LONDON – The end of October sees the completion of the rollout of the Virgin Mobile Zone, created by design agency Start, to more than 90 Virgin Megastore and Virgin Megastore Xpress stores.

 

With the Virgin Mobile Zone, Start and Virgin Mobile have created a "virtual store", which builds on Virgin brand recognition and establishes a clear differential from the Virgin Megastore and Virgin Megastore Xpress surroundings.

 

Start's design is helping cement Virgin Mobile's position as the fastest-growing mobile network. The concept has already been trialled in 10 locations, with impressive great results.

 

Virgin says sales increased by 50% in trial stores within a month of opening and total return on investment came within three months.

 

The trial also saw the average price of handsets sold in trial stores increasing by 10%, demonstrating an ability to upsell.

 

The trial period contributed to Virgin Mobile experiencing its best second quarter to date, with 231,554 new customers, representing an increase of 35% over the second quarter of 2002.

 

Graeme Hutchison, sales and marketing director at Virgin Mobile, said: "We are confident we can continue to develop our virtual retailer concept to give us a major presence on the high street. Start's design makes the Virgin Mobile customer touch point an even more involved, memorable and differentiated brand experience."

 

After rolling out the design to 91 Virgin Megastores and Virgin Megastore Xpress stores by the end of October 2003, it will hit a further 160 by the end of 2004.

 

Other Start clients include the BBC and Hertz, and the Royal Mail for which it is a roster agency.