I don’t like using overly dramatic words, so I choose them carefully. But this is the time to use the term “shockwave”. Indeed a shockwave rippled through the Irish telecoms industry today when Vodafone announced they would be leaving Carphone Warehouse at the end of March.
Vodafone No Longer Selling In Carphone Warehouse
The announcement today effectively means that you will no longer be able to buy any Vodafone products in Carphone Warehouse. Today, you’re able to buy phones on Vodafone bill pay or prepay along with home broadband services and even TV connections through Carphone Warehouse. However, at the end of March that all draws to a close as the network is withdrawing from the Dixons Carphone owned retailer.
Vodafone Leaving Carphone Is Big
Carphone Warehouse has been struggling for some time. Despite what is a great idea, being an independent reseller of all networks to give unbiased help, Carphone Warehouse has still had it tough in Ireland of late. Perhaps the most notable turning point was the failure of iD Mobile, their own network which struggled to gain a foothold with the public. This latest news of Vodafone no longer selling their products in Carphone Warehouse is surely a big hit for the retailer too.
Vodafone has arguably been the jewel in the crown for Carphone Warehouse for many years. Of course, Three, after merging with O2, along with Eir are also important to Carphone Warehouse’s success, but Vodafone is one of the longest standing partners.
In the UK, Carphone Warehouse has already lost valuable partnerships with with EE and O2, yet they are still standing, possibly down to the fact umbrella company Dixons Carphone also owns Currys PC World.
Back home here in Ireland, this is means the network comparison store will now only sell Eir and Three of the big two. After seeing what’s happened in the UK that surely means there are large question marks gathering over them too.
What Does This Mean For Vodafone Customers?
Not much. Effectively, when you buy Vodafone from Carphone Warehouse, your agreement is still with Vodafone. You can still visit a Vodafone store and get help from directly from the network.
The bigger impact comes in the broader market and with the question marks over the other networks in Carphone Warehouse.
Time will tell how that pans out.
This is a breaking news story. More will be added as we learn more.
