Carphone maintains strong growth

Carphone Warehouse reported another strong Christmas today after connections lifted 33% on a year ago and it continued to build its TalkTalk service.

The group, which operates 1,712 stores selling mobile phones in the UK and Europe, said overall revenues were 22.7% higher with gross retail profit up by 13.1% as it expanded its fixed line and mobile businesses.

The period also saw it snap up Onetel and Tele2’s UK businesses to double the number of customers using its TalkTalk fixed-line services to 2.4 million, which it said it would use as a platform to move into the broadband market.