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I can't believe it's a year, but we quietly launched the Trading Standards Institute Consumer Code Directory on the 1st May 2013.

The Consumer Code was officially launched with much fanfare at the Trading Standards annual conference last June in Brighton, and I had to unexpectedly give a live demonstration to the Consumer Affairs MP Jo Swinson, who insisted in checking for results near her house, and praise the lord, we had some

Certainly a turning point for us, but does it mean anything yet to the average consumer?

I suspect there is a lot more marketing to be done, to get the message out there, but I've started seeing a few Consumer Code logo's showing up, mainly on the back of removal lorries.

My Local Services hosts and manages all the data for the Consumer Code Directory, and the results are displayed on our site, as well as powering a search bar on the Trading Standards home page, and is also displayed on the Citizens Advice "adviceguide" website.

There are a number of Tradebodies that have signed up to the Trading Standards Consumer Code of Practice, and by default, all of their members are eligible to display the Consumer Code logo, and be also be displayed on the directory.

As of today, we have 27,605 approved businesses on the directory and in the last 12 months, these have generated 612,352 page views.

Moving forward it will be nice to see a wider range of organisations join, giving a wider range of trades and businesses, and I know this is something the Trading Standards Institute are working very hard on. So if you are currently a member of a Trade Organisation, Code of Conduct or Ombundsman, and your organisation decides to agree to the Consumer Code, then you will be able to display the approved code logo on your marketing material and website.

There is also a longer term plan to incorporate other approved organisations such as Buy with Confidence, and Trusted Trader groups, so if you are already a member of one of these, then watch this space.

If you want any more information about the Consumer Codes Approval Scheme, then head over to then follow this link: www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/advice/ConsumerCodes.cfm

Here's a few of our pics from the launch:

Clive and me with the TSI CEO and Chairman        Stitched and about to demo to Jo Swinson MP

Clive schmoozing and hobnobbing                      Now guarding the cake and booze....

Remembering this is aimed at Consumer Organisations and Trade bodies, who pass on membership benefits to their members, do you think the logo and Consumer Code offers value to business owners and consumers? 

If you are currently a member of an organisation, tradebody or approved scheme, would you like to see this come under the umbrella of the Trading Standards Institute Consumer Code?

Be interested to hear some coal face feedback.

Well after the recent news about Co-op Foods £100m Fair and Square campaign to reduce the price of a 1000 lines, Morrisons have stepped into the fray and flexed its muscles.

The Daily Mail is reporting that Morrisons is starting a £1bn price war, and slashing the price of 1,200 everyday food essentials.

So I see your £100m and raise you £1bn 

So who's next Tescos? Maybe £1.5bn and 1,500 reduced lines?

Either way it's good news for the rest of us, at long last!

Oh my word, you're a Harry Potter fan??

If you tell me you can speak Klingon, I'm off 

I missed this one. So apparently Cornwall has been granted minority status under European Laws. No more pasty jokes, no more abuse of Cornish folk 

Is it me or what a load of cobblers! So a long time ago, the Cornish were a proud Celtic Race. Then someone invented the motor car, roads, Pickfords and immigration. So who exactly in Cornwall today falls under these rules. So me and my family move to Cornwall and we had a child there, with no links to Cornwall, would our Cornish born child now be classed as a minority race? 

Maybe I'm being too cynical, or is there more to it? Is this the first step to perceived devolution? Does this open the doors for other Counties?

At this rate, I won't be British or English, just a Warwickshirite 

Do we have any Cornish members who can shed some light or opinions?

The Home Retail Groups CEO has said one in five sales at Argos is made on a mobile device, and online sales account for 44% of revenue according to the FT.

I suppose it's echoing the general retail trend, but I wonder what these numbers will be in 12 or 24 months time? Will it then be viable to have a physical store if say 70%+ of revenue is made online?

Argos isn't like Currys where you can go in and easily touch feel things, then go and buy the best deal online, so does this mean the famous laminated book of dreams is running out of shelf life?

I know my wife swears by Argos, and spends half her life reserving things, but we still go to the local store to pay and collect them. I wonder if the model will change to a simpler collection, warehouse only model, with transactions online.

How do you use Argos? Bye online or instore?

I don't think the majority of small business needs to, and big business normally has someone internally concentrating on strategy. 

What's the point of the question? Are you in need of strategy and direction?

I don't know why, I always thought of Saga as a niche little travel group for the over 50's 

How wrong was I! Didn't realise they were so big and even owned Cruise Ships!

According to the Wall Street Journal Saga plans to raise £550 million in an initial public offering of at least 25% of its shares.

An interesting fact which balances an earlier thread about UK big business getting bought out by foreign investors:

"There have been more U.K. IPOs in 2014 to date than in any full year since 2007, according to data from Dealogic. Those include online retailer AO PLC, food-delivery company Just Eat PLC and discount chain Poundland Group PLC."

So maybe there is a decent pool of larger and growing UK businesses coming through 

According to the Irish Times the US is about to lose it's title of the worlds largest economy and hand the reigns over to China later this year.

Apparently this was previously forecast to happen in 2019. 

Interesting factoid - The US has been the largest economy since taking the mantle off the UK back in 1872

I couldn't find anywhere in the article about the current position of the UK in the Economic Premier League, other than in it's not in the top 12. Guess we are in the relegation zone...

I see Ladbrokes is following suit with shop closures after William Hill. It looks like the face of the High Street is set to change again.

I suppose it leaves more space for charity shops and poundland