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Latest News [2007] archive from May 2007
| Online sales to triple
Online sales in the UK are set to triple over the next five years to £28 billion, equivalent to 8.9 per cent of all retail spending. | |
| UK retailers opt for HD-DVD
UK electrical retailers believe HD-DVD will triumph over Blu-ray in the high-definition format war, according to an online survey conducted by ERTweekly.com | |
| Clare to quit DSGi
John Clare, the chief executive of Currys, Dixons and PC World retailer DSG International, plans to retire in September after 22 years with the business. | |
| HDTV row - Sony hits back
The ignorance of policy makers who believed they were experts in consumer electronics and consumer behaviour led to millions of extra analogue TV sets being sold into a market destined for digital switchover. | |
| Shoplifters same as 'naughty schoolboys'
Fears that shoplifters could be put on the same level as those who drop litter or swear in public have brought protests from retail chiefs. | |
| Buy-in at Rowley
Rowley Electrical Distributors (RED) has been the subject of a management buy-in. | |
| Retailers attack fixed penalty fines
The introduction of fixed penalty fines to businesses for trading and health violations has been attacked by leading retailers. | |
| Cost of raw materials could result in manufacturer casualties
The rising costs of raw materials could lead to smaller manufacturers pulling out of markets, according to a senior executive of BSH. | |
| Town centres given priority over out-of-town sites
Town centres will be given priority over out-of-town shopping developments “that threaten the survival of high streets and small shops”, said the Government. | |
| Avoid 'tumbleweed town centres' say retail chiefs
Councils should be forced to plough money raised from road charges back into public transport to avoid “tumbleweed town centres” said retail chiefs. | |
| New boss for Indesit UK
Enrico Vita has succeeded Marco Marini as managing director of the Indesit Company in the UK. | |
| Canon and Toshiba to delay SED new flat TV launch again
Canon and Toshiba have decided to postpone the launch of SED TVs for the second time, the Japanese companies have announced, raising doubt over the commercial viability of the new flat televisions. 25 May 2007 | |
| Roberts brings DAB and FM to iPod
Roberts Radio and Frontier Silicon are working together to bring the first ever DAB/FM plug-in radio for iPods to the market. | |
| Hitachi and Panasonic strengthen plasma TV business partnership
Hitachi and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co, best known for its Panasonic brand products, have agreed to strengthen their partnership in the plasma TV business. | |
| PAB restructures management team
Sales at Premium Appliance Brands (PAB) have reached £20.8 million as the four-year-old white-goods company restructures its top team. | |
| WEEE have a problem
Is there a major flaw in the UK’s implementation of the electrical waste WEEE Directive, which comes into force on July 1? | |
| Big names come out in force for Intellect
Broadcast minister Shaun Woodward will speak at the Intellect Consumer Electronics conference in London next month. | |
| Retra raises concerns over appointed WEEE enforcement agency
The decision taken by Government to appoint the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) as the enforcer of retailer legal obligations under the Waste, Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations, has been dubbed “strange and concerning” by electrical retailers’ body, Retra. | |
| Record sales growth for BSH
BSH has increased its sales figures significantly for the third year in a row, it announced today at its annual press conference in Munich. | |
| Drop in profits for Sony
A 68.3 per cent drop in operating profits has been reported by Sony, dragged down by losses at its games division. | |
| Sales growth for DSG
Last month’s warm spell and problems in France and Italy hit sales at DSG international, formerly the Dixons Group. | |
| Lawton appointed as distributor for Acoustic Energy and Shure
Acoustic Energy and Shure have appointed Lawton as their distributor. | |
| Internet sales hit £100 billion
Internet sales pushed through the £100 billion barrier this month – a landmark described as “astonishing” by analysts.
21 May 2007 | |
| De Dietrich donation raises thousands at charity ball
A donation of De Dietrich kitchen appliances helped the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation (CLDF) raise over £7,000 at a charity ball held at the Tortworth Four Pillars Hotel in Gloucestershire. | |
| Beko signs sponsorship deal with Watford FC
Beko has signed a record two year deal that will see it invest a significant sum of money into Watford Football Club. | |
| Barrett blogs on Retra Conference
Independent retailer, Shaun Barrett, has blogged about this year's Retra Conference. | |
| LG unveils its first, touch screen video MP3 player
LG has announced the launch of its first, touch screen video MP3 player, the MFFM37 ‘Touch me’. | |
| BT is nation's most popular broadband retailer
BT is now the UK’s most popular broadband retailer, it was revealed today, leapfrogging over the combined customer base of Virgin Media and NTL: Telewest Business into the No.1 position with more than 3.66 million broadband customers. | |
| Electrolux and Luton Town FC team up for charity
Luton Town Football Club goalkeepers Dean Brill and Marlon Beresford faced a charity penalty shootout from delegates and guests at the recent Electrolux Global Design event at Wembley. | |
| Government likely to reject proposals on serial shoplifting
The Government has indicated that it will reject proposals to keep serial shoplifters out of prison. | |
| Global set-top box sales to hit 120 million a year
In the next four years global sales of set-top boxes will reach 120 million units a year. | |
| Indesit roadshow 'an overwhelming success'
The Indesit Company has heralded its recent product roadshow tour an overwhelming success. | |
| White goods prices will go up, claims Whirlpool boss
Retail prices of white goods will have to go up, as a result of “huge competitive pressures in the market”. | |
| New blog from S & C in Dubai
European AV stand manufacturer S & C has updated its blog for www.ertweekly.com from the Hometech Middle East 2007 consumer electronics show in Dubai. | |
| Samsung and ASK create digital vision for London
Samsung has teamed up with retailer ASK to make a big presence in Tottenham Court Road, London, with the front of the store showing off new digital camera signage. | |
| Sky to up HD filming
Sky One will be filming 90 per cent of its original programming in high-definition by the end of next year. | |
| Samsung hits the road
Samsung has launched its 2007 Digital Roadshow to educate consumers about its digital cameras. 14 May 2007 | |
| Store staff believe HD-DVD will triumph
UK store workers are predicting that HD-DVD will win the format war with Blu-ray. | |
| Domestic appliances too noisy, claims survey
One of the biggest surveys in Europe has revealed domestic appliances as a major noise irritant in people's home. 14 May 2007 | |
| S & C blogs from Dubai show
European AV stand manufacturer S & C is blogging for www.ertweekly.com from the Hometech Middle East 2007 consumer electronics show in Dubai. | |
| Half a billion shavers from Philips
Philips DAP has produced its 500 millionth electric shaver. | |
| Virgin Media licensed to thrill
Virgin Media customers will have instant access to the entire James Bond movie collection later this month, including last year’s box office smash, Casino Royale. | |
| BT Vision to hit the high street
BT has announced that its Vision service will be widely available on the high street, retailing in John Lewis and Comet this summer. | |
| All round innovation from Bissell
Bissell unveiled its latest innovation in floorcare at a major international launch in London last night. | |
| Twenty per cent of adults live in a DAB household
RAJAR, the radio industry measuring body, has announced radio listening figures for Quarter 1, 2007 showing big rises in digital listening across all platforms. | |
| Indesit Company to close Blythe Bridge factory
Indesit Company has announced its proposal to cease all activities at its Blythe Bridge factory in Stoke-on-Trent, and to move them to the company’s existing facilities in mainland Europe. | |
| Half of tenants unprepared for switchover
Around half of tenants in the UK still don’t know what they need to do to continue watching television after digital TV switchover, according to research published today. | |
| HD drives Sky sales to £1.2bn
Sky reported that high-definition has been its fastest selling additional TV service as it saw its total revenues jump nine per cent to £12 billion in the three months to March 31. | |
| Sennheiser founder celebrates 95th birthday
A pioneer in the field of electroacoustics is celebrating his 95th birthday today. | |
| Currys ejects blank tapes
Currys is to stop stocking blank tapes once its existing ones are sold. | |
| LG to work more closely with indies
LG has announced its intention to work more closely with independent retailers. | |
| Philips launches Green Tick logo
Philips Electronics has introduced a new consumer logo for its environmentally friendly and safe consumer product range - The Philips Green Tick. | |
| Mackay leaves Electrolux Group
After nearly 19 years with the company, Andy Mackay will be leaving the Electrolux Group. | |
| Online TV 'on the rise'
Almost half of European broadband users are using their computers to watch television online, a new survey claims. | |
| Consumer confusion over flat-panel TVs
Viewers are confused about the quality of picture to expect from flat-panel TVs. | |
| IFA teams up with Euronics
IFA organisers have set up a number of strategic partnerships with dealer groups across Europe including Euronics. | |
| Paul Lee-Kemp and Peter O’Brien return at Sevenoaks
Paul Lee-Kemp and Peter O’Brien have announced they are to take the reins once more at Sevenoaks Sound & Vision, the independent home entertainment retailer. | |
| Alphason cancels dealer conference
AV furniture manufacturer Alphason Designs has cancelled plans for its annual dealer conference and is instead giving extra margin to its customers over the summer months. | |
| Electrolux and Luton Town team up for new kit
Luton Town FC has unveiled its new Puma kit, as part of Electrolux’s Global Design Launch at Wembley Stadium. | |
| Grundig goes green
Grundig Consumer Electronics has announced plans to use a CarbonNeutral programme to offset CO2 emissions associated with the usage of its products sold in the UK. | |
| BBC gets green light for TV on-demand service
BBC shows such as Doctor Who and EastEnders are to be made available on-demand after the BBC's iPlayer service was given the go ahead. | |
| Retra president calls for Internet retail tax
Retra president John Hutchinson has called on the Government to introduce an Internet tax for online retailers. | |
