Phone charging stations are an increasingly common sight at airports around the world. Sydney-based Chargebar already has rapid chargers at 70 venues around the metropolitan area as well as on board the Manly ferry.

The idea is to attract people to commercial premises where they will (hopefully) spend some money while their phone or tablet charges.

"We have been stunned at how effective chargebars are at stimulating sales" said Chargebar MD Jonathon Tanner. "90% of customers will buy something while they wait for their phone to recharge."

"If each 'charger' spends just $5 whilst recharging, and records 300 'charges' per month, then the store can expect an extra $1,350 in sales per month, or $16,200 per year. If you're a large chain with 100+ stores, chargebars will add millions of dollars to company's top line revenue. With those sorts of numbers, it's really a no brainer," he added.

Each chargebar has eight to 12 charging cables with connectors to suit 96% of smartphones currently on the market.

To help drive customers to chargebars, the company recently launched the Chargebar iPhone app that locates the nearest venue "“with the last of their battery power," said Mr Tanner

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The company is negotiating with large national hospitality and retail chains and expects to boost its network by 500 to 1,000 venues around the country by the end of the year, with a target of 10,000 locations by 2014.