News


Mary Portas’ vision for the high street Results of Mary Portas consultation published


RETAIL expert Mary Portas has published her report on the UK's high streets listing her recommendations for breathing new life into town centres. The report is a result of a six-month review requested by the Government for which Portas consulted with retailers, councils and trade bodies to identify ways of helping high streets to prosper.


Mary Portas said she would like to put the heart back into the centre of UK high streets and transform them into mixed-use destinations that also include places for socialising, culture, health, wellbeing, creativity and learning.


Among Portas’ 28


recommendations are the following ones: • Put in place a Town Team – a visionary and strategic management team for high streets;


• Empower successful Business Improvement Districts to take on more


responsibilities and powers and become ‘Super-BIDs’;


• Legislate to allow landlords to become high street investors by contributing to their Business Improvement District;


• Establish a new National Market Day where budding shopkeepers can try their hand at operating a low- cost retail business;


• Make it easier for people to become market traders by removing unnecessary regulations;


• Government should consider whether business rates can better support small businesses and independent retailers;


• Local authorities should use their new discretionary powers to give business


A golf day at the Independent Business Awards 2012 Combining business with leisure


To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Independent Business Awards the organisers have teamed up with Belling, which is celebrating its 100 year anniversary. Together they are able to offer a golf day, on the spectacular golf course at The Forest Of Arden Hotel, on 20 June 2012. The Forest of Arden Hotel and Country Club, is one of the UK's most impressive golf


destinations, featuring two top-class courses. The club is surrounded by ancient woodlands and natural lakes. The Forest of Arden has played host to some of golf’s most prominent tournaments, including the British Masters and English Open. If you are interested in


registering for the Golf Day please contact Nichola Munn at nmunn@datateam.co.uk or call her on 01622 687031. We


IBA 2012 Golf Day: 20 June 2012 The Forest of Arden Hotel and Country Club


are able to take individual bookings or parties in multiples of 4 people.


rate concessions to new local businesses;


• Make business rates work for business by reviewing the use of the RPI with a view to changing the calculation to CPI;


• Local areas should implement free controlled parking schemes that work for their town centres and we should have a new parking league table;


• Large retailers should support and mentor local businesses and independent retailers;


• Run a high profile campaign to get people involved in Neighbourhood Plans. The Government will review


Mary’s recommendations and publish its response in spring 2012.


The CE sector has been hit hardest with a decline of -21% in October. November was even worse (-25%), and all products declined month- on-month, with the exception of headphones, reported GfK. The imaging sector also suffered further last month, with value growth down - 17%. This was symptomatic of a more significant decrease in camcorders, despite more encouraging sales for the premium changeable lens segment. Meanwhile, the IT sector is increasingly dependent on web books/tablets, which still enjoy extravagant monthly growth, but pure retail sales for total IT in November were down -5% in volume and value.


John Lewis has launched a new Facebook e-commerce platform in time for Christmas. The John Lewis Perfect Gift application allows Facebook users to search for gifts from the John Lewis collection based on a range of criteria, including recipient, price and gift type. Shoppers are then presented with a list of relevant products. When they click on their chosen item they are taken to the product on the main John Lewis website to complete the transaction.


Retail sales volumes grew in the year to December for the first time in seven months, though sales were considered poor for the time of year, reported the CBI in its monthly Distributive Trades Survey, which covered the first two weeks in December. The CBI said retailers did not expect December’s modest sales growth to continue into the New Year.


January 2012 The Independent Electrical Retailer 5


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