Orange and HMV have entered into an agreement that will see Orange products and services sold in selected HMV stores across the UK. The stores will feature dedicated Orange show and sell spaces, with a focus on music, games and video-capable mobile handsets and services.
The deal will create more jobs on the high street, increasing Orange UKs retail presence. It will also help take the company past the 400 high street stores landmark, targeted in last years agenda. The move also underlines HMVs growing commitment to the mobile and digital space, as it continues to diversify its product mix and to develop as a multichannel brand.
A first wave of up to 15 concession stores will be rolled out from June 2009, with the HMV stores in Glasgow, Plymouth and Teesside earmarked as the first to incorporate an Orange offer. Up to 100 locations have been earmarked to take the store-in-store approach by Christmas.
The partnership follows Oranges plans to improve, grow and evolve the company, which include driving the usage of multimedia and entertainment services. Currently, non-voice services account for 24% of Orange UK revenues.
This deal marks the coming together of two of Britains biggest and most iconic high street brands, says Orange UK CEO, Tom Alexander. Moving beyond mobile and into media and entertainment is a key part of our future, and joining forces with such an iconic and well-loved brand as HMV allows us to mark our clear intention in this area, while expanding our presence on the high street. Striking a deal such as this is integral to The Agenda our strategy to improve, grow and evolve the Orange business.
The news comes as independent figures released in April by ELSPA and Chart-Track confirmed that Orange was the UKs number one mobile operator in terms of mobile game sales.