Sales of retail goods rose in January, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has said, after shops cut prices to encourage consumers to keep spending.

On a like-for-like basis, retail sales rose 1.1% compared with a year earlier, the biggest increase since May 2008. “These surprisingly good figures give some reason for optimism,” said Stephen Robertson at the BRC.

The BBC New Channel reported that ‘Clothing and footwear saw the biggest rise in sales, up 6.1%,’ according to the ONS.

Obviously savvy shopper have keenly opted to make their main purchases during the Jan sale (and why not, I did).  However roll on the Spring Sales I say!

If you are still thinking about purchasing a Fireplace at a bargain price then the Gallery Spring Sale is almost upon us.  I will keep you posted.

EDF Energy has announced it was cutting tariffs by up to 12.5% for electricity customers.

The reduction will affect 2.3 million of its customers, with an average change of 8.8% from March 31.

The move follows recent price cuts from e.on, British Gas and Scottish and Southern Energy.

EDF Energy said the price cut applied to standard rate electricity customers in London, the South East, South West, Wales and Scotland.

Gallery Electric fire options include the standard inset fire options (example below)

The Electric Firebasket options (example below)

And an electric option for all the traditional arched cast iron insets and combination fireplaces (see example of a combination fireplace place)

Even more GOOD NEWS!  We have a second offering for Glass Fronted High Efficiency Gas Fires.

In October I blogged about the glass fronted high efficiency gas fire which is 87% efficient.  From the end of Feb we have more in the way of high efficiency glass fronted fires which are 89% efficient and come with beautiful cast frames (various options) and with a slide control switch (easier to switch on than the traditional manual controls).

You may have seen these frames before as they have been avaible for the past few years as part of the Gallery Convector range (fires that are 65% efficient).

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

It’s been great for the kids hasn’t it (maybe not so great for all small businesses and some Mothers and Fathers) but great for kids.  It also looks very angelic where I live, although the little grass hill at the bottom of my road looks like it may never recover from all the frantic sledging! 

Here in the South East we have seen more snow fall than ever seen before during the past 20 years.  In fact those under 20 have been left pretty amazed and I think that’s why every two yards I see a snow man being built by a group of excited 19 year olds.  I also think that alot of motorists have never experienced such driving conditions so I have linked this blog to the Top Gear advice page (some tongue in cheek and some serious advice - so check it out).

And of course, when you get the chance do go out and buy a Gallery Fireplace and Fire because it really makes the house the best place to be when you get snowed in (I just had to get that in)!

The Feb editions of Homes & Gardens and Living Etc featured the  Bartello  in Agean Limestone & Lytton Highlight Cast Iron Insert Gallery Fireplace.  They also featured articles on easy decoration, affordable home investments and ways to add character to your home.

British Gas first to announce gas price cuts for over 7.5 million homes

British Gas today announced it will cut gas prices by 10% from 19 February 2009. The reduction will apply to all customers on British Gas’ standard tariff, benefiting more than 7.5million homes.

The price cut, which will save customers £84 on the average annual household gas bill, is the first standard gas tariff cut by a major energy supplier since 2007.

Managing Director, Phil Bentley, said: “We’re very pleased to be able to announce this price cut for our gas customers. At British Gas we understand energy bills are a significant cost and we are committed to providing the best possible prices for customers. This price cut will go some way to helping customers manage their budgets, and we will continue to do what we can, when we can.”

Over the last 12 months, the wholesale market has experienced unprecedented volatility. In 2008 the wholesale price almost doubled, but British Gas protected its customers from the full impact of this increase by buying wholesale gas in advance.

Mr Bentley explained: “Demand for gas is four times higher in winter than in summer. We buy gas months before it is used so we can make sure we always have enough for our customers, and can protect them from sudden rises in wholesale prices. The recent dispute between Russia and Ukraine demonstrates how important it is that we continue to do so, as it caused a sharp rise in wholesale prices which had fallen from last year’s peaks.”

On 19 February, British Gas will also introduce a ‘prompt payment discount’ of up to £15 per year for customers on standard gas tariffs who pay quarterly. For those standard tariff customers paying by direct debit, British Gas will automatically reduce their payments by 10% when the price cuts take effect.

These changes come on top of a recent price reduction for British Gas’ pre-payment customers and improved information about the company’s online product - making British Gas the first energy supplier to meet Ofgem’s key requirements following its recent probe into the UK energy market.