George at Asda and Primark have both overtaken Marks & Spencer in the retail fashion stakes, taking first and second place respectively as the biggest fashion retailers. M&S, formerly the largest fashion retailer, has fallen into third place, despite its market share dropping just 0.2 per cent from 10 to 9.8 per cent. It was pipped to the post by Asda and Primark, which control 10.1 per cent and 9.9 per cent of the market respectively.
Source: The Times
BT is plotting to double the number of homes that can access its ultra-fast broadband. The telecoms company is planning on expanding its next-generation network in a bid to reach 2.5 million homes by 2012.
Source: Financial Times
The BBC Trust has accused the BBC of failing to ensure value for taxpayers in two separate cases. The Corporation came under fire for failing to consider the effect of its investment in online learning sites, such as Bitesize, on private businesses providing similar services. The BBC was also criticised for overpaying for the radio broadcast rights to FA Cup football matches.
Source: The Daily Telegraph.
Argos has joined the growing list of retailers planning to boycott the Royal Mail following news yesterday that its union, the Communication Workers Union, had voted in favour of a strike. It is thought that up to 30 online retailers could be considering switching to other postal operators due to the threat of a strike.
Source: The Guardian
Carphone Warehouse has renegotiated its £236 million buy-out of Tiscali after it transpired that the company's figures had been overstated. In a trading statement released yesterday by the Carphone Warehouse, it was revealed that Tiscali had 160,000 fewer customers than the 1.4 million it had originally claimed.
Source: The Times
