KIRKLAND, Wash.-Nextel Partners Inc. reported the opening of its 100th company-owned store and said it plans to add at least 10 more locations by the end of the year. The centennial location is in Kona, Hawaii, and is the 27th new store Nextel Partners said it has opened this year.
“These stores are a low-cost distribution channel whose proven results have helped drive company-record customer additions,” said John Chapple, Nextel Partners president and chief executive officer. “They have been a tremendous success for Nextel Partners.”
The carrier posted company-record 103,300 net customer additions during the second quarter, ending the first half of the year with 1.8 million total subscribers.
Nextel Partners’ future retail growth could be tempered by recently signed agreements between Sprint Nextel Corp. and a number of its wireless affiliates. Those agreements curtail Sprint Nextel’s ability to market iDEN-based services in certain affiliate markets and would be transferred to Nextel Partners should Sprint Nextel acquire controlling interest in Nextel Partners. Nextel Partners’ management already has said it would recommend that its shareholders exercise their “put” option that would require Sprint Nextel to acquire Nextel Partners.
