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 26th August 2008 Yorkshire town gets behind plastic bag reduction scheme The council and mayor of one Yorkshire town have backed a local campaign to encourage independent retailers to ditch plastic bags in favour of more environmental options. According to the Wetherby News, the campaign to rid Tadcaster of plastic bags was started by one resident, Debs England, last December. Now, the town's local council and mayor have pledged to support the drive. In the last nine months, the council has seen a steady decline in the number of bags given out by the town's independent retailers, mayor Margaret Middlemiss told the newspaper. "Local shops are encouraging people to use and re-use stronger, longer life bags for their shopping and our county library has had them on sale too," she explained. "Plastic bags may not be hugely significant in terms of reducing our dependence on oil products and in reducing the worst environmental damage, but cutting back on their use is a simple step that everyone can take." In July, reports suggested that the US city of Los Angeles would look to ban plastic bags by 2010.   (c) 2008 Adfero Ltd. Sponsor of August Trade News Sony 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.