Orange rang up a staggering 67 per cent increase in like-for-like sales in November and December, as camera phones and competitive pricing lifted performance.
UK retail managing director Nick Moore said the Birmingham Bullring store had played a key part, surpassing internal targets by 35 per cent and attracting twice as much footfall as the 250-strong chain's next busiest store.
'All the big shopping centres did well for us this Christmas,' said Moore. 'Our refitted stores also outperformed the others by 25 per cent.'
The stellar performance of the France Telecom-owned chain mirrored that of the UK's biggest mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse. Like-for-likes at the Charles Dunstone-founded business soared by 27.7 per cent in the third quarter. Sales at Dixons' chain The Link moved ahead by as much as 10 per cent, according to the estimates of broker Evolution Beeson Gregory.
Moore also attributed Orange's strong sales growth to the Phone Trainer campaign, launched last year, which has encouraged phone users to come into stores and quiz staff for help. The Bullring store has a 'learn through play' theme and includes games consoles.
'As phones get more complicated we need to find ways of explaining them to customers,' said Moore.
No comments yet