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Dixons gets hiring for technology boom

One thousand new employees are being sought as the electrical retailer gets ready for a surge of interest in Wi-Fi, recordable DVD and PDAs
Written by Graeme Wearden, Contributor

High street retailer Dixons Group announced on Monday that it is creating 1,000 new jobs as it gears up for a boom in consumer demand for products such as PDAs and home wireless kit.

The company, which owns the Dixons, PC World and The Link store chains, said the jobs would be created both in existing and in new shops across the UK.

The expansion comes just days after the Dixons Group said it was predicting substantial demand for new technologies such as home Wi-Fi and DVD-based recording systems.

"Looking forward, the outlook appears particularly favourable, with a number of new technologies coming onto the market. These range from large flat-screen televisions and recordable DVD players to personal digital assistants and wireless home networks. There is also potential for recovery in the PC market," predicted Dixons Group in its annual results for the year to 17 April, 2002.

Wireless networking equipment is becoming increasingly popular with consumers, with manufacturers such as Netgear, D-Link and Belkin offering affordable equipment that can be used to set up a high-speed wireless network within a home.

BT Retail is expected to start retailing home Wi-Fi equipment as part of a scheme where it will sell and set up broadband-enabled PCs to home users.

Dixons Group achieved a 7 percent increase in pre-tax profits last year. Overall sales were flat, though, as better sales of games and DVDs balanced out a 21 percent drop in revenue from the personal computer market, and a 33 percent plummet in the sale of mobile handsets and equipment.


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