The chief executive of the UK-based mobile phone retailer and reseller Carphone Warehouse is forecasting a tough Christmas period in the handset market due to more aggressive competition. Charles Dunstone says that rival retailers have increased their stock levels of handsets in preparation for a busy Christmas on the back of high demand from consumers.
Carphone Warehouse reported a positive set of second quarter operational figures yesterday, with connections at its UK mobile reseller Fresh rising to 1.55 million in the three months to 25 September, up 25% on the same period last year. Subscribers at its UK fixed line service provider TalkTalk increased from 511,000 to 648,000 over the three months. Carphone Warehouse is Europe’s largest mobile phone retailer.