Walk into any major UK retail park today and you’ll see those familiar bright purple signs. But if you’re looking for Currys PC World, you’re actually a few years too late. The name is gone. Well, half of it is.
In late 2021, the retail giant finally pulled the trigger on a massive rebranding project that saw Currys PC World, Carphone Warehouse, and Team Knowhow all shoved under one single umbrella: Currys. It wasn't just about saving money on ink for the business cards. It was a desperate, and frankly necessary, move to stop the confusion of having four different brands living inside one shop. Honestly, it was getting a bit ridiculous. You’d walk in to buy a toaster and end up talking to three different "specialists" who theoretically worked for different companies despite standing two feet apart.
The end of the "World" as we knew it
Why did they drop the PC World suffix? It’s a fair question. For decades, PC World was the place you went when your beige tower gave up the ghost or when you needed a 50-pack of blank CDs. But the world changed.
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By the time 2021 rolled around, the distinction between a "PC" and "technology" had basically evaporated. Your fridge has a processor now. Your phone is more powerful than the desktop you bought in 2005. Keeping "PC World" in the title made the brand feel like a dusty relic of the dial-up era. Alex Baldock, the CEO of Currys PLC, basically admitted as much when he pushed for the "one brand" strategy. The goal was to make things simpler. One name, one website, one uniform.
Interestingly, while the PC World name was scrapped in the UK, the company still operates under different monikers elsewhere. If you’re in Norway or Sweden, you won't find a Currys; you'll find Elkjøp. They kept the local branding there because it actually had more clout than the Currys name ever did. It’s a classic bit of business pragmatism: don't fix what isn't broken, but if the UK brand looks like a cluttered mess, you clean it up.
Is Currys actually doing okay in 2026?
You might think physical retail is a dying breed, especially with Amazon breathing down everyone's neck. But as of January 2026, Currys is actually finding its feet again. It’s been a weird few years.
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Just last month, in December 2025, the company reported some pretty surprising interim results. They saw a 144% jump in adjusted pre-tax profit, hitting £22 million. That’s not world-beating, but it’s a far cry from the "death of the high street" narrative people love to push.
Why people still go there
- The "I need it now" factor: When your washing machine explodes on a Tuesday morning, you don't always want to wait for a delivery driver.
- The AI upgrade cycle: We’re currently in the middle of a massive shift toward AI-enabled laptops and devices. People want to actually touch these things before dropping a grand on them.
- The Services Wing: This is the secret sauce. Currys makes a huge chunk of its money now from "Care & Repair" and credit services like Currys Flexpay.
They’ve leaned hard into being more than just a shop. They want to be the people who fix your tech, too. They’ve even got this 24/7 video service called ShopLive where you can talk to an expert from your sofa. It’s sorta like FaceTime, but for buying a microwave.
The Carphone Warehouse ghost
One thing that still trips people up is the mobile phone situation. Remember when every high street had a standalone Carphone Warehouse? Those are gone. All of them. In 2020, they shut down all 531 standalone mobile stores.
Now, the "mobile" section is just a corner of the main Currys store. They’ve also pushed their own network, iD Mobile, which has actually been a bit of a quiet success story. By the end of 2025, they had over 2.4 million subscribers. It’s a clever move because it gives them recurring monthly revenue rather than just hoping you’ll buy a new kettle every five years.
What most people get wrong about the prices
There's a common myth that Currys is always more expensive than online retailers. Honestly, it’s not always true anymore. They’ve become aggressive with price matching because they know you’re standing in the aisle checking your phone for the Amazon price.
The real "gotcha" isn't the price of the TV; it's the stuff they try to sell you afterward. The HDMI cables, the extended warranties, the "premium" setup service. That’s where the margins are. If you’re savvy, you go for the Price Promise, skip the £50 gold-plated cable that does the same thing as the £5 one, and you actually come out even.
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Actionable steps for your next visit
If you're heading to a store soon, don't just wander in aimlessly. Retail has changed, and you can use that to your advantage.
- Check the "Refurbished" section online first. Currys has been pushing a huge circular economy initiative. You can often find "Grade A" returns that are basically brand new but 20% cheaper.
- Use the Trade-In. They are currently very keen on getting old tech out of people's drawers. You can often get a voucher for that old iPad or laptop that’s been gathering dust since 2019.
- Book a RepairLive session. If your laptop is acting up, don't lug it to the store immediately. Use the virtual service first; they can often diagnose the issue over video, saving you a trip.
- Verify the "Price Promise". They don't just match Amazon; they often match other major UK retailers like John Lewis or AO.com. Have the competitor's website open on your phone at the checkout.
The days of Currys PC World as a confusing mashup of brands are over. What’s left is a leaner, purple-branded machine that’s trying very hard to prove that physical shops still have a place in 2026. Whether they can keep that momentum against the ever-growing reach of direct-to-consumer brands is the big question for the next few years.