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Latest News [2007] archive from November 2007
| Acas saving the UK £800m
A new independent study has revealed the positive impact that the employment relations service Acas is having on the UK economy. | |
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Happy first birthday, ERTWeekly.com
ERTWeekly.com celebrates its first birthday today. |
| Hain plans new medical tests to put end to 'sick note Britain'
A new medical test that will score a person's capability to work is announced by Work and Pensions Secretary Peter Hain, as part of his drive to end 'sick-note Britain'. | |
| Celebrity chef Tony Tobin talks to ERTWeekly.com
CELEBRITY chef Tony Tobin this week claimed that the cooker is the most important tool in the kitchen. | |
| Kanes stage CIH coup
CIH, the independent buying group, is facing a multi-million pound takeover bid. | |
| Ofcom maps out HD
Regulator Ofcom has conceded that there is, after all, demand for a high-definition service on Freeview and has published a roadmap to achieve it. | |
| The future looks grey
The "grey pound" will have a big impact on retailing during the next 10 years, a new report said. | |
| Good cheer over Xmas
Retailers are expecting a 'Merry Christmas' this year, according to findings revealed by the American Express 2007 Retail Monitor. | |
| Labour pledges £11b for learning and skills
A scheme aimed at improving skills and learning throughout the UK has been announced by the government. | |
| Jobs at risk from plan to get tough over speeding
Plans to increase penalty points for speeding motorists could "criminalise" a large section of Britain's workforce and lead to many losing their jobs, driving instructors are warning. | |
| Rival TV broadcasters to launch joint online service
The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 are to launch a joint on-demand service, which will bring together hundreds of hours of television programmes in one place. | |
| Computer games are now more popular with older consumers
Computer games are the must have gift for thirty-somethings this Christmas, according to a survey by battery manufacturer Energizer. | |
| Bissell boss cries out for innovation in floorcare
Charles Gordon, commercial director of Bissell, has given a Talking Shop interview with ERTWeekly.com in which he calls for more innovation in the floorcare market. | |
| Lawton sets up new home electronics division
Lawton has strengthened its position in the independent retail sector with the creation of Lawton Home Electronics division. | |
| Broadcasters warn of interference problems
Selling broadcast spectrum to the highest bidder - particularly if that turns out to be a mobile telephone company - could pose a threat to European broadcasting. | |
| Ignorance of online shopping rights
Many consumers do not understand their rights or the potential risks when buying goods online, according to the Trading Standards Institute. | |
| New suit for Armour revealed
Distributor Armour is to change its name and corporate image to reflect the range of products it carries. | |
| Travellers spend 11 days a year stuck in traffic
Business travellers are wasting an average of 11 days a year stuck in traffic jams, a new report has shown. | |
| Goodbye to analogue
Leading consumer electronics manufacturers and electrical retailers are seeking industry-wide support for a plan to phase out the sale of analogue TV equipment. | |
| Web exclusive - Intellect CE boss announces 2008 conference on ERTV
Intellect’s director of consumer electronics, Laurence Harrison, has chosen ERTV to exclusively reveal initial details of next year’s Intellect CE Conference. | |
| UK pensions second worst in EU
The UK's state pension system is the worst in the European Union for the second year running, according to the consultancy firm Aon Consulting. | |
| Faith in economy weakens
UK firms' confidence in their own business activity has deteriorated for the first time since June, according to the Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets Business Barometer. | |
| Slashing prices not the answer, says KPMG
Slashing prices will not cut it in the expected retail downturn, according to a group of leading analysts. | |
| Sainsbury's ramps up non-food
Half of Sainsbury's new space by 2010 will be dedicated to non-food products and they will provide one-third of the £3.5 billion additional sales the grocery giant plans. | |
| FPB calls for us to follow the Scots
Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has proposed cutting or removing the rates bills of around 150,000 small business properties to boost the Scottish economy. | |
| Workers wound up by behaviour of colleagues
Millions of workers get wound up almost to breaking point by the annoying habits and lack of consideration of their colleagues, according to a new report. | |
| Manufacturers and dealers mix at Retra NE dinner
Manufacturers and retailers mixed business with pleasure at a Retra dinner held at the Redworth Hall Hotel, County Durham, on Thursday 14 November. | |
| Brits expecting to spend too much on Christmas
With just over 30 shopping days left to Christmas, the countdown is officially on. | |
| Forty per cent of dealers do not actively demonstrate HD, according to ERT poll
Forty per cent of ERTWeekly.com readers who answered an online poll on selling high definition do not actively demonstrate HD content in store. | |
| UK consumers expected to spend £53 billion over Christmas
Spending on cards, cash and cheques will reach £53 billion this Christmas - an increase of 4.2 per cent on December 2006, when it was £50.8 billion, according to predictions released by APACS, the UK payments association. | |
| Freeview launches first TV ad campaign
Freeview has kicked off its first ever television advertising campaign, forming part of a wider Christmas marketing initiative in the Border, Central and Granada TV regions. | |
| Government pledges to listen
The government has acknowledged that it must work harder to ensure that businesses' views are represented in Whitehall. | |
| Retail apprenticeship scheme
In a bid to combat the current skills gap, a Welsh training provider has developed an apprenticeship programme specifically aimed at the retail sector. | |
| Get behind your local shops this Christmas
An environmental lobby group and a leading business organisation are urging shoppers to avoid out-of-town retail parks and hit their local high streets for a green Christmas. | |
| Tax and skills are top worries
The burden of tax and red tape, as well as a lack of skilled, motivated young employees entering the workforce, were the most pressing concerns facing smaller businesses, according to those who took part in the Forum of Private Business's Small Firms' Summit last month. | |
| Forbes Direct takes on Plumbs' rental accounts
Forbes Direct, which claims to be England's largest independent rental company, has taken over the rental accounts and some staff of Lancashire-based electrical retailer Plumbs. | |
| Department stores set to double
The growth rate of department stores is expected to double during the next five years. | |
| No hope of interest rate cuts as oil prices soar
Homeowners have been told to abandon hope of rate cuts before next spring after the oil price soared to a record high. | |
| Web will grab £14bn this Xmas
In the run up to Christmas, 27 million shoppers will spend a record-breaking £14 billion online, bringing internet spending for the year to £40bn. | |
| Usdaw pledge on violence
Shopkeepers' union Usdaw has pledged to continue its efforts to protect its members from violence after the British Retail Consortium (BRC) reported a 50 per cent increase in violence against shopworkers. | |
| John Clare joins Dyson board
Former DSGi chief John Clare has been made a non-executive director of floorcare giant Dyson. | |
| Wal-mart sells Toshiba HD-DVD player for $98
Wal-mart, the owner of Asda in the UK, has cut the price of a Toshiba HD-DVD player to $98 - that's around £47. | |
| Prices up – but not for electricals
Shop prices rose in October by their highest level so far this year, sales figures reveal, but electricals are still falling. | |
| Smoking ban a success with people and business
The ban on smoking within public places throughout the UK has been lauded as a success three months after its introduction. | |
| CES to 'go green'
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has announced that the 2008 International CES is to 'go green' by reducing its carbon footprint and with the use of sustainable and energy efficient practices. | |
| BCC welcomes proposal to use hard shoulder
The British Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the Department of Transport's proposed use of the hard shoulder to ease congestion on the UK's busiest roads. | |
| UK’s first TV switchover completed
Whitehaven in Cumbria today became the first area of the UK to switch to all-digital television services. | |
| Speakers confirmed for Retra Portugal Conference
Retra has confirmed that Ford Ennals, chief executive of Digital UK, and Danny Churchill, director of the Digital TV Group, will be among the speakers at next year’s Annual Industry Conference, which takes place between Sunday 27and Tuesday 29 April 2008 in the Algarve, Portugal. | |
| Insolvencies, bankruptcies and repossessions falling
The number of people being declared insolvent in England and Wales fell again in the third quarter of the year. | |
| Whitehaven to complete switchover by tomorrow
Whitehaven will become the country’s first all-digital town tomorrow morning (Nov 14). | |
| Sales slowdown yet to hit London
Retail sales in Central London in October were 11 per cent higher than a year earlier, on a like-for-like basis, a good gain on top of the 15.8 per cent year-on-year increase in October 2006, when sales were recovering from the July 2005 bombings. | |
| Take a virtual tour of the Samsung shop
Samsung has given ERTWeekly.com users an exclusive peek at the inside of its new Samsung store,which is located on London's Tottenham Court Rd. | |
| Put your questions to Laurence Harrison
Intellect’s director of consumer electronics, Laurence Harrison, has agreed to go under the spotlight in the first video Talking Shop on www.ERTWeekly.com | |
| Sales growth has slowed since the summer, says CBI
Sales growth is at its slowest in almost a year, according to the Confederation of British Industry. | |
| Yan can help when it comes to writing a will
The son of a multi-millionaire who was left with nothing after his father's will disappeared has set up a website to make sure it does not happen to anyone else. | |
| Samsung unveils its first ever dedicated store in the UK
Samsung has opened its first ever Samsung store on Tottenham Court Road, London, and is planning to launch more in major cities in the UK. | |
| Whirlpool makes 30% more in Q3
Whirlpool saw profits jump 31 per cent to $175 million (around £84 million) in the three months to September 30. | |
| CGT plans comes under more fire
Shadow Chancellor George Osborne has signed a petition urging the Government to reverse its decision on Capital Gains Tax as reports suggest the Chancellor is already giving in to pressure to water down the changes. | |
| Spicing things up in the kitchen
New research carried out by domestic appliance brand Indesit has revealed that 95 per cent of Britons have confessed to sexual antics in the kitchen, with 40 per cent of those people admitting to having sex in the kitchen. | |
| Beware of worker rights for Xmas temporary staff
Businesses planning to take on extra staff during the busy festive season are being urged to take steps to eliminate the risk of legal action. | |
| MP slams switchover lottery
A Borders MP has hit out at what he calls the "unfair lottery" of channels people will receive after digital switchover. | |
| CC sells indies short
Supermarkets are not hurting smaller retailers and do not indulge in anti-competitive practices - in fact, some towns could do with more of them. | |
| What about the little guys?
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has come under criticism from the Forum of Private Business (FPB) for convening the first meeting of his new Business Council, without representations from small businesses. | |
| Intellect's head of CE to speak out on ERTV
Intellect’s director of consumer electronics, Laurence Harrison, has agreed to go under the spotlight in the first video Talking Shop on www.ERTWeekly.com | |
| Shops lose £205 million to drug-driven criminals
The value of goods stolen from UK shops has hit a 10-year high, according to the latest report on high street crime. | |
| £3 billion bonanza for high street this Xmas
Britain’s high streets can expect a Christmas bonanza this year with shoppers spending nearly £3 billion more than last year. | |
| Government owns up to pension advice gaffe
The Government has admitted its helpline has been giving the wrong information about state pensions to some married women. | |
| Sky profits dips 20% to £143m
Sky has seen a 21 per cent fall in profits during the three months to September 30. | |
| Time taken commuting has rocketed over past decade
The time workers spend commuting to and from home has "rocketed" in the past 10 years, with millions now taking at least an hour to get to the office, it is claimed. | |
| Handy sales aid from Roberts
To help independent retailers communicate the benefits of its new range of DAB digital radio recorders, the Gemini 55, Gemini 33 and MP-Sound 30, which incorporate an instant record to SD card function, Roberts is offering dealers an exclusive promotion. | |
| Jessops snaps up Photo Retailer award
Jessops has won the UK’s Photo Retailer of the Year title in the annual Gear of the Year Awards. | |
| Armour forges partnership with Epson
Armour has signed a deal with Epson to handle distribution of its home cinema projectors in the UK and Ireland. | |
| Pure hits the Highway
Pure is claiming a world first with the launch of a new in-car DAB digital radio. | |
| Small companies prefer not to appoint a board
Owners of small businesses typically choose not to appoint a board and feel that non-executive directors (NEDs) will hold them back, research has shown. | |
| Trevor Baylis winds-up on ERTV
Trevor Baylis, the pioneer of wind-up portable products, has given an exclusive video interview to www.ERTWeekly.com | |
| JVC joins BADA
JVC has joined the British Audio Visual Dealers Association (BADA) in a development that signals a move into high-end hi-fi in the UK. | |
| ASA rules against Sky
The Advertising Standards Authority has banned a Sky advert that criticised Virgin Media for offering discounted prices to new customers. | |
| Tribunals up by 50% in past year
The number of workers taking their employers to tribunal has rocketed over the past few years, with the burden of complex employment laws on small businesses being blamed. | |
| Brits are top internet spenders in Europe
UK shoppers are Europe's biggest internet spenders – in fact, this Christmas, they are forecast to spend more online than their two nearest European rivals combined. | |
| Selloff greed puts digital TV progress in jeopardy
The prospect of megabucks from the analogue TV spectrum sell-off could betray millions of Britons who bought into what they thought were future-proof IDTVs. | |
| Web-only recruitment may fall foul of the law
Companies who hire staff using online application forms only could be risking being guilty of age discrimination, experts have warned. | |
| Job laws a burden for SMEs
Small businesses are left all alone to cope with employment laws, according to a new report from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). | |
| Tough times ahead on the high street
Comet boss Hugh Harvey has warned of tough times on the high street. | |
