Dixons Ireland

Dixons Ireland is actually part of the Dixons Carphone Warehouse group that is still technically on the high street. Though limited in scope a few of these stores are still around under the groups travel brand which can be found in places like Terminal One at Dublin Airport, selling electrical devices like headphones and battery chargers for holiday makers.

The group as a whole is actually doing very well at the current time with Dixons Ireland saying it grew 10.9 percent in the financial year ending the 29^th April 2019. This is in part due to the continued demand for smart TVs and automation products plus an increased demand for luxury kitchen appliances.

As is the case with the rest of the brand, the high street shops have since closed and the ecommerce site is no longer selling on the web. This is due to the restructuring of the group narrowing the sales channels down to mainly just Currys and Carphone Warehouse, of course with the few mentioned exceptions.

As Dixons Carphone Ireland seems to go from strength to strength, what is the likelihood of seeing this still well-known brand back on the high street? Would we not like to see an old favourite back in our town centres and shopping parks? Unfortunately, the chances are not good.

The main issue with rebranding is, because the new name is not known, your customers have to relearn who you are and reassociation your name with what goods and/or services you offer, plus what they think about your brand as a whole, quality, service and so on.

This would be less of an issue for a brand such as Dixons Ireland as it is already a know names, if one that has abated. The problem would be down to cost.

To rebrand the usual cost is around 10%-20% of your marketing budget. Marketing budgets vary wildly, but let’s take a reasonable estimate of 5% of turnover. With a turn over of £1 billion, the gives £50 million and going for the lower end of the rebrand cost, leave a spend of at least £5 million.

This is simply a huge figure to spend just to bring a well-known brand. More so because while the Ireland division is showing growth, the group as a whole is having a relatively hard time in a very tough and competitive market.

So, while it may be remembered, it’s unlikely to ever come back to our high streets.