Phones 4u started the process of shutting its Dial-A-Phone call centre last week.
The closure effectively completes the integration of the online retailer it acquired for £9m in February 2008.
Phones 4u has been steadily absorbing the call centres for each of its brands into its main outlet near Stoke-on-Trent.
The retailer employs 365 staff at its Stoke call centre, operating its successful Dial-A-Phone and ‘Mobiles2YourDoor’ discount websites as well as its own brand Phones 4u site, which has the same prices as its shops. The complete closure of the Kentish Town call centre will go through in October.
At the time of the sale last year, Dial-A-Phone employed 300 staff at its call centre in Kentish Town in north London. It also had a smaller number of staff at its distribution centre in Northampton, which Phones 4u shut down around the time of the deal.
Sales through Phones 4u’s direct channels have been booming over the last 18 months, offering a much needed boost to offset the downturn on high street sales.
The direct business was estimated to be selling around 25,000 contracts per month through its online brands, off-the-page adverts and telesales. That number is believed to be equal to around half the sales Phones 4u is securing through its 400 store estate.
Nick Fisher, who had been responsible for building the direct business and is now in charge of all of Phones 4u’s sales channels including high street shops, said: ‘The proposed relocation is about utilising the best resources and skills of both businesses to ensure that we continue to run as efficiently as possible, while continuing to grow as a business and increase our market share.’
Fisher (pictured) added: ‘Since Phones 4u acquired Dial-A-Phone in 2008, the integration has been a seamless process.’