Some UK electronics retailers reportedly started taking the Nexus 4 off the shelves already, again sparking rumors of an imminent next-generation Nexus launch.

While the next-generation Nexus smartphone is not official yet, the Google I/O conference is just around the corner and anticipation keeps building up. As expected, Nexus-related rumors are intensifying ahead of the big event.

According to TechRadar, two large British retailers, Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U, already took the five-month-old Nexus 4 off the shelves. The popular smartphone will continue to be available from Google's online stores or other local carriers including O2, but Phones4U and Carphone Warehouse apparently stopped selling the Nexus 4 in the region.

The Nexus 4 had a tough time staying in stock long enough for all interested buyers to get their hands on a unit, but the fact that two large retailers moved to retire the smartphone again sparked rumors about a next-generation Nexus. High demand or not, the move is widely seen as clearing inventory to make room for the new Nexus, purportedly the Nexus 5.

The retailers' respective pages for the Nexus 4 confirm Tech Radar's report. Carphone Warehouse displays an error message saying it can't find the page in question, and the handset only appears in a drop-down list of suggested products, without the option of buying one. In other words, Carphone Warehouse even retired the product page.

Phones4U, meanwhile, still has the Nexus 4 page up, but the device is no longer available. The page simply states "The Nexus 4 phone is currently unavailable at Phones4U, please view alternate LG Phones." It gives no explanation as to why the phone is no longer available.

Considering the handset's popularity had it flying off shelves in no time, a theory that retailers took it off shelves due to poor demand is out of the question. The simplest explanation remains that a next-generation Nexus 5 is indeed nearing its launch, and retailers are just clearing inventory to make room for the cool new thing. Why else would they retire the "old" Nexus 4?

As for the next-generation Nexus, rumors went all over the place. While some speculation pointed to a Nexus 5 smartphone to make its debut at the Google I/O conference, other rumors indicated that Google might in fact unveil a revamped Nexus 4 instead, adding 4G LTE and a 32GB configuration. LG is widely expected to make the new Nexus as well, but nothing is confirmed for now.