UK carrier EE to close 78 retail stores

by Ben Kersey

Jan 17, 2013, 11:55 AM UTC

Everything Everywhere

UK LTE carrier EE has announced that it will close 78 of its retail locations across the country in order to cut costs. The company found itself with numerous outlets located within close proximity to each other after the Orange and T-Mobile merger — some even side by side — so the reduction in numbers shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. EE says there are other practical considerations, though, such as low footfall in certain areas as well as the decision not to renew specific leases that are due to expire.

Staff members at the affected stores won’t be losing their jobs either. Front line employees will be moved to different locations, which EE says should help “boost service levels significantly.” The situation is somewhat murkier for managers, however. Only one manager is present in each retail location, so the ones affected by the closures can’t simply be moved across to a new store. Instead, EE says that it will “redeploy” managers where necessary, but it’s currently unclear as to what that will entail.

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