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Over 50% of Europeans Use the Web Regularly - IMRG.org 21 April 2008

According to the EU's ICT Progress Report, 250 million Europeans now use the Internet on a regular basis. These numbers are up from just 40 million in 2007.

Research also found that 40% of Europeans do not use the Internet at all and in response to this the Commission aims to encourage the use of online technologies with the publication of a Guide to EU Users' Digital Rights & Obligations later this year.

Out of those that do have Internet access, 80% of European web users have broadband connections.

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eRetail to Increase by 32% in 2008 - TalkingRetail.com 16 April 2008

According to Industry analyst Verdict Research online retail will increase by 32% in 2008, compared to an off-line sales growth of 1.2%.

Accounting for 7% of total online spend, Verdict say online retail is currently worth £19.5 billion.

Following research, Verdict forecasts retail expenditure will almost double to 14% come 2012. Read more

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Online Ad Spend Up 38% in the UK - IMRG.org 8 April 2008

Last year online advertising spend in the UK rose by 38%, to £2.8 billion.

The report from the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) shows that at £2.8 billion, the Internet represented more than 15% of the overall advertising market in 2007, up from 11.4% in 2006.

Accelerating nine times faster than the entire advertising sector, the report says the growth in Internet ad spend has been propelled by the availability of cheaper laptops, wireless connections and faster broadband speeds.

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Tesco Halts Plans to Sell Clothes Online - IMRG.org 1 April 2008

Tesco has halted plans to sell a range of clothing on its Tesco Direct Internet site.

In October 2007, the retailer put nearly 200 lines on their site, but they have recently said they will be taking time out to ‘improve the offer’.

A company spokeswoman said that Tesco had only ever intended to sell clothing online for a trial period, but was not able to say when the service might resume.

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Easter Shoppers Avoid the High Street - IMRG.org 1 April 2008

High street shopper numbers in the UK were down 9.2% during the two week Easter break, compared to the Easter holiday last year, according to data from Retail Analysts SPSL.

According to Hitwise, visits to UK shopping and classifieds websites were up 2.2% during the Easter period.

News Source: IMRG.org