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Trade News Archive 2009 January February March
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26th February 2009
Spirit of shoppers lifts in February
Consumer confidence took a tentative step in the right direction in February, rising slightly from its January figure.
According to the GfK NOP Consumer Confidence Index, opinions on the state of the economy during the next 12 months improved, as did confidence in personal finances.
Although it is still down by 18 points on last year, the overall index score improved by two points from January to February
Rachael Joy, of the GfK NOP's consumer confidence team, said that the public is aware that 2008 has been a difficult year in retail.
"However, looking to the future, we saw an uplift in consumers' views of both their personal situation and the general economy over the next 12 months," she said.
The findings indicate that an increasing number of consumers believe things will be better by this time next year, Ms Joy added.
Despite signs that the state of the economy might soon begin to improve, some less than scrupulous traders are turning to illicit sources in order to maintain their profits.
The Essex Echo reports that sofas being imported into the UK from Poland are being used to smuggle in high numbers of counterfeit cigarettes, which are then being sold on the black market.
(c) 2009
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