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Latest News [2007] archive from September 2007
| Glamorous new model from Philips
To celebrate the arrival of its Aurea LCD TV in the UK, Philips teamed up with supermodel Eva Herzigova to mark the launch with an appearance in the window at Harrods in London and store appearances in Selfridges, Manchester and House of Fraser, Glasgow. | |
| Raymond Blanc goes for Gaggenau
To launch Gaggenau’s latest cooking and cooling range, world famous chef and restaurateur Raymond Blanc gave a live cooking demonstration using the appliances. | |
| Wi-Fi hotspots for iPod touch users
European Wi-Fi provider The Cloud is to give Wi-Fi access to owners of Apple’s new iPod touch in thousands of hotspots across the UK. | |
| Baumatic helps out children's clinic
Baumatic has equipped a new kitchen within a Germany-based children’s clinic with appliances. | |
| Steve nets online prize
Steve Herbert, the manager of CIH independent retailer Van Haaren & Sons in Walthamstow, east London, was the latest winner in ERTWeekly.com’s Business Development Zone competition. | |
| Tories to help small shops
Help for Britain's beleaguered small shops is promised by the Conservative Party. | |
| Stoves scoops CORGI cooker award
Stoves has been awarded Cooker of the Year for its Richmond 900DF at the 2007 CORGI awards. | |
| Restructuring at Acoustic Energy
Acoustic Energy has dramatically overhauled and expanded its UK sales department with a number of changes and appointments. | |
| DTG to test products for Freesat
The Digital TV Group's testing centre, DTG Testing, has been chosen to test receivers designed to access Freesat, the free satellite TV service to be launched by the BBC and ITV early next year. | |
| BBC HD gets the OK from Ofcom
BBC plans to launch a high-definition TV channel has prompted regulator Ofcom to admit that it was likely to encourage the take up of HD across "all the major TV platforms including digital terrestrial television (DTT), satellite and cable". | |
| Summit to discuss next-gen broadband
A summit will be held later this year to allow the Government to assess whether it needs to step in to support next-generation broadband. | |
| IDTV sales help drive switchover to digital
Eighty-four per cent of UK homes were receiving digital TV services on their main set by June, according to the latest digital progress report from regulator Ofcom. | |
| Darling to consult business chiefs
Twenty of the UK's most successful business owners have been called in by the Government to help it kick-start a review of its policy towards small business. | |
| Channel 4 first to offer HD simulcasts on Sky
Channel 4 will be the first terrestrial TV channel to be simulcast in high definition on Sky. | |
| Sharp to become top shareholder in Pioneer
Sharp has agreed to become the top shareholder in rival Pioneer as part of a business and capital tie-up. | |
| Alba chairman to retire
Alba Group chairman John Harris is to retire on October 4 from the company he founded in 1963 as Harris Overseas Ltd. | |
| Russell Hobbs teams up with Marco Pierre White
Kitchen electrical brand Russell Hobbs and celebrity chef, Marco Pierre White, have joined forces to develop a new range of small appliances. | |
| Environment Agency warns non-compliant WEEE producers
ACCORDING to the Environment Agency nearly 3,900 producers of electrical goods have registered under the WEEE Directive | |
Apple iPhone |
iPhone downloads cost more
CONSUMERS wanting Apple's iPhone have been warned they could save hundreds of pounds by downloading music to a traditional mobile instead. |
| DAB 58 per cent household penetration by 2011
Figures released by the DRDB (Digital Radio Development Bureau) show household penetration of DAB digital radio in the UK is set to reach 58.5 per cent by the end of 2011. | |
| Retra supports Tory proposals to ban below-cost selling
Conservative proposals to ban below-cost selling, bringing the UK in line with other European countries, has been warmly welcomed by electrical retailers’ association, Retra. | |
| CIH and Retra to join forces?
Buying group CIH has revealed plans to work closely with the retailers' association Retra, for the benefit of both sets of members. | |
| BBG wins Jamo award
BBG Distribution has won the Jamo Worldwide Partner of the Year 2006-2007 award, having grown Jamo’s UK sales by 203 per cent (by turnover) in just one year. | |
| Alphason goes for lifetime guarantee
AV furniture manufacturer Alphason is to offer a lifetime guarantee on all its products. | |
| 'Tired prejudices colour Conservative thinking'
Tired anti-supermarket prejudices have coloured Conservative Party thinking, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). | |
| LG steps out on the catwalk
LG has partnered with London Fashion Week (LFW) to take cutting edge design from the catwalk into the home. | |
| John Lewis warns of tough times ahead
A warning of a sharp slowdown on the high street was issued by department store and supermarket group John Lewis. | |
| D&G agrees to Advent takeover bid
The Board of breakdown insurer Domestic & General has approved a £524 million takeover bid from Advent International. | |
| Apple announces UK launch date for iPhone
Apple’s long-awaited iPhone will be available in 02, Carphone Warehouse and Apple stores from November 9, costing £269, including VAT. | |
| Digital UK launches £8m switchover campaign
Digital UK, the independent body tasked with implementing the UK’s switch to digital television, is launching an £8m campaign on Wednesday in the latest phase of its national information programme. | |
| Sony, Sharp and Hitachi to develop energy-saving LCD TVs
Sony, Sharp and Hitachi will jointly study technology to reduce power consumption by LCDS TVs, according to a report on www.japantoday.com | |
| Management restructure at Freeplay
Energy products maker Freeplay Energy said chief executive Peter Porteous has resigned with immediate effect. | |
| Tefal takes to the road
Tefal is set to hit the road from September 20, with what will be one of the largest ever national consumer mobile interactive events seen in the small kitchen appliance industry. 17 September 2007 | |
| Whitehaven prepares for UK’s first switchover
The people of Whitehaven are gearing up to become the first viewers in the UK to switch to digital television in one month’s time, according to latest research from Digital UK and Ofcom. | |
| Rock stars sign Pure radio for charity
More than 50 rock stars are backing a charity auction of Pure's Evoke-1XT Marshall Edition DAB radios. 14 September 2007 | |
| Woolworths recycling initiative
Woolworths has launched a service that encourages customers to recycle their old mobile phones. 14 September 2007 | |
| Industry agrees plan to end analogue TV sales
The UK’s electrical industry today announced measures to phase out the manufacture and sale of analogue television equipment ahead of digital switchover. | |
| Whirlpool launches first fridge with built-in coffee maker
Whirlpool has unveiled what it claims is the world’s first side-by-side fridge-freezer with a built-in coffee maker. | |
| Retailers want IFA to be a trade-only show
The electrical retailing industry is calling for IFA to be made a trade-only show, according to the results of a recent online poll conducted by www.ERTWeekly.com | |
| Flat screen sales score a touchdown
Nearly half-a-million flat screen TVs were sold in Great Britain in the four weeks running up to the start of the Rugby World Cup. | |
| Where will road pricing money go, ask dealers
Retailers fear that local councils will use road charging schemes to raise money rather than to improve access to local shops. | |
| Let cities control their own fate
Local city authorities should control their own economic destinies and decide priorities for transport, planning and skills, according to the British Chambers of Commerce. | |
| Tories to ban plasma?
Standby buttons could be outlawed and power-hungry plasma TVs banned as the new green Tory machine puts the environment at the heart of its manifesto for government. | |
| Sharp boss speaks out on green issues
Paul Molyneux, managing director of Sharp UK, has spoken exclusively to www.ERTWeekly.com about environmental issues in the consumer electronics industry. 11 September 2007 | |
| Strong retail sales in London, but lower footfall
Retail sales in Central London in August were 9.8 per cent higher than a year earlier, on a like-for-like basis, a good gain on top of the 22 per cent year-on-year increase in August 2006, when sales were recovering from the July 2005 bombings, according to SPSL. | |
| Virgin Media expands on high street
Virgin Media is expanding its presence in the high street by selling its broadband, digital TV, home phone and mobile packages in more than 783 Carphone Warehouse stores. | |
| New recorders for old
An analogue recycling scheme in West Cumbria will see Workington's Comet store offering 100 customers this Saturday the chance to replace their old VCRs by handing them over for a free Freeview Playback digital TV recorder. | |
| Charity issues warning to MP3 manufacturers
A charity has accused MP3 player manufacturers of failing to put clear and prominent warnings about hearing loss and excessive volume use on packaging for consumers. 10 September 2007 | |
| LG unveils new dual-format HD player
LG, the first company to introduce a dual-format high-definition disc player, has unveiled its second-generation LG Super Blu Player (model BH200). | |
| PAB commissions white goods survey
White goods firm Premium Appliance Brands has gained some valuable insights into the white goods industry after commissioning a customer survey amongst some of the UK’s largest retailers and distributors. | |
| Roberts brings DAB to the iPod
Roberts has unveiled a new iPod accessory that allows users to tune into DAB and FM radio via the iPod. | |
| New Chip and PIN retail guide from APACS
APACS, the UK payments association, has published a retailer advice guide – 'Transactions with your chip and PIN terminal' – to remind card-accepting businesses of some of the necessary security measures to help keep their chip and PIN equipment safe and secure. | |
| HD-DVD takes the lead
HD-DVD is winning the next generation DVD format battle, according to Ken Graffeo, co-chairman of the HD-DVD promotional group. | |
| Smeg enters gas fire market
Smeg today launched into the flueless gas fire market. | |
| Apple launches iPod Touch
Apple has unveiled its new iPod Touch, complete with a 3.5 inch touchscreen and built-in Wi-Fi. | |
| Indesit to unveil new scheme for independents
The Indesit Company is gearing up for next week's CIH tradeshow with the launch of a seven point commitment to the independent channel. 05 September 2007 | |
| Record entries for Sky competition
Sky's Independent Retailer of the Year competition has attracted a record number of entrants this year. | |
| New WEEE guidance from BERR
The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) has published revised guidance for the recently implemented WEEE Directive. The document specifically covers how to handle WEEE from non-domestic waste. | |
| IFA to go biennial?
IFA is returning to a biennial show according to rumours circulated at the Berlin exhibition. The return to the event’s previous schedule is apparently at the insistence of the some of the larger exhibitors. | |
| Poor growth for retail
The BRC has announced its latest retail figures. | |
| Sony to close online music store
Sony is closing its online Connect music store and abandoning its proprietary digital audio format in favour of more successful MP3 and other ‘open’ format options. | |
| Panasonic renews Olympic partnership
Panasonic has announced it has signed an agreement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to renew its official worldwide Olympic partnership for a further eight years through to the 2016 Olympic Games. | |
| Philips lights up the TV market
Philips has taken its Ambilight TV technology to the next level with the launch of Aurea, which comprises an Active Frame, enveloping the picture with an ever changing glow of light. | |
| Consumers in the dark over credit scores
Many consumers in the UK do not understand how lenders assess them or why some loan applications are approved and others declined. | |
| Samsung unveils multi-format HD player
Samsung used IFA to officially unveil its long-awaited multi-format high-definition player, the BD-UP5000. | |
