APRIL TRADE NEWS Retailers seeing shifting consumer behaviour More empty shops in Edinburgh's Old Town Culture capital status boosting Liverpool retail Retailers 'need more help from government' Bath retailers to target 'affluent women' Birmingham Wholesale Markets to move Nottingham shops banned from using A-boards Trader convicted for selling fake goods from trusted wholesaler OFT warned on newspaper distribution rules Scottish retail sales picking up Ebay fraudster ordered to repay £100,000 Welsh urged to cut down on single use carriers Wholesalers looking for insight from retailers Rural retail initiative to help traders in N.Ireland Hampshire traders fearful of supermarket plans Retail sales surge during sunny April Wholesalers affected by late payments Online retailers 'must convince shoppers of internet benefits' Strongest monthly UK footfall rise in five years Retailers urged to turn to eBay to-sell stock Retailers fight plans for Watford Tesco Express Local retail opinions mixed in Leicester More than one British newsagent closing a day European visitors to The Wholesaler please click here Trade News Archive 2009  January   February   March   April   May Subscribe to our newsletter   Go to The Wholesaler UK Directory 12th May 2009 Wholesalers adversely affected by late payments UK retailers have been urged to sign up to the government's Prompt Payment Code, which provides wholesale suppliers with assurance that they will be paid on time. According to the Forum for Private Business (FPB), some retailers - including established high street names - can take as long as 30 to 60 days to pay their suppliers. Given the current climate of economic uncertainty, the association has called on the government to do more to ensure that smaller companies in the supply chain are paid their dues. Phil Orford, chief executive of the FPB, said that smaller firms are "being squeezed" so their bigger customers can create lines of credit. "During the current economic climate, the damage being caused by late payment and enforced changes to terms and conditions is huge and many small businesses are facing closure as a result," he added. Members of the government's Prompt Payment Code undertake to pay their suppliers on time within terms originally agreed upon. They should also work to ensure that "clear and easily accessible" guidance on payment procedures is provided to their suppliers. (c) 2009 Comment on this news story   Trade News Archive 2008  December   November   October   September August   July   June   May   April   March   February   January