The
UK mobile phone market is going through a renaissance which could be repeated
here in Australia and is just another indication that retailers need to be on
their toes.
Earlier
this year Carphone Warehouse and Dixons, two iconic UK retailers, merged. The
equivalent in Australia would be say Allphones and The Good Guys joining
forces. Lots of reasons where given for the move but a very tough, low margin,
retail environment is seen as the main driver.
This
week, another large UK mobile phone chain, Phones 4U, succumbed to those
pressures and went into receivership with Vodafone picking up 140 of their
stores. A saturated smartphone market and the tendency for telco providers to
deal direct with their customers were seen as the main reasons for the
collapse.
It
is an understatement to say that the retail market is changing. In fact, this
is a retail revolution with lots of traps and lots of opportunities.