Vodafone claimed that its store expansion plans are gathering pace with several leases already signed. The first 18 of 50 shops have already been completed and are set to open before Christmas, and the remainder will open before March 2009. It seems the global economic downturn hasn’t deterred Vodafone.

Vodafone is looking to add more stores to build share in certain cities where stores are not plentiful. The operator will open its third store in Newcastle and its second in Plymouth.

It is also focussing heavily on south-east England with five new stores, as well as pushing into smaller market towns without a store currently, which should help with exposure and bottom line sales.

Orange is another seemingly prosperous operator with store openings in the pipeline, with 100 new stores in the works. The first 20 will open between October and the end of 2008.

Orange’s store count will rise to 400, while Vodafone’s will jump to 365. Vodafone’s new stores are 60 square meters on average and will have up to 5 full-time people on duty on staff. The companies are also looking to retool their stores with new formats and dedicated displays.

Hopefully, the boom lasts and the companies will keep the stores running with a healthy profit margin.