Dixons buys Byte stores

DIXONS, the electrical retailer, announced yesterday it had bought the Byte chain of personal computer superstores but said it planned to close 13 of the 16 branches.

Dixons is paying just pounds 100,000 for Byte, which recorded pre-exceptional losses of pounds 1.7m last year. It is keeping three outlets in Chester, Solihull and Chiswell Street in the City of London, which will all be re-branded under Dixons' PC World name. All the others will close although Dixons saidit hoped to offer the staff jobs at its nearby PC World stores.

Dixons is also likely to pull out of the 45 concessions Byte currently operates in Office World, the stationery and office furniture retailer. It is paying pounds 4.9m for the freehold property in Solihull which houses the head office as well as a store.