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DUESSELDORF, Germany, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Vodafone
will shut 15% of stores in Europe and upgrade some of the
remaining outlets as customers buy online and change their
expectations of in-store shopping, chief executive Nick Read
said on Tuesday.
The group will overhaul its 7,700 stores in Europe, offering
more services at 40% of them by the end of 2021, Read said.
Customer service offered by Apple and Amazon
had changed expectations, and Vodafone hopes to improve
its services faster than former incumbent rivals like BT,
Deutsche Telekom and Telefonica with
targeted and personalised marketing, he said.
"If you believe that 40% of your transactions are going to
be digital, then how does that impact why someone goes to a
store. The journeys and the purpose of the store changes," Read
told reporters at a briefing in Duesseldorf in Germany.
"(That) means that we will have more 'experience' stores,
less standard format stores (and) more convenience, and kiosk
and click-to-collect stores."
Vodafone, however, plans to continue store openings in
Britain.
In September, it announced plans to open 24 new franchise
stores in Britain this year, and it is examining the possibility
of opening 50 more stores in 2020.
(Reporting by Paul Sandle, Writing by Alistair Smout, editing
by Deepa Babington)
