Online is set to be at the heart of the new-look Currys brand, which is set to replace all of the UK retail brands operated by parent company Dixons Carphone from October.
The rebranding brings together a range of retail names built up through repeated mergers and acquisitions, culminating in the merger of Dixons Retail with Carphone Warehouse in 2014. It comes alongside £190m in investment in digital, stores and staff in the 2021/22 financial year.
It also comes just over a year after the retail group slimmed down its store estate by closing 531 Carphone Warehouse stores in the latest stage of its omnichannel transformation and taking it to a total of 338 UK stores. Dixons Carphone now has 317 shops, which will move to the new Currys brand from October. The name will replace Currys PC World, Carphone Warehouse, Team Knowhow and Dixons Carphone in-store, on vehicles and on staff uniforms.
Putting digital at the heart of the new brand
A new Currys website, hosted on a cloud-based platform, promises better content, personalisation and a faster experience. In-store tablets will also be upgraded to a new platform that promises an easier shopping experience for customers exploring the range from Currys shops.
Digital will come into store through customer-facing digital screens that show how products work, while shoppers will also be able to try out more technology in store, including smart products.
Work to move more than 300 stores to the new Currys look starts now ahead, as names including
From the same date, Currys will increase its minimum pay rate to the real living wage of £9.50 an hour. Staff will be trained to advise on the most environmentally-friendly buying, including repairs – supported by its RepairLive virtual repair service – and recycling. Nearly £25m will be spent on training, wellbeing and rewards.
Alex Baldock, chief executive of Dixons Carphone, says: “Currys will have a bold and up-to-date look and feel, but this is a gearshift not a facelift. Our recently announced surge in innovation investment in colleagues, digital and stores is a winning formula that our competitors can’t match and will strengthen our position as market leader.
“And we’re becoming one brand for our colleagues too. We’ve worked hard to become one joined-up business and becoming Currys reflects and accelerates that.
“We’re on a roll, and we’re going for it. We’re joining up our stores ever better with our strong online business, we’re investing hard, including in our brand. We’re winning with customers, and we reckon the year ahead will be our most exciting yet and today’s big announcement is just the beginning.”
Dixons Carphone trades through 864 shops and 16 websites in eight countries. Currys PC World is ranked Top50 in RXUK Top500 research, while Carphone Warehouse is ranked Top100.
