AUGUST TRADE NEWS Bad weather blamed for shopping centre delay Chester council  not supporting retailers New rules 'won't help save retail centre' Irish shoppers look abroad for bargains British consumers spend more on beauty products Yorkshire town gets behind plastic bag reduction scheme Rising obesity prompts calls for VAT rule changes eBay restructures fee scheme to make fixed-priced sales cheaper Online sales boom despite slowdown Music retailer goes out of business Matalan named and shamed for how it treats wholesalers BCC slams higher parking charges proposals Booming wholesaler moves to new warehouse Market traders told to only 'shout quietly' London's retailers show growth despite gloom Counterfeit goods dealer sentenced to prison UK's smallest town protests supermarket plan More retailers and wholesalers going out of business Online retail sector predicted to expand rapidly Henley retailers protest development plans Retail sales continue to slow Tiffany appeals US court's eBay ruling Report criticises electricity suppliers' treatment of small businesses MK retailers protest Tesco expansion plan Yorkshire retailers protest supermarket move Manchester wholesaler shut down over fraud worries Businesses welcome plans to reduce red tape Rate hold accepted by small businesses Internet sales put pressure on the high street Huge counterfeit goods haul in Somerset Irish entrepreneur online retail plans Wholesaler sector set to struggle Staycations could help British retailers Retailers 'gloomy' about economic outlook Retailers report footfall continues to decline as consumers cut back Hidden door reveals huge counterfeiting operation in Manchester shop No recession for the UK this year East London wholesaler goes into receivership London mayor reveals plans to support small retailers Toy retailers defy gloom Retailers urged to embrace online sales Trade News Archive August 08 July 08 June 08 May 08 April 08 March 08 February 08 January 08 Subscribe to our newsletter   Go to The Wholesaler UK Directory 27th August 2008 Chester council slammed for not supporting retailers One local retailer from Chester has hit out at the way the council treats shops in the area. The Chester Chronicle reported that Stuart Gray is closing his women's shoes and handbags store in the town in the next month and focusing his attention on his outlet in nearby Nantwich. As Mr Gray prepared to leave Chester, he launched an attack on the way the council has failed to offer support to independent retailers. He told the paper: "The city council will have to have a reality check. Maybe the city council will wake up to it before the city of Chester is closed, but there's inertia until the new council comes in in April." The retailer said that the only businesses that were currently expanding in Chester were hotels and restaurants. "There's no engagement from the city council with anyone," he explained. "There's a total lack of any empathy with the realities of what’s happening." "If the city council wants to know what's going on they should spend a bit of time with the people who do a good job in the city." Recently, an independent music retailer from Suffolk revealed that pressure from online sellers had driven the shop out of business.     (c) 2008 Adfero Ltd. Sponsor of August Trade News Pioneer TV Brackets     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.