MORE than 5,500 jobs have been put at risk after an mobile phone retailer Phones 4u announced it has entered administration.
Bosses at the firm last night hit out mobile operators Vodafone and EE for withdrawing their contracts, claiming it left them with "no alternative". The company, which has 720 outlets, says it is a profitable, well-managed business, but the withdrawal of EE on Friday - soon after a similar decision by Vodafone - means the retailer has no mobile network partner.
The firm's 5,596 employees have been urged to work as normal today when they will be briefed by management.
Phones 4u chief executive David Kassler said: "If the mobile network operators decline to supply us, we do not have a business. A good company making profits of over £100 million, employing thousands … has been forced into administration."
A spokesman for EE said its decision to end the contract was in line with plans to grow its "direct channels" and developments had "called into question the long-term viability of the Phones 4u business".
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