JUNE TRADE NEWS Manchester businesses look to council help to thrive Wholesaler praises local retailer Three convicted of selling fake goods on eBay Retailers rejoice as Tesco planning application is rejected Haul of illegal lighters seized by Trading Standards Canterbury MP pledges to fight illegal street traders Retailers report June slowdown Retailers welcome Edinburgh redevelopment approval Government to improve Cornish infrastructure eBay asks EU to look at online trading rules Tesco criticised over misleading planning application Chester's council looks to save city-centre retailers US firm gets tough on eBay counterfeiters Wholesalers report slowing sales in first quarter Government looks to extend Sunday openings for garden centres Merseyside bridge tolls worry small firms Retailers 'have shielded consumers from price rises' HMRC cutbacks 'could hurt small firms' Retail sales surge in the UK New Scottish unit looks to tackle rogue traders Welsh men face court for selling fake goods in eBay FPB backs Lords criticism of business tax changes Government urged not to add to retail pressure Small firms urged to continue to network Consumers plan to continue to buy clothes Retail sales in London soar Consumers 'still spending on green items' Businesses worried about sales in the coming months FSB blasts government agency workers deal NI retailers urged to tackle shoplifters Scottish SMEs told to use internet to reach global market Workplace stress 'hits small businesses hard' Lords say businesses hurt by tax changes Rail transport services 'could become cheaper for wholesalers' Organisers 'need to make sure SMEs get involved with 2012 projects' Consumer confidence plummets, hitting retail spending Manchester congestion charge 'could be bad news for small businesses' Retail sales recover in May Cambridgeshire business protest higher parking charges Women start small businesses to increase flexibility BRC calls for end to EU anti-dumping tariffs BRC welcomes interest rate decision eBay guilty of selling counterfeit goods Retailers not passing on 'full impact' of rising costs Dream of being own boss can 'blind people' to business difficulties BCC determined to boost success of sole traders and startups Independent retailers help Wrexham become 'top shopping town' Online retail sector continues to boom Business startups can benefit from relocating Birmingham urged to help smaller retailers Walsall developer backs Dragon's Den style competition Trade News Archive June 08 May 08 April 08 March 08 February 08 January 08 Subscribe to our newsletter   Go to The Wholesaler UK Directory 16th June 2008 Businesses worried about sales in the coming months New research has suggested that small businesses in the UK are becoming increasingly pessimistic about their future sales. The latest Corporate Markets Business Barometer from Lloyds TSB indicated that only 28 per cent of firms are now optimistic about the economy. While this compares to 44 per cent in November 2007, it does represent a slight upturn on last month's figure. Similarly, only 37 per cent of companies said they expect their level of business activity to increase in the coming year. With 13 per cent revealing they expect their sales to slump in the coming months, business confidence is at its lowest ebb since the survey began in 2002. Trevor Williams, the chief economist of Lloyds TSB corporate markets, commented: "Business confidence has suffered a real blow this month. It's clear that firms are concerned about their prospects - and that doesn't bode well for investment and employment. "The improvement in businesses' hope for the wider economy is something of an anomaly. But after so many months in negative territory, any upturn in their outlook is definitely welcome news. "We'll need to wait and see what the next few months bring, before we can say with certainty that this improving outlook is more than just a blip."     (c) 2008 Adfero Ltd   Comment on this news story To comment on any story please click on the above link, put the story title in the subject line and please provide your name, trading style ie. retailer or wholesaler and the town where you trade.