The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has welcomed a one month delay in the implementation date of the Battery Directive for retailers which were originally scheduled for 1 January 2010. The BRC has been campaigning for the postponement of the original date as it would create a New Year nightmare for shops. It comes at retailers' busiest time of the year and is precisely the same time they are expected to cope with the task of reversing last year's VAT cut - the BRC has already called on the Chancellor to use next week's budget to announce he will delay the VAT increase by at least a month.