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Latest News [2008] archive from February 2008
| Dead as a Domo
LAST week's Domotechnica show in Cologne has been blasted by both exhibitors and visitors. | |
| Shops Bill moves on to next stage
A Bill introduced by small shops campaigner Lord Cotter received its Second Reading in the House of Lords on Friday February 21. | |
| First upright from Miele
This summer, Miele will launch its first range of upright vacuum cleaners – the S7. | |
| New advice issued on protecting your cheques
Cheque use has now become so infrequent that payments body Apacs has issued new advice giving safety tips on them. | |
| Government investigates path to next generation broadband
Next generation high speed broadband will be essential for the UK's future economic success, Business and Competitiveness Minister Shriti Vadera said as she launched an independent review into the issue, led by Francesco Caio. | |
| 'Outstanding' year at Loewe
A 60 per cent jump in earnings before interest and taxes to Euro 21 million (around £15.8m) was reported by Loewe. | |
| Calls for green tax to replace VAT
VAT on consumer goods should be replaced with a graduated environmental tax which encourages people and companies to be greener, a report has urged. | |
| Freesat rejects claim it will "struggle"
Freesat has rejected a claim it will "struggle" to win viewers because of Sky's dominance. | |
| John Clare opens virtual store
Former Dixons boss John Clare has started a website, myfaveshop.com | |
| Global set-top box sales surge
Analogue switch off in the USA will create a surge in demand for digital terrestrial set-top boxes, according to Strategy Analytics. | |
| Squids in with Cromwell's Web watcher
RETAIL software vendor Cromwell Business Systems has launched a service to help retailers combat staff overusing the internet for private browsing during work time. | |
| MPs warning of switchover confusion
The planned nationwide switchover to digital TV has become "a recipe for confusion", MPs have warned. | |
| London puts a curb on WEEE
London’s Enhance Capital Fund has helped launch a kerbside waste collection service for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and batteries with a £95,000 grant. | |
| Sony and Sharp forge TV alliance
Sony and Sharp are to join forces to produce and sell large sized LCD panels. | |
| Video stars kill radio rumours - watch ERTV footage
ERTV has joined the ‘Is DAB dead?’ debate by inviting major players in the digital radio industry to have their say on camera. | |
| Virgin to challenge BSkyB ruling
Virgin Media is to challenge the Competition Commission's ruling that BSkyB must reduce its stake in ITV, saying it does not go far enough. | |
| Microsoft calls time on making HD-DVD add-ons for Xbox 360
Microsoft has decided to stop making the HD DVD add-on for its Xbox 360 games console after Toshiba abandoned the high definition DVD format. | |
| Phone firm 'slamming' scams still rife
Thousands of people are still having their phone provider switched without their permission despite efforts to combat the practice, the industry watchdog has said. | |
| Europe funds internet TV standard
The European Union is spending £10.5million to create a standard way to send TV via the net. | |
| Hitachi to launch OLED TV in 2010
Hitachi will introduce OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) flatscreen TV technology to Europe in 2010, according to an announcement at the company’s recent ultra-thin TV launch event in London. | |
| FPB calls for better on-the-job training for young workers
The Forum of Private Business (FPB) believes that forcing young people to stay in education up to the age of 18 could leave many of them unprepared for the workplace. | |
| Poor CV spells ruin for chance of job
Jobseekers are spoiling their chances of landing work by making mistakes on their CVs - such as mis-spelling their own name, according to a new report. | |
| ISPs warned over illegal downloads
Internet service providers could be forced by law to stop illegal downloads of films and music unless they come up with a voluntary code. | |
| Flexible rights could ‘overwhelm’ business, says Hutton
Businesses have welcomed comments by business secretary John Hutton, who said an expansion of flexible working policy would ‘destabilise’ business. | |
| BBC iPlayer growth continues
Over 17 million programmes have been streamed or downloaded on demand on BBC iPlayer in the first seven weeks since its launch, according to new figures from the BBC. | |
| January sales fever seen online
Online shoppers caught sales fever last month, spending more on the web than in any previous January, figures show. | |
| Van drivers 'don't know about new rules'
More than eight out of 10 van drivers are unaware of the new speed-limiter rules that have been in force since the beginning of the year, it has been claimed. | |
| Online ID fraud risk on the increase
Consumer rights experts say the increasing amount of personal details available online are putting people at greater risk of fraud. | |
| Wii Fit to launch on April 25
Nintendo has confirmed its Wii-exclusive title Wii Fit will be released in the UK on April 25. | |
| Sky to challenge Competition Commission findings
Satellite broadcaster Sky will tomorrow (Friday) launch a legal challenge against "key conclusions" of the Competition Commission's report on its investment in ITV. | |
| FSB calls for Peers to save small retailers
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has called on Peers to support the Retail Development Bill, which will receive its second reading in the House of Lords tomorrow (Friday). | |
| UK retail sales rebound strongly
UK retail sales rebounded by more than expected in January following a fall in December, figures show. | |
| Charities unite to support digital switchover
Three of the UK's leading charities to support viewers through the switch to digital television has been announced by Digital UK, the organisation co-ordinating digital television switchover. | |
| BCC warns of flexible working burdens
Changing flexible working from an opportunity into a right will be burdensome on businesses, the British Chambers of Commerce said. | |
| Slump in business confidence starts to slow
Despite a marginal fall in optimism among UK businesses in January, the speed of deceleration in confidence has slowed dramatically since the start of the year, according to the latest Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets Business Barometer. | |
| Bank rate cut decision was unanimous
All nine members of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee voted for a cut in the cost of borrowing this month, the minutes of their meeting show. | |
| BBC iPlayer to team up with Apple products
The BBC will launch a version of its iPlayer for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch in coming weeks. | |
| 'Techno addiction' on the rise
A growing number of people are becoming addicted to their mobile phones, Blackberries and other digital devices, researchers are warning. | |
| Asda to create 9,000 jobs
Supermarket firm Asda is to embark on large-scale expansion plans this year and will create 9,000 new jobs and open 22 stores. | |
| FPB fights Manchester's congestion charge plans
The Forum of Private Business (FPB) is warning that a proposed road-pricing scheme in Greater Manchester will prove disastrous for many smaller businesses, which could struggle to find the money to pay it. | |
| Toshiba ditches HD-DVD
Toshiba today (Feb 19) announced that it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD-DVD players and recorders. | |
| BBC puts shows on iTunes
BBC has become the first UK broadcaster to offer TV shows on digital store iTunes. | |
| Sky denies Freesat closure plans
Sky has denied rumours it is planning to close its Freesat from Sky service. | |
| DAB radio - have your say
Manufacturers and broadcasters have rushed to the defence of DAB radio following the announcement by GCap Media that it was pulling out of DAB. | |
| Sky to appeal ITV decision
Sky will this week lodge an appeal against a Competition Commission ruling that it must sell most of its shares in ITV. | |
| Retra signs up three new associate members
Three new companies have shown joined retailers' association Retra. | |
| The UK is top of the credit card league
Britons are twice as likely to have a credit card as people in any other country in Western Europe, according to market analyst Datamonitor. | |
| Toshiba shares climb as HD-DVD speculation increases
Shares in Toshiba have gained more than five per cent as speculation intensified that it is to scrap its high definition DVD format, HD-DVD. | |
| Fifth of Britons 'buy fake goods'
A fifth of Britons have bought counterfeit goods, according to a survey conducted for the BBC's Money Programme. | |
| Record numbers opt for bankruptcy
A record number of people in England and Wales asked to go bankrupt during 2007, according to official figures. | |
| Industry rallies to defence of DAB
Radio makers and broadcasters have rushed to defend DAB radio against accusations that it is not catching on with UK listeners. | |
| Intellect sets record straight on energy
The recent flak targeted at the energy-inefficiency of standby buttons took little account of the fact that makers had been working for 10 years or so to make them more efficient. | |
| Play.com to take on iTunes
In a bid to “take on iTunes in the UK”, online retailer Play.com has launched a store selling digital music tracks without DRM (digital rights management) copy protection. | |
| Council takes control of WEEE evidence
Devon county council has taken control of its electrical waste from WEEE producer compliance scheme Electrolink. | |
| News Corporation in talks with Yahoo
Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is squaring up to Microsoft in the software giant's fight to control internet company Yahoo. | |
| EU review of pay-TV and V-o-D
A review of pay-TV and video-on-demand regulation is being planned by the European Union. | |
| EC raids DSGi
The UK headquarters of DSG international – parent company of Currys, Dixons and PC World - has been raided by the European Commission as part of its anti-trust investigation into chipmaker Intel. | |
| Bank of England blow to interest rate cuts
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee faces a difficult balancing act to bring inflation back to the two per cent target in the medium term, admitted Bank of England governor Mervyn King. | |
| Government plans illegal download crackdown
People in the UK who go online and illegally download music and films may have their internet access cut under plans the government is considering. | |
| Inflation figures up
Inflation is moving upwards in the UK. | |
| Orange and T-Mobile join for mobile TV and radio trial
Mobile phone operators Orange and T-Mobile have joined forces to trial a mobile TV and multimedia broadcast service in West London. | |
| Today is Safer Internet Day
Safer Internet Day is being marked around Europe, with events to educate children and parents about net dangers. | |
| Retra chief exec welcomes cut in interest rates
Retra chief executive, Bryan Lovewell, has welcomed the Bank of England’s decision to cut interest rates to 5.25 per cent. | |
| Manufacturers continue to see growth in DAB radio sales
Digital radio manufacturers continue to see positive growth in the sales of DAB radio sets as well as an increase in the amount of digital listening and an increase in the number of adults who own a DAB set at home, according to Intellect, the trade association for the UK technology industry. | |
| Retail sales bounced back in January
UK retail sales bounced back in January after stores had their worst Christmas in three years, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has said. | |
| Big names lined up for Retra Conference
A host of big names have now been confirmed for the Retra Annual Industry Conference, which will be held in Portugal between April 27 and 29, 2008. | |
| GCap gives up on DAB
GCap Media has announced the closure of national DAB services Planet Rock and theJazz as well as the sale of its national DAB multiplex, Digital One. | |
| Retra boss joins Lions' Lair judging team
Bryan Lovewell, chief executive of retailers' association Retra, has joined the judging panel of Lions' Lair, ERT Weekly's Dragons' Den-style competition. | |
| BRC on being green friendly
British retailers are increasing pressure on politicians to ensure that the European Union's carbon reduction policy is matched with practical 'green friendly' action. | |
| Footfall down in January
Last month saw a 0.7 per cent year-on-year fall in shoppers visiting UK high streets and shopping centres compared with January 2007, according to new figures from the Experian Retail FootFall Index. | |
| Wal-Mart plans to sell greener flat-panel TVs
US super retailer Wal-Mart is to ensure that the flat-panel TVs it sells are 30 per cent more energy efficient by 2010. | |
| Retra president and chief executive to meet dealers
Retra members have the opportunity to talk face-to-face with its chief executive and president at a number of centre meetings this year. | |
| Nokia opens flagship London store
Nokia has opened its UK flagship store on London’s Regent Street. | |
| Producer liability
Manufacturers could be responsible for products that go wrong in the guarantee period, if eurocrats have their way. | |
| Calling all budding inventors
ERT Weekly has teamed up with the appliance brand, Home-tek International, to launch Lions’ Lair, our Dragons’ Den-style search for the best new invention by someone employed in the electrical retailing or wholesaling industries. | |
| It'll be old whites on the night
One in three people questioned in a major white goods study admitted the oldest appliance in their homes was 10 years or older. | |
| Binatone on the map
Three months after it entered the UK satellite navigation market, Binatone achieved the fourth highest sales in the country in the run up to Christmas. | |
| Ofcom plans for HD may spell end for Freeview
Ofcom has been attacked over its plans to bring high-definition broadcasts to digital terrestrial TV. | |
| BBC under pressure to disclose Freesat costs
The BBC has been slammed by a parliamentary committee for withholding information on the costs of its contribution to the free-to-air joint satellite venture Freesat. | |
| Sony cuts its profits forecasts
Sony has slashed its profit forecasts for the year to March to around Yen 410 billion (around £305 million). | |
| 'Exceptional' results for Pace
Strong results in a shortened financial year have boosted Pace Micro Technology. | |
| Dysons get cut down to size
Dyson boss James Dyson has been cutting his machines down to size for the UK market. | |
| Consumers prefer independent electrical retailers
Independent electrical retailers have scored highly in a Retail Satisfaction Survey conducted by independent consumer magazine Which? | |
| Samsung launch repair plan with D&G
Samsung, the leading flat panel manufacturer, has appointed Domestic & General to operate a repair plan on behalf of its customers for both brown and white goods. | |
| Ricability wins contract for consumer usability testing of DTV gear
Impartial information for consumers about easy-to-use TV equipment received a boost today (Feb 5). | |
| US digital confusion
One third of Americans who own TVs are not aware of digital TV switchover due to happen in the USA in February 2009. | |
| Nick Alsbury joins BBG
BBG Distribution, the specialist supplier of AV products and accessories, has appointed Nick Alsbury as its new senior marketing consultant. | |
| 'Lux Power of Red gets GHI approval
Electrolux's Power of Red vacuum cleaner has received accreditation from the Good Housekeeping Institute. | |
| Humax comes top in Ricability test
A Humax box has come top in new research on digital TV recorders by research charity Ricability. | |
| Malcolm has the power
Malcolm Marshall, a former president of retailers’ association Retra president and a well-respected retailer with many years’ experience, has launched a retail consultancy, Ruach. | |
