RETAILOBSERVER.COM SEPTEMBER 2015
6
Moe Lastfogel
moe@retailobserver.com
Moe's Musings Views
Repsectfully,
I
personally spoke with Bob Abt only once, years ago when we took
over The Retail Observer, but from that conversation and from what
people have told me, he was a highly admired man. Since I can't write
about him personally to give him the credit deserved, I pulled these
words from the Chicago Tribune in commemoration of his life.
Bob Abt, CEO of Abt Electronics and known as a Chicago retail
legend who guided the company through the rise and decline of national
competitors such as Circuit City and Best Buy, has died at age 77..
Abt died after struggling with cancer for the past three years, according
to a company spokesman, and despite his illness still went into the Abt
megastore in Glenview every day until about a month before he passed
and was still calling the store and checking emails.
"Bob Abt not only ran a successful business but also set a standard
for customer service and business integrity that other business owners
in Chicago and beyond aspire to," said Steve Bernas, CEO of the Better
Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois, who knew Abt for
more than 20 years. "We often forget how important family owned and
operated business is to this country. I salute you and all the companies
like you. RIP Bob."
Bob Abt was raised in Chicago. He graduated from the University of
Florida in Gainesville and served in the military. He was married to his
wife, Alice, for 54 years. After his parents started the Abt store, Bob Abt
began working in the family business part time in 1953 and then full time
in 1962. The store moved many times and now stands in its current
location in Glenview.
We at The Retail Observer send Bob Abt's family and loved ones our
heartfelt condolences.
THE PASSING OF
BOB ABT
A great loss to the industry
THE RETAIL
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