The UKs largest chain of phone shops is permanently closing all 531 standalone stores

UK phone retailer Carphone Warehouse is closing its 531 standalone stores, its parent company Dixons Carphone announced today. Although the company said 40 percent of the retailer’s employees will be reassigned within the business, the move is expected to result in the loss of 2,900 jobs. The company’s phone sales will move both online, and to Carphone-branded areas within the company’s larger Currys PCWorld shops.

In its announcement, Dixons Carphone blamed changing consumer habits for the shift, and expects its mobile division to lose around £90 million ($109 million) this year. Its customers are reportedly replacing their phones less often (carriers in the US have reported a similar trend), and they’re also buying them unencumbered by...

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