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Latest News [2008] archive from March 2008
| Malcolm Marshall joins ERTV
Industry figure and former independent retailer, Malcolm Marshall, has joined ERTV. | |
| Four unite against property tax
Four major trade bodies have united to fight tax rises on empty properties, which come into force tomorrow. | |
| UK growth to halve?
UK growth will more than halve this year according to the centre for economic and business research (CEBR) 31 March 2008 | |
| Transport taxes will overshadow 'green' incentives, claims FPB
The Forum of Private Business (FPB) is warning that additional transport taxes will overshadow ‘green' incentives, which were announced in the 2008 Budget to encourage smaller businesses to use more fuel-efficient company cars. | |
| 90% coverage for DTT multiplexes
The commercial digital terrestrial multiplexes will cover about 90 per cent of UK homes after switchover, regulator Ofcom has said. | |
| Take care of new technology
Spending big money on technology does not lead to people being more careful, after research showed large numbers losing gadgets and vital contacts. | |
| Waging war on counterfeiters
Four industry associations have joined forces to combat the trade in counterfeit and unapproved products. | |
| Retailers reaching for the Sky
Sky this week launched the Sky Independent Retailer of the Year 2008. | |
| Apple iPod chip maker shares fall 30%
Shares in chip maker Wolfson Electronics, which makes components for Apple iPods, fell up to 30 per cent, after it lost a contract with a major client. | |
| Keep Trade Local Campaign
Electrical retailers' organisation Retra is backing a move by one of Britain's biggest business groups to "Keep Trade Local". | |
| Stand and deliver
ERTV invited a panel of industry experts to discuss the accessories market. 26 March 2008 | |
| US professor tries to block US Blu-ray sales
A Columbia University professor has asked US authorities to block imports into the US of, among other products, Blu-ray disc players. | |
| Mobile phones on aircraft given the all clear
Regulator Ofcom has confirmed that it plans to allow mobile phones to be used on aeroplanes. 26 March 2008 | |
| Sainsbury's growth ahead of target
Sainsbury saw its like-for-like sales rise 4.1 per cent in the 12 weeks to March 22 and by 3.9 per cent for the year. 26 March 2008 | |
| Tories unveil radical maternity-leave plans
The Conservatives have unveiled radical plans to allow new mothers and fathers to take up to a year’s paid leave, and for them to divide it as they choose. | |
| CBI predicts even slower growth in 2009
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has downgraded its 2008 outlook for growth, and it forecasts even slower growth in 2009 due to continued troubles in the credit markets, rising commodity prices and weak domestic and global demand. | |
| Brits not happy at work
More than half of Britons wish they had chosen a different career, new research shows. | |
| HMRC offers £100 tax incentive
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is offering a £100 incentive for completing your employer annual return online. | |
| DTG unveils plan for HD on digital terrestrial TV
A team of experts from the Digital TV Group (DTG) has unveiled a plan that could see up to 40 high-definition channels on the digital terrestrial TV platform. | |
| Greener kitchen from Whirlpool
“Convergence in the kitchen – that’s what we’re trying to do,” said Jean Pascal Rey, vice-president, brand marketing, Whirlpool Europe. | |
| GCap told to hang on to DAB stake
Following its well publicised bid to dump its DAB radio interests, Britain's biggest commercial radio group GCap Media has been told to hold on to them. | |
| OFT checks online retailers
A web sweep of the most popular internet shopping sites found a large minority did not comply with consumer protection rules. | |
| Freesat gears up for launch
Freesat has confirmed its launch retailers and has been granted a licence for the service's electronic programme guide. | |
| Police probe ATM error
A probe has been launched after a cash machine churned out double the money requested. | |
| Kesa warns of hard times ahead
The boss of European electrical retail group Kesa has warned of a tough year ahead as the business revealed its results for the year to January 31. | |
| Surprise rise in retail sales
A surprise one per cent rise in retail sales has been revealed by official figures. | |
| Hopes fade of April interest rate cut
Hopes of another interest rate cut next month have faded after the publication of the last set of Bank of England minutes. | |
| HD-DVD failure knocks Toshiba profits
Another Japanese brown goods giant, this time Toshiba, has revised its forecast for the year to March 31. 19 March 2008 | |
| RTÉ to launch Freesat channel
The Irish government has said that an RTÉ channel will be available on the Freesat by St Patrick's Day 2009. 19 March 2008 | |
| MPs back local TV on Freeview
More than 120 MPs have backed a call for local television to be allocated space on the Freeview platform. An Early Day Motion, supported by campaign group United for Local Television, aims to get the government to set aside spectrum for these services. | |
| Profit warning from Hitachi
Hitachi has warned that it will make a loss this year – the second year in a row that it has failed to make a profit. | |
| ERTV at CeBIT - see video footage
ERTV headed out to this year's CeBIT consumer electronics trade show in Hanover, Germany, to check out some of the latest innovative products and gadgets. | |
| Energy bills fuel inflation
Consumer inflation hit its highest level for nine months in February. | |
| Report says Tesco US bid in trouble
Tesco's move into the USA could be in trouble according to reports, although Tesco has denied the charge. | |
| Dyson design academy in jeopardy
Sir James Dyson's plans to open a £56 million design and engineering school in Bath are in jeopardy. | |
| Sales law gets tough
New rules to protect consumers from aggressive and unfair sales practices have been heralded as the biggest change to consumer legislation in 40 years. | |
| Co-op electrical sales top £100m mark
The Co-operative Group claims that its electrical buying group will exceed £100 million for the first time. | |
| AOL to buy Bebo
Time Warner's AOL is to buy social networking site Bebo in a £420 million deal. | |
| Sky Independent Retailer of the Year awards – watch the film
Satellite broadcaster Sky is gearing up for the launch of its Independent Retailer of the Year competition 2008. | |
| Profits up at Morrisons
Profits before tax at supermarket chain Morrisons rose to £612 million from £369m on turnover that rose six per cent to £13 billion, up 4.6 per cent on a like-for-like basis. | |
| Home Retail Group highlights consumer slowdown
The owner of the Argos and Homebase chains has issued a fresh warning about a slowdown in consumer spending. | |
| No big surprises in Darling's first Budget
After warning that British economic growth would shrink from three per cent last year to between 1.75 and 2.25 per cent this year, Chancellor Alistair Darling said the government would do everything in its power to maintain stability and keep inflation low. | |
| Government loses trust of small businesses
An overwhelming majority of small businesses have said that their confidence in the Government has diminished since the 2007 Budget. | |
| Microsoft cuts price of X-box in Europe
Microsoft has cut the prices of its three Xbox 360 video game consoles in Europe by up to 28 percent. 11 March 2008 | |
| Retail sales show signs of belt-tightening
Consumer confidence has fallen to an all-time low with price-conscious shoppers reluctant to splash out on major purchases. 11 March 2008 | |
| Record sales for Freeview
Record sales of 9.7 million Freeview-branded TV products were reported in 2007 – a rise of 64 per cent on the year. 11 March 2008 | |
| Xbox to get Blu-ray drive
Software giant Microsoft and Sony are reported to be in talks about launching a Blu-ray drive for Microsoft's Xbox 360 games console. | |
| Rose to become M&S chairman
Marks & Spencer chief executive Stuart Rose is to become the retailer's executive chairman, taking over from Lord Burns on June 1. | |
| Today is Debt Freedom Day
Britons will have to work for an average of 70 days this year just to earn the money they need to pay interest on their credit card and loan debt, according to new research. | |
| China crisis – 1,000 factories close
MORE than 1,000 factories have closed in the last three months in China's richest province. | |
| Ebac moves into refrigeration
| |
| Europe lagging on audio description, says Sony
Sony has called on other European countries to catch up to the UK on audio description (AD) of TV shows for blind and partially sighted people. | |
| Interest rates kept at 5.25 per cent
The Bank of England's rate-setting committee has kept interest rates at 5.25 per cent, amid growing signs of inflation. | |
| Brandt changes name in UK to De Dietrich
BRANDT UK, which markets brands De Dietrich and Fagor, has changed its company name to De Dietrich Kitchen Appliances. | |
| ERTV goes green - see video round table discussion
ERTV invited a panel of industry representatives to speak out about green issues in electrical retailing. Laurence Harrison (pictured), director of CE at Intellect, Douglas Herbison, Amdea's chief executive, and Colin Crawford, director of marketing at Pure, joined ERTWeekly'com's web editor, Sean Hannam, for a round table discussion on enviromental topics.
05 March 2008 | |
| Philips Research to leave Redhill for Cambridge
Royal Philips Electronics is to move its subsidiary, Philips Research UK, to Cambridge this autumn. | |
| National Minimum Wage up in October
The national minimum wage is to increase by 21 pence an hour to £5.73 from October, boosting the pay of almost a million workers, Gordon Brown has announced. | |
| New Clarity for Acoustic Solutions
Acoustic Solutions has changed its name to the Clarity Vision Group. | |
| Switchover to cost £4.6bn
Digital TV switchover will cost the country £4.6 billion, £3.8bn of which will be paid by consumers to convert or replace their existing analogue sets. | |
| Nine out of 10 know about switchover
Nine out of 10 adults in the UK are now aware of digital switchover, according to a study by regulator Ofcom and switchover lead body Digital UK. | |
| Microsoft signs up Nokia to Silverlight
Software giant Microsoft has signed a deal with mobile phone maker Nokia to bring its Silverlight platform to millions of mobile phones. | |
| Virgin Media to sell its TV channels?
Following the arrival of Goldman Sachs consultants to oversee a review of Virgin Media Television, reports are circulating that the cable company may be considering selling some or all of its TV channels. | |
| Facebook to link with iTunes
Facebook has launched a new music section in collaboration with iTunes, allowing songs to be streamed and sold. | |
| TUC in call for redundancy pay hike
Union leaders are urging the Government to increase the weekly limit on statutory redundancy pay from £330 to £500 to restore its value. | |
| Ofcom set to ban 'unfair' charges
Telecom and internet firms will soon have to stop levying extra charges that the regulator Ofcom says are unfair. | |
| EU extends net safety programme
The European Commission is spending £42 million on making the net a safer place for children. | |
| New V+ box planned for later this year
Virgin Media has revealed that a new Virgin V+ box could be released during the second half of this year. | |
