PHONES 4u stores in Kidderminster will be closed today after the business was put into administration, putting 5,600 jobs at risk.

There are two stores in Kidderminster, including Vicar Street and St Mary’s ringway, as well as others across Worcestershire.

Staff were told to turn up for work today, despite the stores not opening until administrators decide their fate or a buyer for the company is found, where they would be briefed on the state of affairs.

The collapse follows a decision by EE on Friday (September 12) to join Vodafone in cutting ties with the retailer, which sells contracts on behalf of the network operators.

Phones 4u said the decision by EE not to renew its current contract, which is due to end in September next year, came as a "complete shock" and meant it would be left without a single network partner after Vodafone said earlier this month that it would not extend its agreement.

The company added that both EE and Vodafone had, until very recently, indicated that they saw Phones 4u as a long-term strategic partner as other phone operators increasingly targeted sales through their own stores in what the firm called “ruthless behaviour”.

However, Dixons Carphone, created from Carphone Warehouse and the company behind PC World and Currys, has been successful in building relationships with the phone operators and will continue to sell contracts and phones on their behalf.

Stefano Quadrio Curzio, a representative of owners BC Partners, said: "Vodafone has acted in exactly the opposite way to what they had consistently indicated to the management of Phones 4u over more than six months.

"Their behaviour appears to have been designed to inflict the maximum damage to their partner of 15 years, giving Phones 4u no time to develop commercial alternatives.

"EE's decision on Friday is surprising in the context of a contract that has more than a year to run and leaves the board with no alternative but to seek the administrator's protection in the interests of all its stakeholders."

But Vodafone said it rejected any suggestion that it behaved inappropriately during its negotiations with Phones 4u.

It said: "Phones 4u was offered repeated opportunities to propose competitive distribution terms to enable us to conclude a new agreement, but was unable to do so on terms which were commercially viable for Vodafone in the current UK market conditions.

"We were told by the Phones 4u management team that they had little commercial flexibility due to their debt repayment obligations, but that they had a number of alternative strategies in place if we couldn't reach an agreement with them."

EE said its decision not to renew its contract in September 2015 was in part driven by uncertainty over the long-term viability of Phones 4u.

The process of appointing PwC as an administrator was taking place today.

All mobile contracts bought through Phones 4u will remain unaffected and the networks will continue to provide mobile services to customers. Those with insurance through the company will also be unaffected.

Anyone with questions about recent orders through Phones 4u, should contact the Customer Service line on 0800 0725855.