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 4th August 2008 Hidden door reveals huge counterfeiting operation in Manchester shop Police in Manchester believe that their latest raid against a shop selling fake clothing highlights how sophisticated the city's counterfeiters are becoming. The local Manchester Evening News reported that Trading Standards officers found 200,000 worth of fake designer goods stored in a shop close to Manchester's city centre. What's more, the officials found a concealed door that led to a room where counterfeit clothes were manufactured. Inside, officers found several machines designed to press fake labels onto unbranded clothing. In total, over 30,000 tags for brands such as Prada and Paul and Shark were recovered. According to the report, the shop's owners had also attempted to throw officials off their scent by installing window displays that featured only 'legitimate' unbranded garments. Recently, it was reported that police in Manchester were stepping up their efforts to stop the city's counterfeiters. Nicola Bray of Manchester Trading Standards told the Manchester Evening News that recent raids were sending a clear message to the criminals. "We won't stop until they're finished. This affects hundreds of legitimate businesses," she concluded.   (c) 2008 Adfero Ltd. Sponsor of August Trade News Ultraslim 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.