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The Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy are expected to unveil the number of stores and their locations in September, with a first wave of ten stores expected to be rolled out quickly after that.
Shareholders in Carphone Warehouse are expected to vote for the creation of a joint venture to head up Best Buy’s expansion into Europe when they meet for the firm’s extraordinary general meeting, due to take place on June 30th.
If it is successful, which it is expected to be, then there will be a presentation for the joint venture’s plans, including the total number of stores by the end of 2009, initial locations and openings sometime in September.
Carphone Warehouse is believed to already be in negotiations with retail park landlords over possible locations for its initial stores. The retailer has previously told PC Retail that it expects to open around 200 stores by the end of 2009, with store sizes varying between 40,000 and 60,000 sq ft.
The details come after DSGi began trailing its new store format in its Enfield store, which features a new layout designed to be more consumer friendly than its current designs. The new layout now features a central aisle with a grid-style format, as opposed to its previous racetrack format.
A spokesperson for PC World said: "With the addition of clearer signage at the new look stores, we believe it offers customers better navigation and a more inspiring experience."
It has also increased the number of mobile phones stocked in its stores, as well as the introduction on subsidy-based sales model, with it signing deals with T-Mobile, Vodafone and 3 to sell its mobile broadband through its stores.
Source: Mobile Today
