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Latest News [2008] archive from December 2008
| Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from ERT
ERT would like to wish all its readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. | |
| Woolworths to be saved for £30m?
A consortium headed up by Woolworths executive, Tony Page, who was in charge of the retail operation, is looking at a last minute proposal in which potential buyers could take on 125 Woolworths stores. | |
| Five million people to go online for Christmas Day web sales
Online sales will open early this year, with an estimated five million people expected to spend up to £100m on Christmas Day. | |
| LG launches HD Zones in 60 Tesco stores - ERT exclusive
Consumer electronics brand LG has recently introduced LG HD Zones into 60 Tesco stores across the UK. | |
| Watford FC players present Beko TV to children's ward
Beko has donated a television for the play room in the children’s ward of Watford General Hospital. | |
| Woolworths to start closing shops on Dec 27
Woolworths will begin shutting its doors on December 27, with around 200 stores due for closure at sites including Blackpool, Canterbury, Doncaster, Nottingham and Sheffield. | |
| Consumers still baffled by Blu-ray
A whopping 74 per cent of consumers are confused by the concept of Blu-ray, according to research by consumer electronics brand LG. | |
| New alliance formed to promote internet-connected devices to retailers and consumers
A number of the world’s leading streaming media companies, including Frontier Silicon, have recently joined together to create a new industry forum called the Internet Media Device Alliance (IMDA). | |
| Festive thoughts - Graham Knight on the last shopping weekend before Christmas
ERT retail correspondent Graham Knight has offered up his thoughts on the last shopping weekend before Christmas - and it makes for interesting reading. | |
| DAB brands back digital radio report
Following the recent report from the Digital Radio Working Group (DRWG) on the future of digital radio in the UK, the major DAB brands have come out in support of the findings. | |
| Panasonic clinches Sanyo deal
Panasonic has struck a deal to take control of Sanyo after finally agreeing a purchase price with Goldman Sachs, a major Sanyo shareholder. | |
| Digital TV sales boom as credit crunch bites
UK households bought nearly one million more televisions in October 2008 than in the same month last year, according to new figures released today (December 19) from Digital UK. | |
| Currys.digital in Edgware to close today - ERT exclusive
The Currys.digital store in Edgware, Station Rd, north London is closing down today, ERTonline can confirm. | |
| Digital radio industry welcomes report on the future of DAB
The DRDB (Digital Radio Development Bureau), the BBC, RadioCentre (the industry body for commercial radio), and manufacturers’ trade body Intellect, have welcomed today’s report from the Digital Radio Working Group (DRWG) on the future of digital radio in the UK. | |
| BRC disputes official retail sales figures for November
Unexpectedly high official retail sales figures paint an overly rosy picture of the reality faced by customers and retailers, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). | |
| LG enjoys good growth in LCD TV
LG claims its LCD TV sales have experienced the highest growth rate during the period of January to October 2008, compared to competitors, over the same period in 2007. | |
| Gorenje to cut labour hours for production employees
Slovenian white goods manufacturer Gorenje is to cut labour hours in production to 36 a week per employee from 40, starting January 1, according to a Reuters report. | |
| BRC drafts letter for retailers to pay rents monthly in advance
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has produced a template letter to enable retailers to approach landlords about switching from paying rents quarterly in advance, to monthly in advance. | |
| Retra to launch 'Heading for the Future' retail training sessions
Electrical retailers’ association Retra has unveiled a new series of formal training sessons for independent retailers. | |
| All Woolworths stores to close by January 5
All Woolworths stores are to close by January 5, according to a report on the Retail Week website. | |
| Best Buy announces redundancy plans
US electrical retailer Best Buy is to slash jobs and will halve its capital expenditure by around 50 per cent year, including a substantial reduction in new store openings in the US, Canada and China. | |
| Sales down at Comet
Kesa Electricals, which trades as Comet in the UK, has reported a half-year loss, with sales plunging because of "extremely difficult" trading conditions. | |
| Job losses feared at Rangemaster
White goods company Rangemaster is to cut 80 jobs. | |
| London sales down for third month
Retail sales in central London in November were 0.4% lower than a year earlier, on a like-for-like basis, stronger than the 2.6% decline in the UK as whole, according to the latest figures from the BRC. | |
| Sony to unveil touchscreen Walkman at CES 2009?
According to internet rumours, Sony is due to launch its most ever advanced music, video and photo Walkman to date at CES 2009. | |
| John Lewis enjoys record electricals and technology sales
John Lewis has had a record sales week for its electricals and home technology products. | |
| Crisis talks at Zavvi
The future of CD and DVD retailer Zavvi is hanging in the balance, following the collapse of music and games distributor EUK, which went into administration last week. | |
| Electrolux to cut 3,000 jobs
White goods giant Electrolux has announced it is to cut 3,000 jobs worldwide as a result of the economic downturn. | |
| Freesat adds to its service
Freesat has announced two new developments to its platform. | |
| Festive warning from TV Licensing
TV Licensing has today issued a reminder to electrical retailers to keep up to date with notifications over the festive season. | |
| Consumers flock to the Woolworths closure sale
Bargain hunters have been flocking to branches of Woolworths on the first day of a store closure sale at all its 815 outlets across the country. | |
| Sharp ponders LCD factory cutbacks
Sharp has said it may cut production of its liquid crystal display panels because of falling consumer demand. | |
| Ofcom confirms capacity will be available for a fourth DTT HD channel
Ofcom has confirmed that capacity will be available for a fourth high definition channel to launch on digital terrestrial television in July 2010. | |
| Red tape puts off good employers from taking on new staff
The smallest businesses are the best employers, but are put off from employing staff by the burden of increased regulation, according to a new report commissioned by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). | |
| Woolworths set for closing down sale
Administrators say they have failed to find a buyer for ailing high street chain Woolworths and intend to begin a closing down sale tomorrow. | |
| Economic uncertainty hits businesses hard
Credit reference firm Equifax has released an interim report on business failures for October/November, which shows that, perhaps not surprisingly, there have been year on year increases across all sectors and all regions of the UK. | |
| Shoppers spent £320 million online on Mega Monday
Monday was the biggest online shopping day this year, with sales volumes up 18 per cent and values up 14 per cent as consumers flocked online to purchase their Christmas presents. | |
| Batteries manufacturers could face the blame if recycling targets are missed
Batteries manufacturers could face harsh financial penalties if the UK does not meet its collection and recycling targets under the Batteries Directive. | |
| BBC to share iPlayer with ITV and C4?
The BBC is looking at sharing the technology platform that powers its iPlayer content with Britain's commercial public service broadcasters, such as ITV and Channel 4, according to a report in The Guardian. | |
| Sony to close plants and cut 8,000 jobs
Sony has announced it is to cut 8,000 jobs in its electronics business worldwide – around five per cent of the division – and close 10 per cent of its manufacturing sites. | |
| John Lewis goes off on a Tangent
Premium Danish radio brand Tangent, which is distributed in the UK by Sennheiser , is now on sale in John Lewis (JLP) stores and on the JLP website. | |
| Scrooge banks 'endangering firms'
Two in five small businesses say they may have to close down because of the difficulty of obtaining credit, new figures reveal. | |
| Woolworths makes 450 head office and support staff redundant
Administrators for Woolworths have made 450 head-office and support staff redundant in London and Castleton. | |
| Insolvency firm booms
As the credit crunch sends more British firms to the wall, insolvency firm Begbies Traynor has announced a boom in its core business and expects things to improve further. | |
| The growing importance of the Web at Christmas
More than 90 per cent of consumers will use the web to research and purchase their Christmas shopping, with 68 per cent planning to conduct at least half of their Christmas shopping online, according to new research from Interactive Media in Retail Group. | |
| Sky Player TV launched
Sky Player TV, the broadcaster's new online subscription TV service, has been launched. 05 December 2008 | |
| Scottish retailers talk of digital TV switchover "nightmare"
Retailers in the Scottish Borders claim that digital TV switchover in the region has been an "absolute nightmare" and urgent action is required to stop it being repeated elsewhere. 04 December 2008 | |
| Base rate of interest cut to two per cent
The Monetary Policy Committee has today cut the cost of borrowing again - by a full one per cent. | |
| Tweeter in liquidation
Tweeter, once considered one of the USA's top electronic stores, has closed all 70 of its remaining outlets and shut out 600 workers without pay as it filed for Chapter 7 liquidation. 04 December 2008 | |
| Business rate supplements could cost retailers £160m
Business Rate Supplementary (BRS) Bill powers announced after today's Queen's Speech will give councils the right to raise taxes directly from local businesses for the first time in nearly 20 years. 03 December 2008 | |
| Amazon launches music download service
Online shopping site Amazon has launched its music download service Amazon MP3. 03 December 2008 | |
| Project Kangaroo VOD service in doubt
The future of Project Kangaroo - the video-on-demand joint venture between BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel Four - has been thrown into doubt following the Competition Commission's provisional ruling today that it "will restrict competition in the supply of VOD services in the UK". 03 December 2008 | |
| BBC says 2Entertain will not go into administration
The BBC has denied reports that 2Entertain, its joint DVD publishing venture with Woolworths, is in any danger of going into administration. 03 December 2008 | |
| More Woolworths' businesses face administration
Woolworths' DVD publishing joint venture with BBC Worldwide, 2Entertain, is likely to enter administration by the end of this week, according to reports. 03 December 2008 | |
| Even high street stars begin to feel the slowdown
Even the high street's most successful retailers are beginning to feel the strain of an economy in freefall. 02 December 2008 | |
| Humax FOXSAT-HDR Freesat+ boxes stolen
Humax has confirmed that a shipment of FOXSAT-HDR Freesat+ boxes was stolen at the weekend, upon their arrival in the UK on November 30th. | |
| CBI warns against minimum pay hike
Union proposals to increase the national minimum wage from £5.73 to £6.10 an hour have been attacked by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). 02 December 2008 | |
| Shops across West Country giving better switchover advice
Eight out of ten shops in the West Country are now giving correct advice and explaining the switchover to digital television, according to new research released today by Digital UK. | |
| Tesco UK sales slow
Tesco is set to post its worst UK sales figures since the early 1990s, providing further evidence of the carnage on the high street. | |
| Bidders line up for Woolworths
Potential buyers are lining up for Woolworths' retail arm. 01 December 2008 | |
