Mobile phone company 3, owned by Hutchison Whampoa, has bought 95 shops from rival mobile phone company O2

3 has taken possession of 73 Link stores and 22 O2 stores as part of its strategy to build a nationwide retail presence taking it to more than 150 stand-alone stores and 133 Superdrug and Selfridges concessions by the end of 2006.

O2 acquired the Link chain from DSG-formerly Dixons Group- in August and has been consolidating its chain since the acquisition.

It appointed Churston Heard to advise on the rationalisation.