NEWS ANALYSIS: What's in a name?(Dixons brand)

The Dixons brand is being axed from the high street, but will have a new life online. Could investment in store interiors, instead of a new name, have worked better, asks Will Cooper

After 69 years, Dixons, arguably the UK's best-known electrical retailer, has pulled its plug from the high street. John Clare, group chief executive of parent company DSG International, announced in April that not only would Dixons become an exclusive on-line retailer - excluding airport and some international stores - but also that existing stores would be rebranded as Currys.digital, reflecting current trends in internet use.

"Customer buying behaviour is developing with the growth in broadband usage and, as a group, we constantly adapt and innovate to support how our customers shop," he said.

Clare's comments appear to be backed up by statistics from the Verdict Research E-retail report 2006 showing that online electricals sales grew by 31.2 per cent to #1.9bn last year. This took up 8.6 per cent of the #22.6bn electricals market. By 2010, according to Verdict, online sales will total #4.6bn, or 16 per cent of the market.

"Dixons is clearly …