Since Everything Everywhere rebranded its high street presence in October last year, turning Orange and T-Mobile stores into combined EE stores, its been all too common to find two identical shops within feet of each other on the high streets of small towns.

EE has started to address the imbalance, confirming it will be closing 78 of these EE stores around the country.

“Following the successful launch of EE, and the rebranding of former Orange and T-Mobile stores last year, we are determined to maintain momentum, and continue to drive growth. Consequently we have reviewed our retail estate to improve the service our customers are receiving on the high street,” said an EE spokesperson. “As part of this, where we have two EE stores in very close proximity to each other – in some places they are just a door away – we have decided to consolidate. This makes commercial sense and will also help us manage the high levels of demand in our stores and improve the customer experience.”

This wont get rid all of the duplicate stores – according to the spokesperson, in some cases high footfall or demand mean doubling up is justified – but EE will be reviewing these in the near future.

Four new EE stores will also be opening in new locations.