Dixons name to go after 84 years

THE Dixons name will disappear after 84 years after a major overhaul by its parent company.

FTSE 250 electricals retailer Dixons Carphone revealed plans to rename all its UK and Ireland shops as Currys.

In all 300 stores – incorporating Currys PC World, Carphone Warehouse and team Knowhow – will be re-branded by October.

Dixons Carphone will change its name to Currys on the London stock market following the group’s annual shareholder meeting in September, and a Currys website will be launched.

the move, which will also spell the end for PC World and the Carphone Warehouse names, is part of a plan to turn the chain into a one- stop shop for technology needs.

It has already touted larger ‘3in-1’ stores where customers can shop for household electricals, mobile telephones and computers under one roof. Alex Baldock, chief executive of Dixons Carphone, said the Currys re-brand decision was a ‘no-brainer’.

He said: ‘It’s the best of the old and the best of the new. Since Henry Curry first started helping everyone enjoy the amazing technology of his day – the bicycle – in 1884, Currys has been the best-known and most trusted brand in tech.

‘We’ve worked hard to become one joined- up business and becoming Currys reflects and accelerates that.’ He said the move will make it easier for customers, who can ‘turn to Currys for all their tech needs’, but admitted it is a ‘ bitter sweet day’ for brands such as Dixons, which will disappear.

there will be no store closures as a result of the name change, which forms part of a £190m investment to revamp stores, and push online.

the Dixons name – which dates back to 1937 when Charles Kalms opened the first Dixons photo studio in Southend – was ditched on the High Street in 2006.