve their sales and profitability."

"This acquisition considerably strengthens our market share in all categories," Higgins said. "It also represents a shift from music retailer to destination retailer of entertainment."