EE Paring Back Store Saturation: 78 Locations To Close

UK 4G network EE will close 78 stores across the UK, the carrier has confirmed, as it pares back unneeded retail floorspace following the harmonized rebranding of T-Mobile and Orange locations. The shuttering will affect more than 10-percent of EE's total retail locations, the FT reports, after the common branding led to some EE stores being just a few paces apart.

"Where we have two EE stores in very close proximity to each other – in some places they are just a door away – we have decided to consolidate" an EE spokesperson confirmed. "This makes commercial sense and will also help us manage the high levels of demand in our stores and improve the customer experience."

EE – also known as Everything Everywhere – is the combined brand of T-Mobile UK and Orange, which began back in 2009. However, it was only late last year that physical stores lost their individual branding and were brought in line with the EE scheme; ironically, EE refurbished all its stores first and then apparently decided on which to close.

Staff in the affected stores are, for the most part, expected to be transferred to other nearby EE locations. Subscribers of the two networks began sharing each others' airwaves back in 2010, but only new EE subscribers get LTE service.