Vodafone has increased its retail presence in the Netherlands with the acquisition of the mobile phone retail chain BelCompany from the MacIntosh Retail Group.
Vodafone, which is the second-largest service provider in the country, has agreed to pay €120 million acquiring the 120 stores owned by BelCompany, which will be added to the existing 86 retail outlets operated in the country by Vodafone.
Vodafone was reported by Telecompaper as saying that mobile sales now required more direct personal advice with the growing consumer demand for smartphones, downloading apps, tablet selection and mobile web usage. Vodafone said that it would use its own training resources to educate BelCompany staff in the full range of Vodafone products and services.
The deal, which is subject to approvals from the works councils of both companies and the Netherlands Competition Authority, should be completed in a few months, according to MacIntosh. According to Bloomberg, MacIntosh said the Dutch mobile business is now more focused on retaining customers instead of recruiting new subscribers, a situation that works against BelCompany's business model.
For more:
- see this Bloomberg article
- see this Telecompaper article
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