Carphone Warehouse, one of Europe's largest independent mobile phone retailers, is to provide up to 100 new jobs in a £3 million (€3.8 million) expansion plan which will increase the number of retail outlets from 10 to 24 before the end of this year.

Three additional stores are being established in Dublin as well as two new outlets in Cork and Galway. There will also be new stores in Limerick and Waterford as well as a presence in Carlow, Monaghan, Newry, Bangor and Ballymena.

Each of the new stores will be operational before December 31st, creating what Carphone Warehouse executives claim is the largest independent mobile phone operator in Ireland.

The managing director of Car phone Warehouse, Mr Stephen Mackarel, claimed Irish consumers were over-spending by £15 million every year because most mobile phone retailers were tied to one network and consumers were being given wrong advice by retailers.

He maintained that by offering both Eircell and Esat networks, Carphone Warehouse could offer impartial and independent advice.

Mr Mackarel said mobile sales were increasing at about 1 per cent a month but this figure would probably jump to 45 per cent up to January. Children were a potential target market, he added, with 5 per cent of Finnish eight-year-olds owning a mobile for security purposes. He estimated the current mobile penetration in Ireland at 32 per cent.

The company is in the process of developing a corporate sales strategy which will see sales executives offering independent telecommunications advice to companies. Mr Mackarel said this service was expected to come on line in January and would be a major growth area. Estimates on staffing levels are being prepared.

The Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, who attended the announcement, said consumers were well versed and well read and if companies could tailor an outlet to suit them, they were bound to succeed.