How much of a threat is Carphone Warehouse to DSGi?

They continue to get it in the neck from the supermarkets and the online-only merchants.

However, they remain hopeful that the future will be bright. Sir John Collins, chairman of DSGi, cites US-based Best Buy and its success at fending off the onslaught from Wal-Mart as proof that there is room for specialists.

This choice could prove to be ironic as Best Buy has a joint-venture with Carphone Warehouse, which involves the two opening mobile phone stores in the US, and Best Buy also holds a stake in the UK mobile phone retailer. In addition, rumours periodically circulate that Best Buy could ultimately pounce on Carphone Warehouse.

If this ultimately happens then DSGi would compete directly with the operator that it appears to most admire. This can't be a prospect that Collins and new DSGi chief executive John Browett relish one little bit.

But for now the only threat from Carphone to DSGi is the fact that its boss Charles Dunstone regards laptops as the new mobile phone and is looking to ramp up sales of the devices - which cannot be particularly helpful to the guys over at the DSGi-owned PC World.