The Wiz (store)

Nobody Beats the Wiz
	File:The Wiz (store) logo.png Logo used from 1998 to 2003
Industry	Retail
Founded	1977; 2004 (online retailer under P.C. Richard ownership)
Founders	Stephan Jemal; Douglas Jemal; Lawrence Jemal; Marvin Jemal;
Defunct	2003 (retail locations only)
Headquarters	Carteret, New Jersey
Products	Computers, televisions, VCRs, DVD players
Parent	Cablevision (electronics chain); P.C. Richard & Son (online retailer)
Website	thewiz.com

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The Wiz, sometimes referred to as Nobody Beats the Wiz, was an electronics retail chain operating mainly in the northeastern United States, with a strong presence in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

History

Established in 1977 by four brothers—Stephan, Lawrence, Marvin, and Douglas Jemal—in New York City, the company later adopted its well-known advertising tagline, "Nobody Beats The Wiz," as its official name. Throughout the early to mid-1990s, "Nobody Beats The Wiz" served as a prominent sponsor for numerous New York-area sports teams including the Yankees, Knicks, Mets, New Jersey Nets, Rangers, New Jersey Devils, and Islanders. Sponsorships also extended beyond New York to teams such as the Orioles, Flyers, Whalers, and Canadiens. In 1996, the company pursued legal action against Major League Soccer’s Kansas City Wiz franchise, which subsequently rebranded as the Wizards in response.

By 1998, after rapidly expanding from about 20 locations to more than 80 within a year, the business filed for bankruptcy and was acquired by Cablevision for $80 million (equivalent to approximately $Template:Formatprice adjusted for inflation). Cablevision eventually discontinued use of the "Nobody Beats the Wiz" slogan. At its height, the company generated $1.4 billion in revenue, employed around 2,000 staff members, and operated 94 stores across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, and Massachusetts. Additionally, it ran music-only outlets in Maryland and the Washington, D.C. region.

File:TheWiz.png

The original logo used from 1977 to 1998 and revived in 2004 under P.C. Richard & Son.

The retail chain ceased operations permanently in 2003. A Cablevision statement dated February 16, 2003 explained: "Continuing to operate these stores is no longer feasible for Cablevision due to deteriorating market conditions and other contributing factors." Following the closure, co-founder Marvin Jemal launched a new electronics venture called The Zone, occupying several former Wiz sites. Despite emphasizing its connection to The Wiz's founder, The Zone shuttered less than two years after opening.

In September 2003, competitor P.C. Richard acquired The Wiz's assets primarily to secure rights to its brand name.

In popular culture

In the Seinfeld episode titled "The Junk Mail", Elaine Benes dates Jack, a man she instantly falls for after seeing him portrayed as "The Wiz" in the "Nobody Beats the Wiz" advertisement.

Within the 1999 novel Hannibal by Thomas Harris, Mason Verger reminisces about his family's Christian camp where they nicknamed the Risen Christ "the Riz," inspired by the phrase "Nobody Beats the Riz."

The iconic slogan is sampled in the chorus of Biz Markie's track "Nobody Beats the Biz," where Biz replaces "the Wiz" with "the Biz." Contrary to rumors, The Wiz never filed a lawsuit against Biz Markie for this usage.

In the 1988 hit "It Takes Two" by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock, Base raps about his album with the line, "Go to the Wiz and select it / Take it off the rack, if it's wack put it back."

During a flashback in The King of Queens episode "Veiled Threat," Doug expresses his wish for a CD player from The Wiz as a wedding present.

The season 12 premiere of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia features a moment where one character suggests visiting The Wiz to repair Dee's VCR, coinciding with their viewing of the movie The Wiz.

Between 1997 and 1998, Mono Puff occasionally performed a song titled "I Beat the Wiz," which served as an introduction for the band members.

In the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, an unemployed Jordan Belfort spots a classified advertisement for a stockboy position at Nobody Beats the Wiz and considers it a strategic entry point into sales, but his wife convinces him otherwise.

Starting in 2021, New York Yankees broadcaster John Sterling began shouting "Nobody beats the Rizz!" following home runs by first baseman Anthony Rizzo.

References

External links

Stereophile: Cablevision Exiting Wiz Retail Locations