Carphone Warehouse group like-for-likes up 3.1% in third quarter
Mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse increased its group like-for-like revenue by 3.1% in its third quarter to mark its sixth consecutive quarter of like-for-like growth.
In the quarter ending 28 December 2013, UK like-for-like revenue rose by 5% as the company gained market share in both the prepay and postpay categories.
Carphone Warehouse said the increase in like-for-likes had been “impressive” given the reduced marketplace activity ahead of the wider roll-out of 4G across Europe and the continued decline of the prepay market.
The group added that it was continuing to see “encouraging” customer demand for 4G services as coverage continues to be rolled out.
Never Miss a Retail Update!Virgin Mobile France, Carphone Warehouse’s joint venture in France with Virgin Group, saw its revenue decline 15.6% in the period. The group said this was a reflection of a lower customer base and reduced average revenue per user.
Carphone Warehouse chief executive Andrew Harrison commented: “As anticipated, postpay volumes remain subdued while the market transitions to 4G. Against this, our strong brand awareness and our excellent retail execution meant that Carphone Warehouse again increased its UK market share. Our new Pin Point selling tool has proved particularly effective in driving the penetration of 4G tariffs and increasing revenue per connection.
“We remain focused on our multi-channel customer journey, on driving 4G penetration and continuing to make good progress in our partnership relationships and our Connected World Services business. We are reiterating the full-year earnings guidance we gave in November.”
