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 for Transport says pump prices paid by motorists have fallen by just 7p despite a 10p fall in wholesale prices 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.
'Blurred world'The AA said wholesale costs across northern Europe had dropped more than 16% during May, but petrol retailers had been slow to pass this on to motorists.
Its president, Edmund King, welcomed Ms Greening's comments, saying: "Over the past seven years we have asked governments to act against the blurred world of UK pump prices, which every driver knows shoot up like a rocket and fall like a feather."
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.
But if a scheme could not be agreed, 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."
VAT callShadow transport secretary Maria Eagle said: "Petrol stations should be lowering their prices when wholesale costs of fuel fall, and it is unacceptable if they are refusing to do so, especially when they are quick to pass on any increase.
"Ministers must also accept their share of responsibility for eye-wateringly high prices at the pumps thanks to their decision to hike VAT on fuel."
She added: "Ministers should temporarily restore the lower rate of VAT to fuel to give much-needed relief to households feeling the squeeze, as well as acting to ensure price cuts are fully passed on to motorists."
Brian Madderson, chairman of the Retail Motor Industry Federation's petrol division, said: "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."
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.
Westfield urges protesters to leave Broadway shopping scheme site (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus) - Bradford Telegraph Argus
Westfield urges protesters to leave Broadway shopping scheme site
7:40am Wednesday 30th May 2012
The company behind plans for a shopping centre development on Broadway has written to protesters occupying the city centre site urging them to leave immediately.
Westfield, the Australian developer behind the £275 million scheme, has also branded their actions “counter-productive” to marketing Bradford in a positive way to any potential tenants.
Upon receiving the letter, the group of protesters, calling themselves Occupy Westfield, vowed to stay, demanding a date for work to start.
In the letter, Duncan Bower, director of development at Westfield, states: “It’s important that we represent a united front to help market Bradford in a positive and productive way. Although your actions may be well intended, we are concerned that they are counter-productive. Rather than protest, it may be more helpful to work with the community to help get the positive messages about Bradford out to potential retailers.”
The letter goes on: “We urge you to leave the site immediately so that we can secure it and remove the risk of accidents.”
The protesters arrived at the site on Saturday and let themselves in through a side gate using a padlock key.
They have maintained a presence on the building site since, having pitched a tent on a lower part of the site and used barriers to allow them a safe passage to it. A large marquee has also appeared on a section of the site which was turned into a temporary urban garden while the shopping centre plans were delayed. The occupiers have also put up posters and written slogans on the hoardings with chalk.
They are pledging to carry out a peaceful protest for seven days or until their demands for a public inquiry and an audience at the Westfield site with Bradford Council leader David Green and local MPs are met.
Coun Green, who has also retained responsibility for the city centre and strategic regeneration issues, has already said that his offer to meet the protesters at City Hall had been declined, but that he was willing to meet them elsewhere in the city. He said it would not be appropriate for him to meet them on the site, and Westfield has now confirmed they are trespassing.
A protester, calling himself Mr V, told the Telegraph & Argus they were frustrated by lack of action.
“We want dates and we want times,” he said. “We are sick of hearing it will be ‘soon’. If Westfield want us to go, will they then hand the site back to the Council and let us deal with it instead?”
Westfield received planning permission last year for a smaller £275 million scheme of 75 shops, which would be the first phase in any development.
The letter from Westfield: To Whom This May Concern: We understand you have entered the Broadway construction site to express your frustrations with delays to the development scheme.
We appreciate your concerns but would like to reassure you that Westfield remains committed to progressing the scheme and is currently undergoing detailed negotiations to secure retailers as well as other important predevelopment activities which by their nature are not physically evident on site. Unfortunately the financial crisis and economic slowdown over the past few years have made conditions in the UK exceptionally challenging.
Despite these conditions, Westfield has remained committed to Bradford and has invested significant funds and time into seeking to progress the Broadway scheme. Like you, we are eager to start this development as soon as possible and we are progressing with the key leasing pre-lettings that need to happen before construction can begin.
In October 2011, Westfield received a revised planning permission for the scheme and we are currently working with the Council to help market Bradford as a retail destination.
In addition to Debenhams, other major anchor retailers are very near to being secured which will help build momentum and attract the additional tenants required before the scheme can progress.
It’s important that we represent a united front to help market Bradford in a positive and productive way. Although your actions may be well intended, we are concerned that they are counter-productive. Rather than protest, it may be more helpful to work with the community to help get the positive messages about Bradford out to potential retailers.
Westfield has safety concerns as you are currently trespassing on a construction site. By entering and occupying the site, you are not only endangering yourselves but also others. The site needs to be properly secured and managed to avoid the very real possibility of injury both to you and the wider Bradford public. We urge you to leave the site immediately so that we can secure it and remove the risk of accidents.
As you will hopefully appreciate from this note, despite the many challenges presented by the economic environment, slow but steady progress is being made and we sincerely hope that you acknowledge and assist with the need for positive messages about Bradford and vacate the construction site due to safety risks.
Yours faithfully Duncan Bower, Director of Development, Westfield Shoppingtowns Ltd
MP backs bid to draw in shoppers - wirralnews.co.uk
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."
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