Zip Retail

The expansion of the online retail market is evident as figures for 2005 show. UK consumers bought �8.2bn ($14.3bn) of goods online last year � a 28.9% increase in online shopping over 2004, according to market analysts Verdict. In cash terms that means shoppers spent an extra �1.8bn online in 2005. Verdict says the figures show internet shopping is closing in on the �9.4bn spent in high street shops in 2005. Its retail analyst, Nick Gladding, said online shopping was now a "formidable...