The Finalists

The Independent Business Awards are a continuation of the Independent Marketing Awards which were annually conducted by The Independent Electrical Retailer magazine since 1993 and are acknowledged as the most prestigious awards event in our industry.

The voting for the Awards is an opportunity for you – the independent electrical dealer – to have your say about the products and initiatives of the electrical industry and to play a key role in these prestigious awards.

The voting process is very simple. Please check the nominees’ supporting statements featured below before you cast your vote using the voting form enclosed with this issue of the IER magazine. You can also vote online using the online voting mechanism which you will find on:

www.independentbusinessawards.com

Sony UK has launched a new a new initiative inviting consumers to trade in their old consumer electronics products, from televisions to cameras – whether in working condition or not – in return for money off new Sony products. The campaign will run from 29 April until 11 July, the day of the World Cup final.

Traditionally, washing machines and tumble dryers were seldom purchased for their state-of-the-art features and high spec programming. It was more a case of replacing a worn or broken down model in a hurry. But all this has changed in recent years, thanks to the wave of high-tech laundry features that have flooded the market.

The camera and camcorder market has seen mixed fortunes in recent times, although it has fared reasonably well during the recession thanks to a number of factors including the rise in social networking and video sharing. This report will look at the Digital Still Camera (DSC) sector, comprising fixed lens models (compact cameras) and changeable lens models (D-SLR and hybrid models).

Numbers speak for themselves. Over 1,600 retailers attended Sony’s Home 2010 roadshow which ran from 1 March until 15 April in eight locations throughout the country from Weybridge in Hampshire to Stirling, as well as Dublin. The roadshow focused on this year’s most exciting technologies for consumers and the great retail opportunities for the dealers:  Freeview HD, 3DTV and TV on demand in the shape of Bravia Internet Video.

Flames have been a hazard since man first discovered fire and while careless cooking cannot be blamed for the extinction of the dinosaurs, it was certainly responsible for the key event of 1666 - the Great Fire of London.

Thomas Farynor, baker to King Charles II, had his bakery in Pudding Lane in London.  On the night of 2 September 1666, around 1am, a servant awoke to find the house in flames.  The baker’s family escaped but a terrified maid was trapped in the blaze and the fire eventually destroyed around 80% of the city.  The death toll was remarkably low – around 16 people are thought to have perished and the city was rebuilt to a safer standard.  The cause of the blaze was traced to an unattended stove that had set alight the timber frame of the building.

Two years after announcing its tie-up with Carphone Warehouse, US giant Best Buy is finally opening its first UK store this month.  The Blueshirts and Geek Squad have arrived at last. 

This news may initially seem of greater interest to headline writers and retail analysts, but by the end of the year there will be five ‘big box’ stores covering large areas of the country so it is well worth taking a long hard look at what will be on offer in Thurrock in May, Hedge End and Merry Hill in June, and Aintree and Croydon in the autumn.