Ex-4U man to head sales at Fone Logistics

Love heads up channel sales and has been tasked with growing Fone Logistics´ existing base of around 600 dealers and increasing consumer and corporate connections.
He joins from 4U Ltd where he was also national sales manager and has more than 12 years´ experience with networks service providers retail and distribution.
Fone Logistics director of network sales Giulio Laise said: "We have been looking for a while to make an appointment to support the management team. Allan will be a valuable asset in growing our business and will contribute to our achieving the annual operating plan."

Thumbs up for business Web´n´Walk

"We think this is the best commercial deal out there" said Adam Shaw from UK Phone Solutions. "People think it is so good that they have asked us if there is any small print they should be aware of."
The Web´n´Walk deal encourages mobile users on to the Internet for a flat rate of £17 a month with a new Web´n´Walk datacard.
"We believe that broadband mobile will change the way we work live and play more even than mobile voice has done" said T-Mobile sales director Simon Ainslie.
"We have led the way with open internet access for mobile and with speeds that already well exceed dial-up. Later this year we will launch true broadband mobile speeds."
Web´n´Walk Professional potentially offers users Internet access at speeds six times faster than 3G. The card is also quad-band allowing users to roam in more countries including the US.
"In the past people were worried about how long they were using the Internet on their phone" added Shaw. "This plan means that is no longer a consideration. I think in time it will become the norm in the same way broadband did."
Ainslie added: "Until today cost has been a barrier to customer take-up. Now Web´n´Walk Professional makes Internet access on the move a reality. "

Caudwell winner in sight

A Phones 4U spokesman revealed the sale was "progressing well" but refused to be drawn on details of the contenders. He did confirm that "a winner is expected to be announced within a month".
CVC has teamed up with Providence Equity Partners while Bain is believed to be working with Nordic Capital.
Owner John Caudwell sold Caudwell Communications the fixed-line service that trades as Homecall to telecoms group Pipex in March.
However the sale of the rest of the group which includes high street retailer Phones 4U and logistics business Dextra could still fall through if a price cannot be agreed.
Caudwell believes his business to be worth over £1 billion but the private equity groups are thought to be pitching bids below this sum.

3 names Webber in new business role

Reporting directly to 3 UK CEO Bob Fuller he will be responsible for assessing the commercial viability of new business opportunities.
"Having worked with Gordon for more than 10 years I am confident he will lead the company successfully into new market segments" said Fuller.
Webber added: "Developing new market segments is the next natural step for 3. We have the most advanced mobile network in the UK and the infrastructure in place to expand our service to a wide variety of new customers."
Webber was part of the original team involved in Hutchison Telecom´s entry to the UK market.

Go Mobile acquires all A1 Comms outlets

The acquisition makes Go Mobile the industry´s fifth largest independent dealership with 35 stores. The stores will be re-branded as Go Mobile. Go Mobile takes on around 30 staff from A1 Comms.
Go Mobile managing director Iain Humphrey said: "The purchase of A1 Comms makes absolute sense. The footprint works well for us. We will keep growing the chain in a good professional manner. There is good business out there for independent dealers that write the type of business that the networks want with regard for ARPU and tenure."
A1 Comms managing director Paul Sisson said that only 30 per cent of the company´s revenues came from its retail footprint. The remainder came from corporate and web sales both of which have much lower overheads than retail.
"The bottom line is that running 10 shops on the high street is very difficult" said Sisson. "You are better off having either many more outlets or much fewer. Iain Humphrey is in a much better position to make a success of it because his chain of stores is larger. The sale is in the interests of both me and my staff."
Sisson will continue to run B2B sales under the A1 Comms brand and will spin off the web sales business www.buymobilephones.net as a separate limited company on June 1.
A1 Comms retains its Orange OBS and O2 Advanced dealership status.
"B2B is great because the networks love you because they love B2B customers" he added. "We gets lots of support and that business is going from strength to strength. We sell up to 100 phones a day from the web site. We are keen to concentrate our efforts and grow these businesses."
Nine of the 10 A1 Comms stores are in Derbyshire and one is in Nottinghamshire.

EU squeeze cuts cost of roaming

A full compliance audit by Samsung adds its Samsung Level 2 Service Centre accreditation to Fone Logistics´ existing Nokia and Sony Ericsson accreditation.
"Working with Samsung will prove of significant benefit to our customers particularly given the impact the manufacturer has made in the market over the past 12 months" said Fone Logistics operations director Lynne Gillespie.
"I expect this announcement to be followed by other strategic relationships and service agreements."
Trained operatives within the Fone Logistics Service Centre will handle Samsung repairs and the company has undertaken a programme of continuous improvement and training to ensure the latest handsets are supported.

Two more fly from Vodafone

His shock departure follows weeks of high-level departures at the firm and adds fuel to rumours of a management rift in the company.
Despite this being the latest in a lengthening list of departures a Vodafone spokeswoman continued to deny reports of unrest at the company. "I can confirm that Chris Tombs will be leaving the company but it is to take up a new role elsewhere" she said.
Andy Smith CEO of Anglia Telecom and a former colleague of Tombs at Vodafone said: "Chris will be a massive loss to the business. Someone needs to look at why so many people are leaving."
Vodafone regional sales manager Chris Brenchley is also rumoured to have left the company.
Tombs and Brenchley are the latest in a long line of Vodafone figures rumoured to be leaving as the result of management differences with director of enterprise business unit Kyle Whitehill. Recent departures include Chris Huggett and Richard Hurring who both left the company in the past couple of months.
Other high-level departures over the past year include marketing manager Peter Bamford finance director Ken Hydon and senior manager for business partnerships Jason Rigby.
Next month Sir Julian Horn-Smith and Lord MacLaurin will also retire from the board. Their departure will mark the last of Sir Christopher Gents so-called "Newbury boys". Gent who oversaw the firms rapid expansion in the 1980s also symbolically severed ties with Vodafone in March by stepping down as president for life after he reportedly disagreed with CEO Arun Sarins management policy.
"Vodafone UK has lost a huge amount of talent over the past three years people who had the vision and passion to put Vodafone where it is today" said Smith.
Sarin now faces a battle to regain control as Vodafone announced record losses over £15 billion last week. This follows a rocky few months for the company that included the sale of Vodafone Japan in March.

3 boosts Superdrug sales points by 300

3 has in-store concessions in 136 Superdrug stores at present. The new sales points will begin rolling out in May and June. They will be staffed by Superdrug sales assistants rather than trained 3 employees.
A 3 spokesman said: "This follows a successful trial at Superdrug´s store in Basingtoke. The footfall is predominantly female so this enables us to cater to a market that is hard to reach through other channels."
3 plans to increase the number of its own-branded ThreeStores from 17 to 60 by the end of the year.

Benefon puts focus on design

Lovegrove has helped design a range of consumer products for companies like Sony Apple and Louis Vuitton.
Benefon CEO Jonathan Nate said: "Critical to the success of Benefon´s push into the personal navigation market and the building of our global TWIG brand will be consumer-led product design and innovation."
The partnership will involve the design of three phones over two years.
Lovegrove commented: "Our role will be to drive design in a number of key product segments creating a signature for Benefon. The common thread is the use of high quality materials and strong form factors."
Benefon chairman Brian Katzen added: "It is an absolute coup for Benefon to have a designer of the calibre of Ross Lovegrove working on the design of our new devices. He has enjoyed enormous global success in a range of fields."

Lancaster is worst mobile theft hotspot

According to the insurer´s data Lancaster is the hotspot for mobile phone theft with the Wirral Chester and Coventry close behind. The safest places for mobile phone owners are Ipswich High Wycombe and Oxford.
"Mobile phones are getting lighter and more compact which makes them easier for opportunistic thieves to swipe" noted Halifax Home Insurance senior underwriter Vicky Emmott.
l According to the most recent British Crime Survey figures on mobile phone theft women are more likely than men to have their mobiles stolen.