Will Carphone Warehouse now change to a more modern name? Or will the two companies merge names? DixPhone? DixWarehouse? Well no, actually.
Dixons, who own Currys and PC World, are to merge with Carphone Warehouse in a £3.8bn deal and they’ll be known as… (drum roll please..)
Dixons Carphone.
It’ll be a 50/50 ownership split and the plan is to bring the big retail-park electronics into high-street stores whilst also offering a greater range of mobile devices in Currys and PC World. Some Currys stores currently have small Phones 4u concessions inside, and it’s unclear what will happen to them, but we assume they’ll be closed down.
Both companies should see immediate benefits, with Currys and PC World getting into high-street stores while Carphone Warehouse can expand into those big out of town retail parks, however there’s bound to be some cross-over as Carphone Warehouse do have some stores on retail parks too. Some staff would be lost, with Dixons stating there would be job cuts of 2% in the merged company.
Dixons chief executive Sebastian James stated..
The ability to take what we have built in electrical retailing and add the profound expertise of Carphone Warehouse in connectivity would make us a leading force in retailing for a connected world.
Together we can create a seamless experience for our customers that will enable technology to deliver what it promises – that is, to make their lives better.
Thoughts?