Sir Stanley to retailers:'Make your voice heard'

Any notion that Kalms, who has been Dixons chairman for more than 30 years, is sentimental about the retailer's diminishing presence on the high street was brusquely swept aside.

Sir Stanley's father, Charles Kalms, established his first Dixons photographic studio 70 years ago, but the group announced 106 high street store closures last month, in the face of dwindling margins and increasing out-of-town competition.

'I feel the closures are absolutely the right decision,' Kalms said.

'Everything is change, nothing is static. You have to be hard-nosed and restless.

'Everything we do has to be continually challenged and changed.

'Our product ranges have expanded, and a 1,000 sq ft (95 sq m) store in Mansfield is just too small for us to manage.'