Currys.digital
Encyclopedia
Currys Digital is an electrical retailer in the United Kingdom
, that is owned by DSG International plc.With its origins in a photographic shop opened by Charles Kalms
, the chain now has a store in most towns and cities across the UK and Ireland
. It was known as Dixons until 5 April 2006, when the company announced they were moving away from the Dixons brand, except in Ireland and UK airports.
in Southend
as a photographic studio in 1937. The business flourished during the Second World War
, as there was much demand for photographic services and family portraits. By the end of the war Kalms had opened seven more studios in the London
area. Unfortunately for Kalms, the demands for portrait services decreased considerably after the war, and he was forced to close all but one studio in Edgware
, North London. There are now more than 30 stores across the United Kingdom and more than 7,000 staff working for DSGI.
In November 1998 Dixons came under fire because of the prices it was charging for personal computer
s. Peter Mandelson
said he was worried that consumers were getting a 'raw deal' because of the store's dominant position in the market . Intel's chief executive at that time, Craig Barrett, said that Dixons charges "ridiculous margins" . The Intel Architecture Business Group said "Dixons has classic channel presence and can determine what gets sold at what price." Dixons responded that it could not make sense of the comments. The Consumers' Association said "Dixons controls over half of the high street distribution of PCs and they seem to be using this enormous market power to keep prices to consumers high" and has a "monopoly position in the high street". Criticism continued into 2000 when competitor John Lewis
, with the support of two Members of Parliament
, accused Dixons of stifling competition in the market by striking anti-competitive deals with suppliers .
The retail chain was criticised by the Consumers' Association
in 2003 for the way staff pressured customers (through "dodgy sales tactics" and "dubious practices" ) into purchasing poor value extended warranties, an issue which was widely reported in the press , with Dixons facing particular criticism by virtue of supplying one-in-four of all extended warranties accounting for 40% of the store's profits.
Also in 2003 The Daily Telegraph
and The Independent
reported that the chain had been selling used goods. Dixons had been investigated by more than twenty-two of thirty county trading standards
offices; in the previous two years thirteen counties had prosecuted the company and five had issued formal cautions, another 12 were contemplating prosecution. Furthermore the chain has made a number of advertising claims which the Advertising Standards Agency judged were misleading and advertised in-store credit in a way that the Office of Fair Trading
ruled unlawful.
In January 2006 the BBC One
consumer rights programme Watchdog reported that Which?
magazine had found Dixons the fifth worst retailer in Britain.
brand, Dixons rebranded as Currys.digital an extension of Currys.digital markets itself as a specialist division of Currys aimed at the technology-focused consumer with product ranges such as cameras, personal computers, audio and video equipment - as Dixons had in the past - while offering a small range of large and small domestic appliances that the traditional Currys stores sell. However, there are a small number of Currys.digital stores which still devote a lot of the store to appliances such as white goods. An example of this would be the Currys.digital in Bull Ring, Birmingham or on Northumberland Street in Newcastle Upon Tyne. This is because that branch was a Dixons XL store. The store in Kingston upon Hull
used to also display appliances, however recently underwent a revamp to bring it into line with the Currys.digital brand. Dixons stores would still be retained in Ireland, and other locations such as airports, while also retaining its website.
The Dixons
stores in The Netherlands
had been sold off years before the rebrand, but still carry the Dixons brand.
Before the Dixons
rebranding, the Currys chain contained only a few small town-centre high-street
stores compared with its much greater number of large out-of-town superstores.
In 2009, Currys.digital was renamed as Currys Digital, and, along with the main store, got the new Currys logo. As of 2010 Currys Digital stores will be refurbished as joint Currys PC World stores, the first of these opened in the Summer of 2010.
superstores are generally split into four main departments - Computing
, Home Entertainment, Major Domestic Appliances and Small Domestic Appliances
. While the Currys.digital format generally is similar to its larger sister stores (Currys) the layout tends to give more floor space to Computing and Home Entertainment while having a small selection of Major Domestic Appliances and Small Domestic Appliances.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, that is owned by DSG International plc.With its origins in a photographic shop opened by Charles Kalms
Charles Kalms
Charles Kalms was a British retailer and founder of the Dixons chains that expanded to become the UK's largest electrical retail chain.-Career:Kalms opened the first Dixons photographic studio at 32 High Street, Southend-on-Sea...
, the chain now has a store in most towns and cities across the UK and Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It was known as Dixons until 5 April 2006, when the company announced they were moving away from the Dixons brand, except in Ireland and UK airports.
Origins
The first Dixons was opened by Charles KalmsCharles Kalms
Charles Kalms was a British retailer and founder of the Dixons chains that expanded to become the UK's largest electrical retail chain.-Career:Kalms opened the first Dixons photographic studio at 32 High Street, Southend-on-Sea...
in Southend
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...
as a photographic studio in 1937. The business flourished during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, as there was much demand for photographic services and family portraits. By the end of the war Kalms had opened seven more studios in the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
area. Unfortunately for Kalms, the demands for portrait services decreased considerably after the war, and he was forced to close all but one studio in Edgware
Edgware
Edgware is an area in London, situated north-northwest of Charing Cross. It forms part of both the London Borough of Barnet and the London Borough of Harrow. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, North London. There are now more than 30 stores across the United Kingdom and more than 7,000 staff working for DSGI.
Business practices while trading as Dixons
The retailer has long suffered the reputation that its staff are unhelpful .In November 1998 Dixons came under fire because of the prices it was charging for personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
s. Peter Mandelson
Peter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
said he was worried that consumers were getting a 'raw deal' because of the store's dominant position in the market . Intel's chief executive at that time, Craig Barrett, said that Dixons charges "ridiculous margins" . The Intel Architecture Business Group said "Dixons has classic channel presence and can determine what gets sold at what price." Dixons responded that it could not make sense of the comments. The Consumers' Association said "Dixons controls over half of the high street distribution of PCs and they seem to be using this enormous market power to keep prices to consumers high" and has a "monopoly position in the high street". Criticism continued into 2000 when competitor John Lewis
John Lewis Partnership
The John Lewis Partnership is an employee-owned UK partnership which operates John Lewis department stores, Waitrose supermarkets and a number of other services...
, with the support of two Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, accused Dixons of stifling competition in the market by striking anti-competitive deals with suppliers .
The retail chain was criticised by the Consumers' Association
Consumers' Association
The Consumers' Association is the umbrella organisation that houses the trading arm Which? Ltd. The Consumers' Association is a charity, registered in England and Wales No 296072. Which? Ltd is its wholly owned trading subsidiary....
in 2003 for the way staff pressured customers (through "dodgy sales tactics" and "dubious practices" ) into purchasing poor value extended warranties, an issue which was widely reported in the press , with Dixons facing particular criticism by virtue of supplying one-in-four of all extended warranties accounting for 40% of the store's profits.
Also in 2003 The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
and The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
reported that the chain had been selling used goods. Dixons had been investigated by more than twenty-two of thirty county trading standards
Trading Standards
Trading Standards is the name given to local authority departments in the UK formerly known as Weights and Measures. These departments investigate commercial organisations that carry out trade in unethical ways or outside the scope of the law.-History:...
offices; in the previous two years thirteen counties had prosecuted the company and five had issued formal cautions, another 12 were contemplating prosecution. Furthermore the chain has made a number of advertising claims which the Advertising Standards Agency judged were misleading and advertised in-store credit in a way that the Office of Fair Trading
Office of Fair Trading
The Office of Fair Trading is a not-for-profit and non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's economic regulator...
ruled unlawful.
In January 2006 the BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
consumer rights programme Watchdog reported that Which?
Which?
Which? is a product-testing and consumer campaigning charity with a magazine, website and various other services run by Which? Ltd ....
magazine had found Dixons the fifth worst retailer in Britain.
2006 Dixons rebranding to Currys.digital
On 5 April 2006, Dixons announced that they were removing their brand from the high street and would only be using the CurrysCurrys
Currys is an electrical retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland and is owned by Dixons Retail plc. It specialises in selling home electronics and household appliances, with 295 superstores and 73 high street stores...
brand, Dixons rebranded as Currys.digital an extension of Currys.digital markets itself as a specialist division of Currys aimed at the technology-focused consumer with product ranges such as cameras, personal computers, audio and video equipment - as Dixons had in the past - while offering a small range of large and small domestic appliances that the traditional Currys stores sell. However, there are a small number of Currys.digital stores which still devote a lot of the store to appliances such as white goods. An example of this would be the Currys.digital in Bull Ring, Birmingham or on Northumberland Street in Newcastle Upon Tyne. This is because that branch was a Dixons XL store. The store in Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
used to also display appliances, however recently underwent a revamp to bring it into line with the Currys.digital brand. Dixons stores would still be retained in Ireland, and other locations such as airports, while also retaining its website.
The Dixons
Dixons (Netherlands)
Dixons is a Dutch chain of stores specialising in, as the company likes to call it, leisure time electronics. This means that Dixons does not sell products like washing machines or televisions but does provide things like digital cameras, PC's, MP3 players, gaming consoles and mobile...
stores in The Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
had been sold off years before the rebrand, but still carry the Dixons brand.
Before the Dixons
Dixons
Dixons is an online retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is owned by Dixons Retail plc.With its origins in a photographic shop opened by Charles Kalms, the chain had a store in most towns and cities across the UK and Ireland...
rebranding, the Currys chain contained only a few small town-centre high-street
High Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
stores compared with its much greater number of large out-of-town superstores.
In 2009, Currys.digital was renamed as Currys Digital, and, along with the main store, got the new Currys logo. As of 2010 Currys Digital stores will be refurbished as joint Currys PC World stores, the first of these opened in the Summer of 2010.
Store format
The large out-of-town CurrysCurrys
Currys is an electrical retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland and is owned by Dixons Retail plc. It specialises in selling home electronics and household appliances, with 295 superstores and 73 high street stores...
superstores are generally split into four main departments - Computing
Computing
Computing is usually defined as the activity of using and improving computer hardware and software. It is the computer-specific part of information technology...
, Home Entertainment, Major Domestic Appliances and Small Domestic Appliances
Small appliance
Small appliance refers to a class of home appliances that are portable or semi-portable or which are used on tabletops, countertops, or other platforms in the United States of America...
. While the Currys.digital format generally is similar to its larger sister stores (Currys) the layout tends to give more floor space to Computing and Home Entertainment while having a small selection of Major Domestic Appliances and Small Domestic Appliances.