Dixon Carphone to close 134 stores

The company plans to create electrical superstores by combining its remaining PC World and Currys stores, and putting a carphone warehouse in each of them over the next year and a half.

The group, which has around ten stores in Derbyshire, plans to pump a £50 million investment into refitting the three-in-one superstores. But staff members need not worry, according to the bosses, as the move won’t result in any job losses. Out of those 134 store which are closing, jobs will be transferred and moved within the stores.

The announcement comes after the group had a successful Christmas period, with ‘Black Friday’ bringing in £140 million.

Seb James, group chief executive, said: “I am very happy to be reporting a further year of good like-for-like growth over our peak trading period. “Integration continues to go well, all key activities are more or less complete, and it gives me real pleasure to see the emergence of a distinct – and sometimes quirky – Dixons Carphone culture that contains some of the best elements of our different histories.

“We are seeing the benefits that we expected from the merger, and these will roll through into the next full year. As part of this process, we are now also taking the opportunity to put our estate into its long-term shape by rolling out the 3-in-1 format across the UK and Ireland with a major property programme that will enhance long-term earnings and improve our customer experience. Our experience has taught us that the net effect on both sales and colleague levels is likely to be neutral or better.”

“It has been a busy time for Connected World Services. I am really delighted that our Sprint trial has gone so well, and we have now agreed with Sprint that the joint venture should go into full production towards its target of 500 stores. We have also extended our agreement with a major US manufacturer to implement honeyBee for two US networks in their retail stores. In the UK we have signed a significant distribution agreement with TalkTalk. With a strong pipeline, we are excited about the future for CWS.”