Wherever they are, Kiwis are likely to be close to a 2degrees retail outlet come August. Thousands of gas stations, supermarkets and dairies will stock 2degrees SIM cards and offer account top-ups once the aspirant third mobile operators launches next month.
The company has today announced that its retail network will include 2,700 outlets stocking its SIM cards, while account top-ups will be available at over 6,000 outlets.
In addition, it will sell handsets in up to 400 retail outlets. This includes not only traditional mobile phone retailers such as Noel Leemings, Bond & Bond, Dick Smith Electronics and Warehouse Stationery, but also Woolworths, Foodtown, and Countdown supermarkets, and BP filling stations.
Other 2degrees outlets will include Pak’nSave, New World, Shell, Mobil and other independently owned petrol stations served by Red Circle, along with Gilmours, Toops and Trents, who serve as the primary distributor to independent convenience retailers.
“This means that New Zealanders can buy 2degrees products and services where they shop for electrical goods, buy their groceries, fill the car up with petrol and when they visit the dairy,” the company’s chief sales and marketing officer Larrie Moore said in a statement.
The company has also previously said it would open its own retail stores, while customers will also be able to top-their account via the 2degrees call centre or website.
Such wide distribution has long been mooted by the company and matches the situation in many other countries where SIM cards, pre-pay starter packs and top-ups can be bought just about anywhere. For a good example read my earlier report on the South African mobile market, published in Computerworld.
This announcement confirms that 2degrees will, as widely expected, focus heavily on a retail push to gain a foothold in the market.
However, we do hope that this will be matched with an equally aggressive drive to win corporate customers, who as our members keep telling us, are desperate for real competition for mobile services.