[3GScottishUser]

Hutchison 3G UK is scrapping its experiment with selling mobile phones inside the health and beauty retail chain, Superdrug. The company has been operating concession retail outlets inside the stores since it launched its network, but is now focusing on its dedicated retail outlets. Selling mobile phones inside a consumer goods retail outlet has always raised concerns as the customer fit between the two products is hardly ideal.

The company is understood to be retaining 20 concessions - but the remaining 107 will close down, and most of the staff will be reassigned to the dedicated retail stores where possible. The company has around 270 dedicated stores and expects to open a further 30 branches this year.

Hutchison Whampoa, which owns the 3 network brought the pan-European retail chain for approximately US$1.3 billion in August 2002. In 2006, the company started an agressive roll out plan for its own retail outlets with the purchase of 95 former branches of the Link mobile phone retailer.

http://www.cellular-news.com/story/28593.php

[Ben]

I was certainly pleased by this news. 3G mobile phones and sanitary towels just don't sit well next to each other, neither do bins of cheap prepay handsets next to the shampoo. Anyway, done and dusted.

[3GScottishUser]

Some of the older 3 handset efforts might well have been appropriate in Superdrug...... next to the toilet paper perhaps..... :D

[Hands0n]

How all they have to do is get rid of that hideous Black schema and never use that architect ever again.

But yes, well done 3. More power to you if you can finally get some respectability in the hands of Kevin (what a wonder that man is turning out to be). I guess it took someone with no airs and graces (like Bob Fuller and his chronies) to start making a real difference at 3. Kevin seems to recognise that there are no "wrong type of customer" - which is absolutely right.

Onwards and upwards :) I'm mega-impressed at 3GSU's recent experience of 3's CS - finally having the balls to take a survey after dealing with a Customer. Nice. More please.

Next to go has to be 3's so-called repair company that seem to do anything but. What a bunch of unprintables they are. :(