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Latest News [2009] archive from October 2009
| LG unveils £3 million advertising and marketing campaign for LED TV - ERT exclusive
LG has exclusively revealed to ERT details of a multi-million pound consumer and trade marketing campaign to support its flagship SL9000 LED TV in the run-up to Christmas and the first part of next year. | |
| Sony reports second-quarter loss
Consumer electronics giant Sony has made a second quarter operating loss of Yen 32.6 billion (around £218 million) on sales and operating revenue that fell 19.8 per cent to Yen 1.7 trillion. 30 October 2009 | |
| Samsung Sky+HD boxes next for EPG upgrade
All Sky+HD customers who have set-top boxes made by Samsung will receive Sky’s new electronic programme guide (EPG) in the next two weeks, according to a report on entertainment website Digital Spy. 30 October 2009 | |
| Weekly sales up nine per cent at John Lewis
Department store group John Lewis saw its sales in the week to October 24 beat last year’s figures by nine per cent. 30 October 2009 | |
| Radio campaign to boost DAB in November
The voices of Mitchell and Webb are to star in a major radio advertising campaign for digital radio in the run up to Christmas. 29 October 2009 | |
| Nintendo suffers 52 per cent drop in half-year profits
Nintendo reported that net profits for the six months to the end of September fell 52 per cent to Yen 69.5 billion (around £470 million) on sales that fell 34.5 per cent to Yen 548bn. 29 October 2009 | |
| Digital radio listening grows 14 per cent
The share of radio listening taken by digital platforms has risen 14 per cent year-on-year to 21.1 per cent with DAB leading the way at 13.3 per cent. 29 October 2009 | |
| Best Buy to create 8,000 UK jobs
US electrical retailing giant Best Buy has announced it will create 8,000 jobs in the UK over the next five years. 28 October 2009 | |
| Panasonic races ahead with new online retail training scheme
Panasonic has launched a new interactive online training initiative for retailers | |
| Technical hitch delays Sky Player launch on Xbox Live
A technical hitch delayed the launch of Sky Player on Microsoft's Xbox 360 console yesterday. 28 October 2009 | |
| High street sales start to recover
High street sales are growing at their most positive rate for nearly two years, said the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). 27 October 2009 | |
| One in 10 retailers close
One in 10 retailers closed up shop for good between January and September according to figures from the Local Data Company. 27 October 2009 | |
| MPC member calls for banking shake-up
A shake-up of the country’s banking system has been proposed by the Bank of England’s newest Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member Dr Adam Posen. 27 October 2009 | |
| Manchester Show was a record breaker
The revamped Manchester Sound & Vision Show held earlier this month has broken all records. 26 October 2009 | |
| More shoppers check out reviews
More than 80 per cent of consumers said they were now more likely to check online for product reviews before buying than they were a year ago. 26 October 2009 | |
| Profits jump 92.6 per cent at Electrolux
Electrolux has reported a 92.6 per cent rise in three-monthly net profits to SKr 1.6 billion (around £145 million) up from SKr 847m for the third quarter last year. 26 October 2009 | |
| Universal phone charger approved
A new mobile phone charger that will work with any handset has been approved by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations body. | |
| BRC welcomes government VAT decision
The Government’s decision to consider allowing retailers extra time to update price labels in stores when the VAT rate changes again is welcome, said the British Retail Consortium (BRC). | |
| Strong sales at John Lewis - electricals up 12%
John Lewis reported a strong week’s trading in the week to October 17, with sales up 13 per cent. | |
| In-store music victory brings retailers near to £20m payback
A legal ruling over the copyright fees shops are charged for playing music in stores could save retailers £5 million a year and win them a £20 million refund of excessive charges levied on them over the last four years. | |
| Flat September for retailers
Retail sales growth was flat month on month in September, despite industry expectations of a rise, reports the office of National Statistics. | |
| M & S and WHSmith websites are the most user-friendly
The websites of retailers Marks and Spencer and WHSmith are the most user-friendly, according to a new report. | |
| 80 MPs call for local TV channel on Freeview
United for Local Television (ULTV) has revealed that 80 MPs have signed up to a Commons motion calling for a new local TV network to be created on Freeview. | |
| New Retra and LBRO initiative aims to cut red tape
Retra (Radio, Electrical and Television Retailers’ Association) has been helping businesses cut red tape and make their relations with local councils and other regulators operate more smoothly. | |
| BBC Trust blocks plans to share iPlayer
The BBC Trust has rejected a proposal to allow a federation of broadcasters including Channel 4, ITV and Five to share the BBC’s iPlayer. | |
| Retra boss praises ERT Industry Awards
Retra's (Radio, Electrical and Television Retailers' Association) chief executive Bryan Lovewell has expressed his delight at being involved with the ERT Industry Awards for the second year running. | |
| Pure scores hat-trick at What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision Awards
Digital radio manufacturer Pure has scooped three awards in this year’s What H-Fi? Sound and Vision Awards. | |
| Apple surges ahead
Apple has shrugged off the recession with profits surging on demand for its iPhones, laptops and desktop computers. | |
| Retirement age should be raised to 70, says IoD
The state pension age should rise to 70 as soon as 'reasonably practical' because people are living longer, company directors said today. | |
| Postal strike could discourage online Christmas shoppers
The postal strike by the CWU (Communication Workers Union) may discourage consumers from shopping online in the run up to Christmas, according to a new IMRG (Interactive Media In Retail Group) survey of its members. | |
| A third of online adults use video on demand
Ofcom has revealed that one in three (29 per cent) of UK adults that use the internet are now watching or downloading on-demand TV programmes or films. | |
| Samsung raises more than £2m to fight breast cancer
The Spice Girls’ Mel B, Vanessa Feltz, Jamelia and Beverley Knight were among those who attended a Pink Ribbon high tea held at the Westfields shopping centre in London by Samsung yesterday. 16 October 2009 | |
| Sales plummet at Sony Ericsson
Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson reported a 42 per cent drop in year-on-year sales to Euro 1.6 billion (around £1.5bn) in the third quarter of its financial year. 16 October 2009 | |
| Sales jump 13 per cent at John Lewis
Department store group John Lewis saw year-on-year sales jump 13.3 per cent in the week to October 10. 16 October 2009 | |
| Electrical retailers and manufacturers celebrate at ERT Industry Awards 2009
Reinforcing its position as the electrical retailing industry’s event of the year, the ERT Industry Awards took place in London yesterday (October 15), with retailers and manufacturers from all over the UK coming together to celebrate excellence and outstanding achievements in the electrical retailing sector. | |
| Government to delay new employment laws
The Government is to delay implementing employment protection laws to help stem the rise in unemployment during the recession. 15 October 2009 | |
| UK economy at high risk, warns EU
The European Commission has labelled Britain's economy as "high risk" because of its budget deficit. 15 October 2009 | |
| Rise in unemployment slows
The rise in UK jobless figures is slowing down according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics today. 14 October 2009 | |
| Hi-fi brands come out in force for Manchester Sound & Vision show
The biggest hi-fi show in the North of England is set to take place this weekend (Saturday October 17 and Sunday October 18) at the Renaissance Hotel, Deansgate, Manchester. | |
| Tesco chief hits out at "woefully low" education standards
Standards in many British schools are “still woefully low” despite years of investment and firms were left to “pick up the pieces” said Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy. 14 October 2009 | |
| Confidence trickles back to boost sales
Consumer confidence is trickling back according to retail chiefs following a 2.8 per cent like-for-like rise in the value of UK retail sales in September. 13 October 2009 | |
| Inflation drops to five-year low
UK inflation has fallen to its lowest level in five years, official figures show. 13 October 2009 | |
| Devon homes now only get Welsh TV
Thousands of English viewers in North Devon claim they are receiving Welsh TV channels instead of their regular BBC and ITV services following digital switchover in Wales. 13 October 2009 | |
| Profits up at Philips
Philips made a profit of Euros 176 million (around £164.3m) in its third quarter up from Euro 58m for the same three months a year ago. 12 October 2009 | |
| Interest rates to remain on hold until 2011?
Interest rates will remain below two per cent until 2014, a leading economic think tank has predicted. 12 October 2009 | |
| Sky to launch music download service
Sky is about to launch a music service that will bring it into direct competition with iTunes and Spotify, according to weekend reports. 12 October 2009 | |
| Distributor Midwich joins Retra
One of the UK’s top trade-only electronics distributors, Midwich, has joined electrical retailers’ association Retra as an associate member. 09 October 2009 | |
| BT to double reach of fast broadband network
Telecoms giant BT is to more than double the number of homes that will be able to use its ultra-fast broadband network in a major expansion of its plans. 09 October 2009 | |
| John Lewis reports strong weekly sales
Department store group John Lewis admitted it did not expect the week ending October 3 to be so good. 09 October 2009 | |
| Sharp to get back to grass roots
As part of the company’s Customer Affinity Programme, Sharp employees will be visiting stores at weekends to help out shop staff in the run up to Christmas. 08 October 2009 | |
| Bank keeps rates on hold
The Bank of England kept interest rates on hold at 0.5 per cent for the seventh month in a row. 08 October 2009 | |
| Carphone Warehouse to renegotiate Tiscali deal
Carphone Warehouse is to renegotiate the amount it paid for taking over Tiscali’s UK business | |
| Thousands complain following Freeview retune
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| Non-food surges at Sainsbury's
Supermarket group Sainsbury's claimed that the performance of its non-food ranges is growing at nearly three times the rate of food. 07 October 2009 | |
| Shop prices still falling
Shop prices for non-food lines remained 1.4 per cent down on a year ago in September. 07 October 2009 | |
| M&S expands online deliveries
Marks and Spencer is to expand its online deliveries to 73 more countries as it targets British expatriates and overseas customers. 06 October 2009 | |
| Third-quarter earnings double at Samsung
Samsung has reported that its third-quarter earnings have more than doubled. 06 October 2009 | |
| Retail sector to be hit hard with business rate increases
Retail will be the worst-hit sector following next year’s business rates revaluation, according to new research. | |
| 16m sign up to Tesco Clubcard
More people in the UK have a Tesco Clubcard than own the nation’s most popular credit card. 05 October 2009 | |
| Dyson to lead task force
Sir James Dyson has been appointed by the Conservative Party to lead a task force whose aim is to make the UK into Europe’s top producer of hi-tech products. 05 October 2009 | |
| Warning of a hard Christmas for retailers
Christmas 2009 could see just as many retail casualties as last year, according to a leading accountancy firm. | |
| Sebastian Conran supports Ahead Live event
The Ahead Live event organised by Armour Home and Alphason Designs earlier this week in London proved to be a big hit with retailers looking for new products to stock for Christmas. | |
| Government to extend loan guarantee scheme
The government is planning an extension of its £1.3 billion loan guarantee scheme, following a decline in take-up from small businesses, it has been reported. | |
| Warning from TV Licensing
Businesses are being warned they could be breaking the law if staff watch live TV on their computers when the firm does not have a TV licence. | |
| Panasonic to tour UK with 3D roadshow
Panasonic will this month kick off its Full High Definition (HD) 3D roadshow in the UK. | |
| New operating structure for Toshiba’s HDD business
Toshiba Corporation in Tokyo today announced that it has completed the transfer to its control of Fujitsu's hard disk drive (HDD) business and that it will introduce a new operating structure. | |
| New employer legislation comes into force today
Changes to national minimum wage and other employment legislation come into force today. | |
