Vodafone UK says it plans to open a further 50 stores over the coming financial year, taking the total to 400, as part of its continued commitment to improve customer service and drive revenue.
The new stores will enable consumers to try out services such as mobile email and web browsing before making a purchase, and thus stimulate revenue. The expansion plans build on Vodafones announcement in March that it would be recruiting over 300 more retail employees to ensure customers get the help and advice they need to buy and use Vodafones products and services. These new stores will create approximately 200 additional roles in retail.
The new stores will start to appear on the high street and in shopping centres from September, starting with Bristol Cabot Circus and White City London in September and Liverpool One in October. It is planned that the majority of the new retail locations will be found, and work completed to turn them into stores by spring 2009.
Vodafone UK is focused on ensuring that our customers get the best customer service experience possible on the high street, says Vodafone UK Director of Consumer Sales, Tom Devine. To deliver this we need to make sure that our customers and potential customers can speak face-to-face with a retail advisor at a town near them. This multi-million pound investment will bring our total number of stores to 400 and ensure we can not only meet, but surpass our customers expectations.
Most of the new stores will follow the new store design template introduced in June 2006, which incorporates defined zones such as a self-service area at the front of the store for products including phone covers and top-ups, as well as online self-help, while at the back of the store there will be a pharmacy for phones where customers can receive advice on a phone or service. 
There will also be a distinct area for business customers, as well as sales pods with working handsets so customers can try live services.