BIRKENHEAD MP Frank Field has added his voice to a campaign launched by the Grange and Pyramids shopping centres aimed at promoting the town.
Derek Millar, commercial director at the shopping centres, said We Love Birkenhead would bring retailers and residents together to spread the message that Birkenhead was "a fantastic place to live, work and shop".
The campaign will draw on support from celebrities, sports stars and business leaders with a link to Birkenhead as well as community stalwarts.
Like many town centres Birkenhead has suffered during the recession, with the demise of major chains like Woolworths and Peacocks and other big names like Currys and Topshop closing their stores to concentrate on branches in out of town retail parks – but Mr Millar said the future was "looking very bright".
The shopping centres recently had a change of ownership and are now being managed by LaSalle Investment Management.
Mr Millar said: "With so much doom and gloom in the news these days, we wanted to find a way of celebrating the many positive things about the town and community, which is a home and workplace to so many people.
"The new company is very committed to looking at a long term and solid strategy for the future of the shopping centres.
“Our campaign is all about celebrating the many virtues of the town and underlining how important the shopping centres are to the community they serve, not only as a place to buy the things you need but also as a social hub and major employer.
“It is an exciting time to be part of the team here and the future is looking very bright indeed.”
Mr Millar said Birkenhead's new Asda store had been a "positive development" and there was more to come.
He said: "In the last week, Next has opened its new, extended children's wear section, which has created three new jobs and gained the store an extra 2,000 square foot of trading space. It has also signed a ten-year lease underlining its commitment to the centre for the next decade.
"Poundland has opened a new store in the former Peacocks unit which is creating 19 new jobs for the town.
"We are also very close to signing up a new retailer for the former TJ Hughes store and terms have been agreed with two retailers for the former Currys unit.
"The new Asda store has, in many ways, been a positive development for the centres because it has brought new customers into the town which we have benefited from. The key aim for us is to make sure we continue to encourage those customers to the Grange and Pyramids and we will achieve this by continuing to offer a good mix of retailers and services which make us different to other shopping centres."
Mr Field said: "My affection for Birkenhead, since I came here more than 30 years ago, has always been the same. I have always had this sense that it is a place where people feel a very strong sense of identity.
"The people here are very proud of their town and while they like Liverpool, they love Birkenhead and that message has always been very loud and clear.
“I can’t tell you how pleased I am to hear there has been a change of ownership for the shopping centres and to hear about their commitment to a duty of care in the long term."
Mr Millar added: "The long term plan and focus is to continue to build on the great range of shops, both individual and well-known high street names, which we have at the centres, coupled with a terrific range of eateries.
"This varied mix of retailers and restaurants is what keeps our loyal customers coming back and we are working very hard to continue bringing in new businesses for our shoppers to choose from."
Beds, Sofas and Sectional Sets Arrive at Wholesale Furniture Brokers' Canadian Warehouse - PRWeb
Wholesale Furniture Brokers
Vancouver, BC (PRWEB) May 30, 2012
Wholesale Furniture Brokers' container importing program has expanded with the arrival of new beds, sofas, and sectionals at their Canadian warehouse. "The new stocked products add more choices our Canadian customers can order with shorter shipping times. We're also introducing the products at prices close to our US prices as we're able to save on shipping costs bringing them to our warehouse," says Matt Holmes, Wholesale Furniture Brokers' Marketing Manager. On order are bunk beds, bedroom sets, memory foam mattresses, and sofa sets.
The Mirabel platform bed by True Contemporary is available in queen size and is upholstered in espresso faux leather. It is also designed with double baseball stitching and solid wood legs. The bed retails for $399 in Canada.
The Taylor sofa set by Coaster Company includes a chocolate microfiber sofa and loveseat. A matching chair is also available. The set is constructed with a coil spring cushion and rounded arms with pillow-style padding. The sofa set retails for $899 in Canada and $889 in the US.
The Lodi charcoal sectional sofa by Urban Cali includes a reversible chaise and loveseat. The sectional can be assembled with the chaise on the right or left side. It is designed with solid wood legs. It retails for $849 in Canada and $649 in the US.
The Calgary bunk bed by True Contemporary features twin and full size beds that can be separated into two beds. It is made with solid pine wood and finished in dark oak. It retails for $699 in Canada and $689 in the US.
Wholesale Furniture Brokers has also restocked the Burbank, Sunnyvale, and espresso and black Sacramento sectional sofas at their Canadian warehouse.
On order and expected to arrive in June are the Fraser kids bunk beds, 8", 10", and 12" memory foam mattresses, Divine sofas, and Retro II bedroom sets.
"The products we've been stocking in our Canadian warehouse have been quite popular with our customers due to their value pricing, ability to ship quickly, and free home delivery," states Holmes.
About Wholesale Furniture Brokers
Wholesale Furniture Brokers offers price leading furniture with free shipping to online customers direct from the manufacturers in the USA and Canada. World-class customer service is provided to customers by telephone, email, and chat. Shoppers can choose from a growing collection of traditional, modern, and contemporary furniture styles for inside and outside of the home at Wholesale Furniture Brokers. Consumers do not need to pay a membership fee to buy from Wholesale Furniture Brokers.
Petrol costs: Greening may force retailers to pass on price cuts - BBC News
Transport Secretary Justine Greening has said she will consider legislation to force petrol retailers to pass on cuts in the wholesale price of fuel.
The Department of Transport says pump prices paid by motorists have fallen by just 7p despite wholesale prices falling 10p since April.
Ms Greening told the BBC she would consider taking further action to ensure motorists "get a better deal".
But petrol retailers said her remarks showed a "lack of understanding".
Petrol prices have fallen back since hitting record levels in March - when unleaded rose above £1.40 a litre.
The AA has said wholesale costs across northern Europe have dropped more than 16% in May.
A Department for Transport source told the BBC the industry would have a matter of weeks to come up with a voluntary code of conduct to ensure wholesale falls were passed on within a fortnight to the motorist.
'Struggling'But if a scheme could not be agreed on, he indicated the government would look at legislation, although the source was unable to say how long that might take.
Ms Greening told the BBC she wanted a voluntary scheme to be agreed.
She said: "That's what we're going to look at first, but if that doesn't work we will look at some of the things other countries have done like Germany, Austria and Denmark, who have taken more mandatory action in this area.
"I'm really determined that motorists get a better deal."
BBC political correspondent Gary O'Donoghue said the move had brought an angry response from the Retail Motor Industry Federation - the main body representing independent petrol retailers - which accused ministers of trying to divert attention from August's planned 3p rise in fuel duty.
"Suggestions that the falling price of oil and wholesale price movements on the continent should dictate further pump price cuts across the UK by independent forecourt operators is damaging to this struggling sector and shows lack of any real understanding of fuel price mechanisms," said Brian Madderson, chair of its petrol division.
Quentin Willson, national spokesman for campaign group FairFuelUK, said: "It's a bit rich for ministers to try and deflect the issue of pump prices to the oil companies and retailers.
"It is the government themselves that takes a staggering 81.5p per litre in fuel duty and VAT on every litre sold. Worse still, the government is sticking to its plan to add another 3.6p of combined fuel duty and VAT on August 1. This move borders on the desperate."
Shopping around too tiring? Use smartphone - Yahoo Finance
Melanie Sheridan doesn't do much shopping these days without her smartphone. As a work-at-home mother and the creator of the blog "Mel, A Dramatic Mommy," Sheridan says she relies heavily on her phone to organize her household shopping and keep a close eye on her spending.
"I've been on a serious mission to slash our grocery budget," says Sheridan, who lives with her husband and son in San Diego. "Now that I've got an iPhone, I told my husband it will start paying for itself in terms of savings."
Tech-savvy, price-conscious consumers have hundreds of mobile phone applications to choose from. Sheridan says she's shaved about $50 off her family's monthly grocery bill by using a combination of five different smartphone shopping apps. Sometimes the savings come from something as simple as making a list and sticking to it. But she says the real household budget help comes from smartphone apps for comparing prices.
Apps take legwork out of comparing prices
Amazon Price Check is one of Sheridan's go-to apps for retail items because it allows her to see if better prices are available online while she's shopping in a store. She scans item barcodes with her phone's camera or types product names into the app's search bar to compare the store's prices to those offered by Amazon and its merchants.
ShopSavvy, Google Shopper and eBay's RedLaser are comparison-shopping apps that work in similar fashion but show prices charged for a particular item across the Internet and at other local stores.
If you're having trouble finding a store selling what you're looking for, apps such as Goodzer can help you source almost any consumer item, whether it's available at a chain store or local mom-and-pop shop.
The Consumer Reports Mobile Shopper allows you to instantly compare prices from both online merchants and local brick-and-mortar stores, plus it shows you the product reviews and insights the magazine is known for.
Shop around for a shopping app
The Consumer Reports app has an annual fee, $4.99 a year, while the others mentioned so far are all free. Often, you won't have to open your wallet for a great app that will save you money.
"When it comes to apps, the adage that you get what you pay for is really irrelevant as a litmus test for consumers to decide if they want to install an app," says Ryan Ruud, a digital media expert in Minneapolis who calls Target's free shopping app his "lifeline."
Ruud says plenty of great free smartphone shopping apps are available, often supported by advertising or provided by a particular store hoping you'll shop there. But understand that while a retailer's branded app may offer the latest deals and list-making features, it likely won't tell you if a competitor has a better price. So it's worth shopping around for the right app before you start doing the real shopping around.
To find a quality app, Ruud advises consumers to look at the reviews in an app store. If an app has several hundred reviews or more and the ratings are high, he says it's probably good. Likewise, regular updates for minor fixes are a good sign the app's maker offers ongoing support. If you pick the wrong app, you can always delete it and find another.
Shopping and talking?
Siri, Apple's voice-recognition tool, has been something of a sensation since it was introduced for iPhone last year. Now a number of popular shopping apps advertise the possibility of speaking to your smartphone instead of typing in a product or scanning a barcode to do a price check. Unfortunately, the more cutting-edge you are, the more bugs you're likely to encounter. Voice-controlled shopping apps -- available for both iPhone and Android platforms -- are still in their infancy, with kinks still to be worked out.
Craig Agranoff, a technology reporter and co-founder of Grip'd, a Boca Raton, Fla., company that develops iPhone and iPad apps, says he's not quite sure Siri is a useful mobile shopping tool just yet.
"Voice for product searching seems to be a bit far off for now since you're really hoping that the operating system recognizes what you said properly," says Agranoff. If the voice app doesn't understand you, you'll be back to manually entering product information or scanning the barcode.
But Agranoff points out that the speed of innovation in the mobile-app space is intense, so better voice recognition is coming.
Caution on privacy
While free apps can certainly help you simplify your shopping and save, they also raise some serious questions about consumer privacy, says Aaron Messing, a lawyer who specializes in information privacy issues at OlenderFeldman in Union, N.J.
"If you have a smartphone, it knows everything about you," he says. "Consumers should understand what types of data they will be sharing when they use a particular app."
Read the terms of service before installing any app. Messing says you also need to ask: Will this app have access to my location, pictures, contact book, and voice or text communications? If so, when will it collect that information, and how will the app use it?
Even people who are extremely cautious about their privacy may decide the benefits of smartphone shopping apps are worth giving up some personal information for, he says. All experts stress that whether a shopping app is free or costs you something, it will track your shopping habits because that's often how customized deals are targeted to specific consumers.
More From Bankrate.com
No comments:
Post a Comment