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Latest News [2007] archive from December 2007
| APACs uncovers payment myths
APACS, the UK payments association, has published a new report – Payment Myths – that uncovers the facts behind payment trends in Britain. | |
| Sharp looks at the bigger picture
Recent Gfk data has revealed that large flat screen sales have risen by 182 per cent year-on-year. | |
| BRC predicts bumper January sales
With shoppers facing tough personal finances, many retailers will be offering big discounts during this January's sales. | |
| Retailers face a festive flurry of shoplifting
UK retailers are on high alert for a surge in shoplifting in the four weeks to Christmas, a report suggests. | |
| Pensioners losing out on a benefits pot of £4.5bn
Pensioners could be losing up to £50,000 each in benefits over their lifetime by not claiming all their entitlements, according to a new report. | |
| Accountants warn against Xmas party overspending
Companies must be wary about going over the tax-free amount they spend on staff parties this Christmas, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW) has warned. | |
| Die Hard is UK's favourite festive film
Die Hard is the nation’s favourite festive film to settle down to on Christmas Day,according to a survey by BT Vision. | |
| Adults on the brink of financial disaster
More than 10 million adults are teetering on the brink of the financial abyss because they cannot cope with rising mortgage payments and other debts. | |
| Retailers will need a late Christmas rush
High street sales are continuing to grow, but retailers will need a late Christmas rush if hopes for a strong performance are to materialise, the Confederation of British Industry said. | |
| Festive DVD boom
More DVDs will be bought as gifts this Christmas than in 2006, reveals a survey carried out by the Digital Entertainment Group Europe (DEG Europe), the pan industry body to promote DVD and HD formats to consumers and trade across Europe. 20 December 2007 | |
| Electrolux wins 12 iF Design Awards
Electrolux has been awarded a combined total of 12 International Design Awards in the Household/Living appliance category for the 2008 edition of the iF Design Awards. | |
| D.A.D wins Co-op Distributor of the Year award
D.A.D, the Gloucester-based domestic appliance distributor, has been voted Best Supporting Distributor of the Year by Anglia Regional Co-operative Society’s Westgate group of department stores. | |
| New chief executive for Digital UK
Digital UK has announced today (Dec 19) that David Scott has been appointed as its new chief executive. Mr Scott, who will take up his post in February 2008, will be in overall charge of the switchover programme which will see analogue terrestrial television signals phased out region by region, starting in the Scottish Borders in November 2008 and completing in 2012. 19 December 2007 | |
| Young Kenwood chef is the icing on the cake
A student from the Birmingham College of Food has been crowned winner of Kenwood’s Let Them Eat Cake Competition. | |
| Three new DAB transmitters for commercial digital network
People around Eastbourne on the South Coast, around Bridlington on the Yorkshire Coast and near Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells can now enjoy DAB digital radio. | |
| Pure’s dreaming of a green Christmas
DAB radio manufacturer Pure has expanded its EcoPlus range in time for Christmas to now include 15 radios with significantly reduced environmental impact. | |
| BRC announces new director general
Stephen Robertson has been appointed to succeed Kevin Hawkins as director general of the British Retail Consortium (BRC). | |
| Graham Knight blogs on Browett
ERT Weekly's retail correspondent, Graham Knight, has offered up his thoughts on John Browett - the new chief executive of DSGi. | |
| Tesco buys PC Guys
Tesco is set to move into the computer support sector following its purchase of PC Guys. | |
| Cambridge Audio is officially cool
This year’s CoolBrands have been announced by the Superbrands Council, and Cambridge Audio features on the list – alongside Aston Martin and Agent Provocateur. | |
| ElectricPig website aims to cut out technology hogwash
A new website aimed at gadget lovers and technology addicts has been launched by Republic Publishing. | |
| Philips takes over Comet store for a day
Philips took over the Solihull Comet store recently, (Dec 8), bringing a pre-Christmas shopping experience to customers. | |
| Independent retailers excluded from Freesat launch
Independent retailers have reacted angrily to news that they will be deliberately excluded from the launch of a new, free-to-air satellite service scheduled for spring 2008. | |
| Call to quicken pace of going green in Europe
Electrolux has called for political support across Europe for faster replacement of energy inefficient appliances. | |
| Sir Alan Sugar takes backseat at Amstrad
Sir Alan Sugar is to step back from the day-to-day management of Amstrad, as the company continues its successful integration with BSkyB, which completed the acquisition of Amstrad in September 2007. | |
| World's first radio to combine DAB/DAB+ and wi-fi
Frontier Silicon has teamed up with REVO to deliver what it claims is the world’s first radio to combine DAB/DAB+ and wi-fi. | |
| New Consumer Centre to deal with complaints
A UK European Consumer Centre was set up last month to help shoppers with complaints about traders and businesses based on the Continent. | |
| Jessops makes snap judgement
High street camera chain Jessops was upbeat despite recording a pre-tax loss of almost £70m. As part of its plans to return to profitability, the retailers is closing 81 stores and refocusing its business. | |
| Ofcom signals TV free for all
Ofcom has taken a “market-led approach” to the analogue TV spectrum sale, in the process sounding the death knell for the prospect of HD channels on Digital Terrestrial TV [Freeview] using the current technology. | |
| Electrolux to close Spennymoor factory
Electrolux has today announced that it is to close its loss-making cooker factory in Spennymoor, County Durham towards the end of 2008 and consolidate production into its existing cooker plant in Poland. | |
| CES to go green
The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January is to "dramatically reduce" its carbon footprint, according to its organiser, the Consumer Electronics Association of America. | |
| Companies Act delayed
A delay that will give smaller businesses more time to adjust to changes outlined in the Companies Act has been welcomed by the Forum of Private Business (FPB). | |
| Strong sales for Sonos
Multi-room audio company Sonos has reported good sales ahead of Christmas this year. | |
| New pension system announced
The Pensions Regulator will monitor a new system of pension saving from 2012, Minister for Pensions Reform Mike O'Brien has announced. | |
| The future of digital radio
A new taskforce has been formed to discuss the future of digital radio. | |
| New customer service plaza from Samsung
Samsung has opened its second customer service plaza, covering North London, Hertfordshire and Essex. | |
| Saucy captions from Roberts winners
Roberts is delighted to announce the winners of the caption competition that recently ran on ERTWeekly.com. | |
| Philips to merge DAP and CE divisions
Philips is merging its domestic appliances and consumer electronics divisions to create Philips Consumer Lifestyle from January 1. | |
| Gadget Show guru speaks out on green issues
Jason Bradbury, one of the presenters of Channel Five's The Gadget Show, has given an interview to ERTV in which he highlights the importance of green gadgets and sustainability in the consumer electronics market. | |
| Mary J Blige to play Monster CES bash
Rhythm and blues soul superstar Mary J Blige is to sing at the Monster Retailer Awards and Concert to be held during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. | |
| Digital switchover now a key driver of digital equipment purchases
Latest research by Digital UK and Ofcom reveals that for the first time more than half of people buying digital television equipment were influenced by the forthcoming digital switchover. | |
| Blu-ray recorders grow market share in Japan
A new report from GfK Japan indicates that in the 30-day period from October 15 to November 12, 2007, Blu-ray Disc recorders accounted for 19.2 per cent of all standard and high definition recorder sales in Japan. | |
| Electrolux suppports LEAF sustainable project award
Electrolux sponsored the Best Environmentally Sustainable Project of the Year at the LEAF 2007 Awards. | |
| GfK looks at consumer trends in brown goods
In the run-up to Christmas, James Rudd, commercial director of Research Panels at GfK, has given us an exclusive Talking Shop video interview in which he speaks about current consumer buying trends in the brown goods market. | |
| Maytag's drive for service excellence
Maytag service engineers are now driving new Renault Trafic LWB service vans with satellite navigation and tracker systems to get them to customers faster. | |
| MPs back small shops
Far reaching powers to protect small shops and stop retail giants taking over local high streets would be granted to local councils under a Bill being brought before the House of Lords. | |
| Nokia delays launch of flagship store
Nokia has delayed the opening of its new Regent Street flagship London store. | |
| Nuts about washing
A Hungarian design student has won the Electrolux Design Lab 2007 competition with a washing machine that uses soap nuts instead of detergent. | |
| Channel shift hits shop footfall
Figures may differ but the message remains the same – store visits last month were lower than they were a year ago. | |
| Ricability tests power consumption of digital TV kit
Independent national research charity Ricability has measured the power consumption of all set-top boxes, digital TV recorders and integrated digital TVs (IDTVs) in use and in standby mode. | |
| New boss for Philips UK
Philips has announced that its new UK Consumer Lifestyle sector will be headed up by Bret Furio, currently senior vice president and general manager for Philips in North America. | |
| Money's the top worry
Money worries concern UK adults more than any other social issue, over and above terrorism, immigration, climate change and gun crime, according to a new report from Axa. | |
| One-in-five in the wrong job
TWENTY per cent of people working for manufacturers "are in the wrong job", according to the boss of a headhunting firm. | |
| Euro white goods makers call for new energy labels
A new energy label designed to go beyond class A is being urged by European manufacturers. | |
| Reduce workplace stress to cut down absenteeism
With staff absence costing employers £13 billion a year, businesses have been urged to do more to reduce stress in the workplace. | |
| Consumers ignorant about Freeview
Just a year before digital TV switchover begins a report reveals that people know more about pay TV than they do about Freeview. | |
| Consumers feel the pinch
Rising oil and food prices plus increased mortgage payments have hit consumer confidence. | |
| CIH snubs brown goods makers
CIH chairman Robin Millwood has urged the buying group's suppliers to "get profit back into this trade". | |
| Two minutes to win over Web customers
Nearly three-quarters of online shoppers (71 per cent) in the UK will leave a retail website within one to two minutes of not finding the products they are looking for, according to research from SLI Systems. | |
| Men living longer will stretch pension funds
Men could live for up to 12 years longer by 2050 than is currently predicted, dramatically increasing the cost of providing pensions, research has claimed. | |
Currys dig |
PC World and UniEuro drag down DSGi profits
A 25 per cent drop in underlying pre-tax profits has been reported by DSGi, parent company of Dixons, Currys and PC World. 05 December 2007 |
| D.A.D scoops award
D.A.D has been voted ‘Best Supporting Distributor of the Year’ by Anglia Regional Co-operative Society’s Westgate group of department stores. 04 December 2007 | |
| Christmas hangovers cost firms millions
Christmas parties are not just a headache for managers to organise - they are proving a bit of a pain for workers, too. | |
| Credit card companies keen to push the limits
More than seven out of 10 credit card customers have had their credit limit increased without asking for it. | |
online shopping |
OFT swoop on top e-retailers
An internet sweep of the UK's top 600 retail websites is to be carried out by the Office of Fair Trading and Local Authority Trading Standards Services in December. |
| Mixed signs on High Street sales
UK retail sales growth rose last month, industry figures have shown, but the longer-term trend continues to point to a slowdown on the High Street. | |
| 9-to-5 in decline as more workers embrace flexible options
Flexibility and being able to balance work with family and leisure time are becoming prized job benefits in the British workplace, with employers eager to offer more tailor-made, flexible working to secure and retain loyal employees. | |
| Ennals to leave Digital UK
Ford Ennals, the boss of switchover lead body Digital UK, is to step down in February to take on a new role in the United States. | |
| FSB lends its support to local banking services
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has given its backing to a campaign to support local banking services. | |
| Apacs predicts consumers will spend 4% more this December
APACS, the UK payments association, has released its UK consumer spending predictions for December, which estimate that spending on cards, cash and cheques will reach £53 billion, an increase of 4.2 per cent on December 2006, when it was £50.8bn. | |
| Online shopping expected to soar
Christmas shoppers are expected to make today the busiest day of the year for online shopping. | |
| Virgin Media axes sales staff
Virgin Media is to axe its sales staff in shopping centres and high streets, with the loss of up to 204 jobs. | |
