Mobile discounter Tele2 Russia has announced a program to turn over 25% of its 450 mobile shops in Russia into fully-fledged retail outlets selling mobile services.
Of Tele2’s existing 450 stores, 120 are to be transformed into ‘supermarkets’ by the end of 2011. Tele2 has been pilot-driving its ‘cellular supermarket’ concept since the end of 2010, when it opened two stores in the new format in St. Petersburg and Krasnodar.
The ‘supermarkets’ are equipped with special terminals allowing potential subscribers to manually choose their own mobile number, service plan and add necessary services. After choosing, the customer pays for the bespoke SIM card and immediately starts using the services, the company explains.
In addition to the upgrade of its existing retail network, Tele2 will also open 10 new flagship stores and select locations for another 50 sales points.
A subsidiary of a major Swedish telecommunications group, Tele2 Russia is the fourth largest mobile operator in Russia by the number of subscribers and by the number of own-brand retail stores after MTS, with 3,500 stores, MegaFon with 2,400 and Beeline, the Vimplecom brand, with 2,700, according to Telecom Daily, a Russian industry news site.
Source: Tele2
