Carphone Warehouse 2001 Annual Report Download - page 7

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98 99 00 01
196
141
69
51
Online
connections
(000’s)
98 99 00 01
410
Retail
connections
(000’s)
1,048
2,199
3,626
98 99 00 01
1,059
824
566
161
Store growth
integration of the Viva Voce chain, acquired in February 2000.
In The Netherlands we have developed a strong position in
both the business to business and consumer markets. We now
have 77 stores compared to 43 last year and our focus has been to
build market share and integrate the Road Phone network of 17
business stores, acquired in September 2000.
Sweden, where our store portfolio has increased from 45 to
52, continues to give us evidence of trading conditions in a highly
penetrated market. Both our subscription to pre-pay mix and our
turnover per store have improved from the prior period. This gives
us real visibility that our proposition will continue to work well as
penetration increases in other European markets.
In our other key markets our focus is to combine the
experience gained elsewhere with excellent local management
knowledge and expertise to generate further growth. Our opportunity
lies in further developing The Phone House brand and customer
proposition, identifying key retail locations and continuing to build
our relationships with local network operators and manufacturers.
In certain smaller non-key markets, where the prospects of
online shop
achieving acceptable financial returns are not evident, the Group
has announced its intention to either restructure its operations or
to withdraw its involvement.
The other Distribution channels have enjoyed considerable
success in the period. Our Online business comprising the web
and call centre operations has generated over 196,000
connections in the period compared to 141,000 last year.
Our transactional websites each deliver a fulfilment capability
that is fully integrated with our retail sales and stock ordering
systems allowing us to provide customers with equivalent choice
and next day delivery.
The Insurance business continues to perform well with growth
in our policyholder base of 56% to 795,000 by March 2001. This
reinforces our belief in delivering after-sales services on which our
customers can rely.
Other Distribution activities including our Wholesale division
continue to reflect the level of handset demand, with strong
performance. The growth in this area also reflects the pre-pay
voucher distribution business acquired through the Cellcom operation.
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