Wave7 Research analyst Jeff Moore told Mobile World Live (MWL) T-Mobile US laid off about 600 employees, as the operator revealed some stores had closed as part of a rejig of its retail strategy.

Moore stated the lay-offs included various management positions: the National Wireless Independent Dealer Association stated the move could signal a shift away from dealer-owned stores to corporate ownership.

A T-Mobile representative told MWL it was not revealing the number of staff being dropped, but cited a blog issued on 12 January by consumer group president Jon Freier which detailed the shift in its retail strategy.

Freier questioned if brick-and-mortar retail was dead, arguing the answer is yes.

“We’re entering a new era of retail where customers are no longer asking for more choices, they expect it…A one-size-fits-all-approach to retail is long gone, and if we can’t offer a multi-channel, customised retail shopping experience, then we have missed the mark”.

The multi-channel approach includes a variety of stores, along with mobile outlets and kiosks in big-name retail outlets staffed by T-Mobile employees or those companies’ workers.

T-Mobile’s representative said it is making organisational shifts to support the new retail model.

“As a result, some T-Mobile employees in certain positions have been impacted”, the representative said, adding the operator is also “hiring talent”.