The business? – ?a joint venture between Best Buy and the Carphone Warehouse? – ?was scheduled to open its first UK store this year,? ?yet the group has since delayed plans until? ?2010? ?as it seeks cheaper property leases.?
Andrew Harrison,? ?the Carphone Warehouse’s chief executive,? ?was pleased to confirm that some? ?1,000? ?new? ?UK jobs will arrive with the Best Buy Stores.? ?Carphone hopes to see? ?200? ?new Best Buy sites by? ?2013.
Yet the arrival of Best Buy has coincided with challenging times for the? ?Carphone? ?Warehouse.? ?The firm recently? ?said it? ?will cut? ?450? ?office jobs? ?in the? ?UK and? ?reduce its product catalogue in order to meet? ?economic challenges.? ?The group is set to close? ?30? ?stores.?
Harrison said:? “?Rather than wait for things to get worse,? ?we are looking at what we can do to make ourselves leaner.?”
Last year,? ?the Carphone Warehouse sold? ?50? ?percent of its retail business to Best Buy for some? ?£1.1? ?billion.
Source:? ?PC Retail