Sony Ericsson to close the doors of its UK store

It's the cornerstone of business: when you have something that doesn't make a profit for a prolonged period of time, you shut it down. In Sony Ericsson's case, its UK retail store is the one to blame. The store, opened in 2006 in conjunction with Carphone Warehouse, was the first Sony Ericsson store at the time. It occupies two units in the High Street Kensington area, and was initially intended to showcase Sony Ericsson's product line, as executives knew that the store wouldn't be an incredibly profitable outlet.

As of now, Sony Ericsson has no plans to open any stores in the UK or in Europe, instead focusing efforts and budget dollars toward Asian markets. Sony Ericsson's VP for retail marketing, Lianne Norry, explained the challenges of the European market: "The market conditions in western Europe don’t make it appropriate for us to open stores here." Norry went on to say that "We’ve learnt a lot of practical things about retail from the things we’ve trialled at High Street Kensington."

Sony Ericsson's continues to operate approximately 200 stores, primarily in Asian markets, and hopes to see the number raise to as many as 290 by the end of 2008.

Source: Mobile via Cellular-News