The Carphone Warehouse was founded in 1989 to bring mobile services to consumers. The market has always been complex and our aim from the very beginning has been to offer our customers simple, impartial advice while also offering outstanding value. As a result we have grown from a handful of stores operating exclusively in the UK selling mobile handsets and contracts, to a European-wide platform of over 1,500 stores in 10 countries, providing a wide range of mobile and residential telecoms services.
Our business is divided into two main divisions: Distribution - comprising our stores, websites, direct sales and insurance operations; and Telecoms Services - comprising our customer management services, TalkTalk (our residential phone business), and our service provision operations. To find out more, please visit our corporate website,
Our philosophy
Five Fundamental Rules
At The Carphone Warehouse everything we do is based on our 'five fundamental rules'. The rules speak for themselves and need little embellishment. However, it is worth stressing that the rules are applied not just in our stores, but in our call centres and support functions too, to ensure that we provide the best possible customer experience.
If we don't look after the customer, someone else will.
Nothing is gained by winning an argument but losing a customer.
Always deliver what we promise. If in doubt, under promise and over deliver.
Always treat customers as we ourselves would like to be treated.
The reputation of the whole company is in the hands of each individual.
Our strategy
The mobile phone market has evolved rapidly and we have had to adapt with it. Nearly everyone has a handset now but people want more help learning how to make full use of the functions and services available. Also the range of new handsets and networks just gets wider and wider, so the need for independent advice and the greatest possible choice is greater than ever. As a result we are continuing to invest heavily in training our sales consultants and providing the best in-store environment for our customers. At the same time we are stocking an ever-increasing range of accessories to allow customers to make more use of new functionality such as photography and music. In addition, we believe that our customers deserve more choice and better value in the world of residential telecoms, which we are now providing through our TalkTalk calls and broadband service, which together have attracted over 1m customers since we launched in 2003.
