As tipped by ChannelNews, Dick Smith hooks up with Vodafone, eyes mobile expansionDick Smith will sell Vodafone postpaid 4G smartphones and broadband dongles in 276 stores in Australia, from today.
It is the first time Dick Smith will sell postpaid mobiles instore, and aims to aggressively expand mobile sales by 50%. The new retail agreement with Vodafone, commences today with a nationwide rollout in Dick Smith stores.
Dick Stores will now offer an extensive range of 4G smartphones and mobile broadband devices on 12/24-month and SIM-Only plans.
The move to postpaid will complement Dick’s unlocked phone business, as CEO Nick Abouud reveals plans to grow the mobile business by 50% by 2017. The retail partnership will also double Voda’s store presence.
“Dick Smith is already a major retailer in mobility, with over 25 per cent of the unlocked handset market in Australia,” says CEO Nick Abouud.
“Combined with our long-term partnership with Vodafone, we believe we can grow our mobility sales by over 50% to approximately 20% of group revenue within three years.”
The listed tech retailer is also believed be in talks with other telco’s and is looking to develop a Best Buy store model.
The Dick Smith deal also helps Vodafone quickly expand its retail presence and is in line with its growth strategy after slimming down store count following the merger with 3, a spokesperson told CN.
The current number of Vodafone retailers is 273 (114 stores + 159 partners/dealers) but the telco wants to increase its retail presence especially in 4G areas, which currently lack store presence.
The Dick Smith deal more than doubles Vodafone’s retail presence, adding 276 points of sale.
Three will be more than 2,300 Dick Smith/Vodafone trained sales consultants and stores will have Vodafone branded wall panels.
“Vodafone the logical partner to grow our mobility business over the long term,” said Abbouud citing its “lightning-fast 4G network, expanding network coverage and competitively priced plans complement our strategy.”
Vodafone chief Inaki Berroeta said, “Our network team has been working hard to ensure Vodafone is able to deliver the best data experience in Australia, with more than one million customers already enjoying our superfast 4G network.”
“With the power of Australia’s largest consumer electronics retailer behind us, we’ll be in an even stronger position to bring the power of Vodafone 4G to the next million,” he said.
Last week, Voda ran into a spot of trouble after it network crashed nationwide, leaving customers furious. However, it offered all customers free data all weekend to make up for it.
