Dixons Carphone recently announced plans to rename all of its UK and Ireland shops as Currys by October 2021 – bringing an end to household names such as PC World, Carphone Warehouse and Dixons. Alex Baldock, the company’s chief executive, describes the move as “the best of the old and the best of the new”. But will consumers feel the same?
Data from YouGov Ratings may vindicate Dixons Carphone’s decision. Of the group’s four high street shops – Currys, PC World, Carphone Warehouse, and Dixons – Currys is the clear favourite among the British public. Nearly two-thirds of consumers have positive sentiment towards the brand (64%), compared to just 10% who are negatively disposed towards it. With just a quarter expressing a neutral opinion of Currys (24%), it also provokes stronger feelings (either positively or negatively) than its sister retailers.
Comparatively, while over half express a good opinion of PC World (55%), the public are more likely to have neutral feelings about the high street chain than Currys (35%) – while a similar proportion think negatively of it (9%).
The group may be happiest to retire the Carphone Warehouse brand. Consumers are as likely to feel neutral towards it (41%) as they are positive (41%) – and they’re considerably more likely to express negative sentiment. Some 16% of the public have a poor opinion of the brand.
Finally, Dixons – likely a victim of its seven years away from British high streets – has the lowest positive sentiment (37%), the lowest negative sentiment (8%), and by far the highest proportion of people who simply haven’t heard of the retailer at all (15% vs. 2% for Currys and Carphone Warehouse; 1% for PC World). As the Dixons brand was put out to pasture some years ago, it was perhaps an unlikely candidate to lead the reinvented group into its future.
Baldock described the move as a “bitter sweet day” for Dixons Carphone, which will see well-known brands disappear from hundreds of its nationwide stores. Nevertheless, if the company had to pick a single brand to unite its high street shops under, YouGov data suggests that Currys was the right choice.
Receive monthly topical insights about the retail industry, straight to your inbox. Sign up today.
Discover more retail content here
