AT&T Corp is to close its US-wide chain of 338 phone centre shops, with the loss of 2,500 jobs, and will instead sell its consumer products through retailers and catalogue companies: AT&T, which is preparing to split into three companies, said the job cuts and the charges relating to them were part of the 40,000 layoffs and $6,000m pre-tax charges it announced this month (CI No 2,821); AT&T Consumer Products, the AT&T unit that owns the shops, will begin closing them next month; the business is to become part of the equipment company resulting from the split-up in January 1997 and lose its rights to the AT&T brand; AT&T also said it will make answering machines, cellular and cordless phones and other equipment for competitors, such as the regional Bell telephone companies, under their brand names.
