Phones 4U to double shop-in-shops in Dixons next year

The mobile phone retailer has opened 51 shop-in-shops this year, which is a touch above its target of 50, in Currys Megastores and combined 2-in-1 stores.

Phones 4 U wants branded areas in all Currys Megastores and several combined 2-in-1 stores, and will next year open a further 50.

Phones 4 U also opened a Blackberry zone in its Oxford Street store last week after its first which opened in the Tottenham Court Road flagship in June this year.

John Welsh, Phones 4U retail development director said: ”As the mobile industry fast approaches 2011, Phones 4U finishes 2010 exceeding 500 stores, driven partly by the successful progression of our store-in-store venture with Dixons Retail and partly by our continued commitment to growing the Phones 4U business and increasing our market share.”

He added: “We will continue to look for opportunities to expand our retail estate in 2011.”

Phones 4U did not reveal how many standalone shops it wanted to open next year.

The potential sale of Phones 4U is set to come to a head next week when bidders including private equity group BC Partners decide whether to submit offers of between £600m to £700m, according to the Financial Times.

Rival private equity groups, such as Blackstone, and some trade bidders, such as Everything Everywhere, are understood to have dropped out of the sale of the mobile phone retailer, which is owned by US buy-out group Providence Equity.

One person familiar with the situation said BC Partners was competing against at least one other trade bidder, the paper continues. But another person said it was the last bidder in the sale, which is being run by Deutsche Bank, it added.