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 1st August 2008 London mayor reveals plans to support small retailers London's mayor has pledged to support small retailers in the capital by launching a plan to force developers to offer affordable shops. Boris Johnson revealed plans to ask developers to enter into legally binding agreements to provide an agreed number of affordable small shop units whenever they apply to build major retail schemes. The mayor revealed that the details of the scheme were currently being developed and that the proposals would be brought forward as alterations to the London Plan in the next eight months. Mr Johnson confirmed that he believed that independent retailers "add real character and diversity to the capital’s high streets". However, he said they were currently struggling as a result of "competition from supermarkets and rising unsustainable rents". "My proposals aim to help reverse this trend, offering small retailers the opportunity to make a success of their enterprise both by making more suitable premises available and taking steps to level the playing field by securing affordable rents," he concluded. However, the British Retail Consortium said Mr Johnson "must answer some key questions" before it would become clear if they scheme "would help smaller retailers".   (c) 2008 Adfero Ltd. Sponsor of August Trade News Tilting 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.