Carmel phone retailer Round Room acquires 357-store chain

A growing Carmel-based retailer of cellphone services is turbo-charging its expansion plans by buying a 357-store franchise system that offers phones, accessories and service.

Round Room LLC, which operates hundreds of stores under the name TCC (formerly The Cellular Connection), said the deal to acquire Wireless Zone of Rocky Hill, Connecticut, will expand its footprint to 1,160 stores in 41 states under the TCC and Wireless Zone names.

Terms of the deal, announced Wednesday, were not disclosed, nor were revenue figures for Wireless Zone.

Round Room is run by Scott Moorehead, who took over the company from his parents in 2008. Under his leadership, revenue at its flagship operation, TCC, grew to more than $1 billion last year, up from $137.4 million in 2008, the company said. The company said it would continue to look for growth opportunities.

The Carmel company calls itself the nation’s largest Verizon authorized retailer. Round Room said it had “no substantial plans” to increase head count at its headquarters at 525 Congressional Blvd., where it occupies a 47,000 square-foot building.

Round Room has about 1,700 employees nationally, according to its website, including 187 workers in Carmel.

Round Room also owns and operates Redux, a company with patented technology that removes moisture from wet cell phones.