O2 stores in England re-open from today

[Chris_K]

Retail returns - O2 reports strong customer demand with promising signs for the high street as stores in England reopen

• Based on early signs from trading in Northern Ireland, retail is set to make a comeback
• NI stores opened 8^th June with the first sale reported within minutes of re-opening at O2 store, Belfast Castle Lane
• First week trading trends include increased demand for face to face tech support and high demand for wearables as lockdown sets customers on a health kick
• O2 stores across England reopen from today, 15^th June

Shoppers are returning to high street stores at pre Covid-19 levels according to early trading signs at O2. The news follows the re-opening of O2 stores across Northern Ireland on 8th June and will cheer those on the high street as retail stores across England reopen today.

In a positive boost for retail, customer levels seen during the first week of opening in Northern Ireland demonstrated that shoppers are keen to return to physical stores to see products for themselves and to receive in-person advice as lockdown eases.

In addition to strong handset sales, there was high demand for face to face tech support from O2 Gurus.  The stores also experienced high levels of interest in wearables such as Apple Watch, suggesting that consumers are keen to continue their focus on health and fitness whilst ensuring they remain connected during lockdown.

To celebrate the return of retail, O2 is welcoming customers back with a range of golden deals for every price point, including six months free Disney+ subscriptions for new and upgrading customers. O2 is committed to offering customers a great range of products and services with a recent survey revealing that 9 out of 10 people said that they were offered a great value deal on O2.

The impressive offers:

• iPhone SE – lowest ever monthly cost. Available from £21.95 per month for 1GB of data with a £30 upfront payment
• iPhone 11 – lowest ever monthly cost. Available from £34.95 per month for 1GB of data with a £50 upfront payment
• Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G – save up £150, plus claim a free pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds+.⁴ Available from £44.84 per month for 5GB of data with a £40 upfront payment

Customers can also enjoy a host of sim only deals, including 10GB for £10 on an 18 month contract, whilst data-hungry fans can get a massive 100GB of data for just £20 on a 12 month contract.

Gareth Turpin, Sales, Service and Retention Director, O2, said: “We’ve seen that shoppers have a real desire to get back on the high street.  Whether it’s being able to try out the range of products, or get personalised tech support, customers value the face to face interaction that only stores can provide.  We’re proud we’ve been able to make our services available again and look forward to welcoming more customers back into our stores.”

David Mallon, Store Leader at O2’s Belfast, Castle Lane store said:  “It has been a busy first week and our team has enjoyed being back in store helping customers. We have received many positive comments on the safety measures we have put in place and customers are enjoying the in-store experience and the personalised service it provides.”

O2 took the decision to close retail stores ahead of government guidance on 24^th March.  O2’s store team spent the first phase of lockdown working with experts to redesign its stores to keep them safe for customers when they were able to reopen.  In addition to following guidance around social distancing, O2 has implemented a number of further measures to enhance the store experience.  These include using technology to provide a virtual queue system to save customer waiting time and personalised O2 Guru appointments to fast track repairs 121 post-lockdown.

O2 stores across Scotland and Wales are due to reopen pending further guidance.  For information on store locations and opening hours please visit www.o2.co.uk/storelocator.

For further information about wider measures that O2 has put in place to help customers during this period visit https://www.o2.co.uk/covid-19.

Full source including footnotes: https://news.o2.co.uk/press-release/retail-returns-o2-reports-strong-customer-demand-with-promising-...

[Cleoriff]

Excellent @Chris_K 

We can now advise customers to go instore.

One query, do they have to book an appointment, or wait in a queue?

[Cleoriff]

To add, I have just received a text telling me the shops are open.

[MI5]

I had an email.

[Chris_K]

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@Cleoriff wrote:

Excellent @Chris_K 

We can now advise customers to go instore.

One query, do they have to book an appointment, or wait in a queue?

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Hey,

We’ll use a virtual queue system to make sure customers aren’t held in unnecessary queues or kept waiting.

We've got more Q&A's on our Covid-19 microsite.

[Cleoriff]

Excellent. Thanks