When 3000 people showed up at the refurbished Megastore in Wednesbury, near Birmingham in UK, police were called in to stop fights in the queue. Even a motorway junction had to be closed. A 75-year-old woman who had been queuing since 3am collapsed..
Sat navs for £19.99, half-price 40-inch LCD flat-screen TVs and Playstation 3 consoles for less than £200 were on sale.
The single-floor, 60,000 sq ft store, is the UK's biggest electricals store. "This is a pilot store and we've got to trade it to see how it works," said Currys director Andrew Milliken. "There's a lot more density in this store, but the aim is that the aisles are kept completely clean so that you can see across the entire store."
Designed in a style like Ikea, if this format works, 20 to 30 more Currys megastores will open. DSGi have refitted 40 PC World stores – 25% of the fascia's portfolio – and 10 stores ahead of target. It will have also revamped seven Currys stores and four Currys.digital stores, and overhauled three of its Nordic stores.
