UK cable giant Virgin Media has revealed that its next phase of expansion will include the opening of more high street retail stores across the country, tripling its outlets from 27 to 70 within just 12 months. The move follows last month’s news, which revealed Virgin's plans to expand its cable broadband, phone and TV network to cover 500,000 new UK homes and businesses over the next few years (original news).

The current total of 27 stores includes recently opened outlets in central Birmingham, Plymouth, Bromley, Leeds and Leicester. Meanwhile the next phase of Virgin's rollout will, over the coming months, begin with two new stores in London.


Virgin Media is also introducing a new retail experience – shops without walls - or ‘retail lite’ sites. These sites will be set up in prominent locations within shopping centres across the country including Meadowhall in Sheffield, The Victoria Centre in Nottingham and The Ropewalk Shopping Centre in Nuneaton.

The staffed sales facilities will showcase Virgin Media’s quad-play offering of broadband, TV, home phone and mobile. Each new store and retail lite site will create a small number of local jobs, with staff receiving several months’ intensive product training.