Vodafone expands in UK

VODAFONE is to open bigger shops in a vote of confidence in Britain’s high streets.

The telecoms giant, which has 20m mobile customers in the UK, will open 24 stores this year and has vowed to open another 50 in 2020.

Expansion in the UK comes despite overall plans to slash more than 1,000 of its 7,700 shops across Europe.

Nick Read, chief executive of Vodafone, said the company needed to improve its shops to keep up with Amazon and Apple.

Many new stores will have spacious designs and focus on ‘experiences’, taking inspiration from those made famous by iPhone maker Apple. Read said: ‘Telecoms companies are not known for a great customer experience. We have to improve.

‘We will have more experience stores, less standard-format stores, more convenience stores, kiosks and click to collect stores. What you are going to see is a transformation of the estate.’

Vodafone currently has about 400 shops in the UK. A total of 100 jobs are expected to be created next year, with the first two shops in Morecambe, Lancashire, and St Austell, in Cornwall, already open. Hundreds of further jobs are expected to be created next year as well.

Vodafone is trying to make savings of £1.1bn and slash its debt pile.