Comcast's Sky to Open First UK Retail Stores
October 21 2020 - 7:57AM
Dow Jones News
By Adam Clark
Comcast Corp.'s European pay-television arm Sky is planning to
open its first brick-and-mortar stores in the U.K., in a rare
physical expansion at a time when many companies are closing
branches.
Sky said Wednesday that it would open some stores in 2020, with
the first one in Liverpool on Oct. 26, with more potentially to
follow in 2021. It didn't say how many shops it would open in
total.
"Sky Shops are a departure from traditional shops and, in the
long-term, will offer a new social hub for shoppers," the company
said. The company intends to sell its pay TV, mobile and broadband
products via the stores but also offer customer services and
technology repairs, the latter in a deal with the iSmash chain.
Sky's parent Comcast has several hundred Xfinity stores in the
U.S., in addition to its own retail-service centers. Comcast bought
Sky for around $39 billion in 2018.
The move comes at a time when thousands of U.K. retail sites are
being left empty as companies cut back in the face of the
coronavirus pandemic and the increasing shift to online purchases.
Research released on Sunday by PwC and the Local Data Company found
a net 6,001 stores closed in the U.K. in the first half of 2020, a
record level. A total of 11,120 outlets closed while 5,119
opened.
Some of Sky's competitors have also cut their physical presence.
Vodafone Group PLC said last year that it would shut 15% of its
7,700 stores, which are primarily located across Europe. Carphone
Warehouse, a retailer of smartphones and associated products, said
earlier this year it would close all its 531 standalone stores.
Write to Adam Clark at adam.clark@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 21, 2020 07:42 ET (11:42 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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