All posts by EPR Network

Automotive, Consumer Services, Transportation & Logistics, Travel

‘Road Sense’ Motoring Safety Campaign Introduced by Carrentals.co.uk and Brake

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Carrentals.co.uk, the leading car hire comparison website which helps people book cheap hire from up to 50 top providers, announces its sixth ever ‘Road Sense’ campaign. The campaign, in partnership with road safety charity Brake, seeks to raise awareness of motoring safety issues among drivers of all ages.

The annual Road Sense campaign focuses on a key element of motoring, with this year seeing the initiative being consistent checks on tyres, brakes and engine as the winter weather sets in. Carrentals.co.uk and Brake are calling on motorists to get these vital checks carried out no matter what the impact on their household budget.

Gareth Robinson, Managing Director of Carrentals.co.uk, comments: “We are calling on drivers around the UK to be aware of the need for getting brakes and tyres checked regularly, particularly as the UK’s roads turn icier. This is the way to reduce the number of avoidable accidents on Britain’s motorways and roads throughout the winter.”

Brake is the UK’s leading road safety charity and has said recently that more UK youngsters die in car crashes today than die by any other means. Many accidents are caused by driving too fast and reckless overtaking, with one out of every four fatal accidents on UK roads involving someone aged below the age of 25.

“We are proud to work with organisations like Brake on our Road Sense campaigns,” Gareth continued. “Motorists would be wise to pay attention to the words of Brake since they really know their subject. We all need to pull together to improve the situation and lower the amount of serious accidents.”

Katie Shephard, director at Brake, says: “We enjoy working with companies like Carrentals.co.uk who seek to push the road safety agenda through initiatives Road Sense. Throughout this year’s Road Safety Week we at Brake want young people to become increasingly aware of the importance of driving sensibly and to ‘have a heart at the wheel’.”

The Carrentals.co.uk Road Sense site offers road safety advice as well as new offers, including discounts on winter clothing and reflective gear for children and adults from Outdoor Look and BrightKidz.

Carrentals.co.uk is the leading car hire comparison site comparing prices in over 15,000 locations worldwide including France, Spain and car hire in Ireland, with pick up locations including car hire in Dublin, Cork and Shannon.

For more road safety information, offers and advice visit carrentals.co.uk/roadsense2011

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Consumer Services, Entertainment, Internet & Online, Travel

Great Deals On South Africa Holidays With Leading Travel Club

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Leading travel specialist, WEXAS, is showcasing some outstanding deals on its luxury South Africa holidays, with a selection of fantastic tours to choose from.

The renowned travel club, founded in 1970, has multiple offers available, which could save travellers hundreds of pounds on their next trip.

Once such tour is the Cape Town & Winelands Experience, which current has an enticing seven nights for the price of five when travelling between 1 May and 30 June 2012.

Cape Town is one of the world’s finest cities. Situated on the west coast of South Africa , it has a plenitude of sights and activities to absorb, and is an ideal location from which to explore the Winelands and the infamous Garden Route .

With Table Mountain looming over the city and Robben Island a short ferry ride from the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town is bursting with cultural and historic sights to explore.

Hiring a car to travel the 60km along the Cape Peninsula is an absolute must, as one of the most breath-taking coastal drives in the world.

Taking in the quaint, naval base that is Simon’s Town, the pretty fishing harbour of Kalk , and the incredible penguin colony at Boulders Beach , this journey is truly exceptional. There aren’t many places you can swim alongside penguins in their natural habitat.

WEXAS can arrange stays at many of the best hotels in Cape Town , with a plethora of these being in the trendy Camps Bay area. With winding roads framed by luxury, waterfront apartments, Camps Bay is rich in chic and stylish shops and restaurants.

Departing Cape Town and commencing the journey east along the Garden Route , you’ll soon find yourself in South Africa ‘s world-class Winelands, and the country’s charming, culinary capital of Franschhoek.

Home to 70 per cent of the country’s top restaurants, Le Quartier Francais and La Petite Ferme are just two of the stunning gourmet hot spots.

The patchwork of award-winning vineyards spanning Franschhoek and nearby Stellenbosch, provides the perfect opportunity to indulge in wine-tasting tours, which can be organised by WEXAS as a group or on an individual basis.

Onwards from the Winelands, coastal towns Knysna and Plettenburg Bay provide the ideal spots to enjoy some of the finest seafood while taking in wonderfully inspiring vistas before completing the Garden Route at Port Elizabeth .

As a tailor-made holiday specialist, WEXAS can plan your luxury holiday to your own personal specification. Incorporating a safari to Kruger National Park or a beach stay inMauritius are two of the most popular ways to round-off this trip.

To find out more about the Cape Town & Winelands Experience, or any of the other special offers from WEXAS, visit www.WEXAS.com or call WEXAS on 0845 643 6562.

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Consumer Services, Internet & Online, Technology, Telecom, Transportation & Logistics

Parcel2Go Backs Ebay’s Call For Government To Bring Forward Fast Internet Roll-Out

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A call by auction and retail website eBay for the government to increase mobile internet speeds and support Britain’s online marketplace has been echoed by the UK’s largest online parcel delivery service, Parcel2Go.

The e-commerce giant stepped up pressure on the government this month to act and bring Britain in line with other countries in terms of mobile internet speeds. Through its Mobile Manifesto, which eBay passed to ministers at the start of November, the firm has voiced its concern that the UK could get left behind when it comes to mobile infrastructure.

Speaking to the BBC this week, eBay UK’s retail director Angus McCarey said while Britain is currently leading the way in Europe when it comes to smartphone ownership, it is falling behind in terms of next generation technology.

Parcel2Go has also stressed the importance for individuals and British businesses of installing an effective 4G mobile network as soon as possible. Tests are already underway in Cornwall and London, but it looks like the service won’t be widely available until at least 2013.

Richard Mercer, marketing director at Parcel2Go, said: “The UK has been a leader so far in the world of online shopping and as a country we cannot risk losing momentum by taking a back seat when it comes to adopting 4G technology. The economy is in a fragile state and investment in faster mobile internet is exactly the type of strategy that will help to give the retail sector a shot in the arm.

“At Parcel2Go we unveiled our mobile website earlier this year to make it easier for customers to access domestic and international shipping services on the move. Businesses have their part to play in making their content and transactional pages accessible through mobile sites and apps, but the government needs to encourage investment by doing everything possible to bring forward 4G.”

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Consumer Services, Deals, Internet & Online, Retail, Shopping

UK’s fastest-growing voucher codes site set to enhance subscriber offering via strategic partnership

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DiscountVouchers.co.uk, the money-saving website that helps shoppers save money at more than 800 top stores, has announced its move into the UK daily deals space through a new alliance with NimbleCommerce.

The UK retail deals market is already awash with US suppliers and the new partnership sees DiscountVouchers.co.uk set to make its own inroads into the space. By working with NimbleCommerce and its regional retail partners, DiscountVouchers.co.uk will be able to offer its users and subscribers daily deals which are tailored to their location and interests. The deals will be available to view at Deals.DiscountVouchers.co.uk.

The new DiscountVouchers.co.uk daily deals team has been established to grow the company’s position as the fastest-growing voucher codes website in the UK. The new team will be headed up by CEO Gerard Doyle, who will seek to leverage the site’s 150,000 a day unique visitors and database in excess of 5 million registered subscribers.

Gerard Doyle said: “This new move into the group buying space makes all the sense in the world, since our DiscountVouchers.co.uk voucher codes audience and daily deals users are so similar. We are well set up to take the fight to the established US daily deals providers who have gained themselves footholds in the UK market,” says Gerard.

The new DiscountVouchers.co.uk daily deals software platform has been built by e-commerce and daily deals specialists NimbleCommerce, a supplier of transactional tools which leverage mobile, search and social networks.

Gerard Doyle continued, “Many US group buying companies now have traction in the UK and there are also technology resellers present too. By getting together with NimbleCommerce we will be able to expand our offering beyond our current 5 million voucher code users and into the burgeoning group deals space.”

NimbleCommerce European Sales Director Peter Casey comments: “This is a really progressive step taken by DiscountVouchers.co.uk and we are pleased to be working with such a fast-growing voucher codes company. Our solutions allow retailers and consumers both to benefit, with merchants enjoying the in-built revenue protection we offer.”

“With DiscountVouchers.co.uk already having a database of over 5 million on which to build, we are confident that our technologies will empower them to keep growing and make fast inroads into the daily deals space in the UK,” Peter went on.
Gerard concluded, “We are well set to make this move into the group buying market in the UK, with us already having so many subscribers, so much data, so many partnerships and the know-how of how to grow a business rapidly”.

DiscountVouchers.co.uk will continue expanding in the UK with new regional growth plans in place for the coming three months. The first three cities targeted will be Brighton, Birmingham and Newcastle.

Since DiscountVouchers.co.uk was launched in 2009 the site has helped customers save more than £3.8 million and has generated revenues in excess of £25 million in the 12 months to August 2011. At present, the site features more than 500 new offers every day from over 3000 retailers including Marks&Spencer, House of Fraser, Lastminute.com and Sainsbury’s.

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Business, Consumer Services, Economy, Financial, Internet & Online, Society

Pensioners Suffering As The Money Runs Out, Says Debt Solutions Company Trust Deed Scotland

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A new report reveals that pensioners across the UK are being left penniless as their money disappears every week in a whirlwind of bills, says Debt Solutions Company, Trust Deed Scotland.

An income of £207.15 per week is typical for most pensioned couples, but a report by Standard Life shows it goes straight back out the door as £207.24 is spent on food, fuel, housing and transport.

The report highlights rising inflation as the reason why the average pensioner has difficulties making ends and are being hit hard – many are having issues even affording a new pair of shoes, a holiday or a present for a grandchild.

While the Consumer Price Index remained the same in September at 4.5%, the Retail Price Index was hovering at 5.2% and threatening to rise again. Pensioner have a fixed income that doesn’t change from month to month, and that combined with inflation and large energy rises from utilities companies means turn some have turned towards credit cards to make ends meet.

A spokesperson for Scottish Debt Solutions Company, Trust Deed Scotland, said:
“According to Age UK, British pensioners are the fourth poorest in Europe, with the worst off set to lose up to 22% of their household income because of cuts to local authority services and changes to the tax and benefits system. This report highlights the dire position our parents and grandparents are in. At a time when they should be relaxing after a lifetime of working, they are pinching pennies and worrying about what the future will hold for them.”

The day before Standard Life published its report, the Institute of Fiscal Studies issued a warning about how ‘real’ inflation was hitting pensioners much harder than younger age groups.

“The Insolvency Service reported the fastest rising group of people claiming insolvency is pensioners,” said the spokesperson. “They are six times more likely to go bankrupt or take out a debt solution such as a Scottish Trust Deed or Debt Arrangement Schemethan they were just a decade ago. The number of people entering retirement with unpaid debts has increased, and when combined with increased life expectancy, the recession and limited options to increase income when you retire, it adds up to a lot of older people in real trouble”.

According to the Consumer Credit Counseling Service the average unsecured debt of newly retired pensioners is £21,370 and few have any savings at all. Once all the bills have been covered, there’s just £85 left at the end of the month.

“There are numerous reasons why pensioners are entering retirement in debt,” said the spokesperson. “Previous good house values led to many people remortgaging for home improvements or to loan to children or grand children for house deposits. There’s also the issue of divorce, where one partner will often buy the other out of their share of the property by extending their mortgage. And then some people are marrying and having families much later in life or having second families in their fifties.”

“For many life as a retiree in today’s world is just as expensive as it was when they were working, but now they have less income to live on.”

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Automotive, Consumer Services, Internet & Online, Transportation & Logistics, Travel

UK Tourists Booking Car Hire Earlier This Christmas Says eRentals.co.uk

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Online car hire specialist eRentals.co.uk has reported that Brits are booking Christmas car hire earlier than ever this year. The website, which helps travellers source car hire in over 12,000 locations around the world, this week reports that advance booking for Christmas is up by 38% with around six weeks still to go.

Historically, travellers have tended to see car rental as an optional extra and something which can be left until the last minute says eRentals.co.uk. This year however, the website is seeing many more tourists plan ahead and book car hire well before travelling.

eRentals.co.uk also reports that this year’s most popular Christmas car hire collection points throughout Europe are Geneva, Heathrow Airport, Lisbon, Faro and Manchester Airport. Many Brits head away overseas during the festive season to spend Christmas with relatives.

Briony Fairbairn, spokesperson for eRentals.co.uk, says: “Traditionally Brits have a habit of waiting until they arrive somewhere before finding car hire, or at best booking a few days before they travel. This year seems to have seen a change in behaviour.”

“At Christmas each year car hire providers see increased demand for family vehicles like 4x4s and people carriers, so booking ahead is essential. The same applies to added extras like child seats, waiting until arrival in a resort before asking about them can result in disappointment. So this year’s rise in people booking ahead is a refreshing change and these people will have a more enjoyable car hire experience.”

eRentals.co.uk is a specialist car hire company, providing low cost car rental in over 12,000 locations around the World. Committed to finding its customers the best prices, eRentals.co.uk offers a quick and easy search of the latest offers, including Majorca car hire and Lanzarote car hire, for a festive escape in the sun.

For more information visit www.erentals.co.uk.

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Consumer Services, Internet & Online, Retail, Shopping

DiscountVouchers.co.uk Helps Shoppers Save on Bikes and Decorations for Christmas

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Giving the gift of bikes this Christmas or getting more fairy lights for your money just got easier thanks to new deals made public by vouchers website DiscountVouchers.co.uk. The online specialist has introduced new B&Q and Halfords money off coupons this week to help people save.

The latest range of new DiscountVouchers.co.uk deals are designed to get people money off Christmas gifts in the shape of new bikes from Halfords. The website is currently home to Halfords vouchers offering money-saving deals like 50% Off Selected Apollo Kids Bikes and up to 50% Off Adult Apollo Bikes.

Consumers can also log on to the DiscountVouchers.co.uk site this week and download new B&Q vouchers for saving money on fairy lights and decorations for the home. The new offers available online right now include great value deals such as 3 for 2 on all Christmas Decorations and Christmas Lights from just £2.50.

Doug Scott, managing director at DiscountVouchers.co.uk, says, “Christmas can of course be one of the most expensive times of the year so naturally many people want to work to a budget. Our latest choice of deals for saving at Halfords and B&Q can help people stretch their budgets that bit further this year.”

DiscountVouchers.co.uk offers consumers money saving deals at major high street brands and specialist retailers, including stores like Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Travelodge, First Choice, lastminute.com and Boden.

For more information visit www.discountvouchers.co.uk.

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Automotive, Consumer Services, Internet & Online, Transportation & Logistics, Travel

UK Drivers Risking Road Safety by Cost-Cutting Says Latest Carrentals.co.uk Research

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Carrentals.co.uk, the car hire comparator which helps people save on rentals in over 15,000 destinations around the world, has announced the results of a new road safety poll. The website surveyed more than 2,300 UK drivers and discovered that 1 in 3 choose not to have their vehicle serviced due to expense and 1 in 5 have not had bald or worn tyres replaced ahead of winter.

The poll also showed that 1 in 10 motorists have changed from comprehensive to third-party car insurance to save money while pre-winter car servicing and checks are also being neglected; 60% of people have saved money on not getting tyres checked while 80% haven’t had their brakes checked either.

Changing brake pads regularly is usually considered a car maintenance essential, but 10% of respondents told Carrentals.co.uk that they have not done so recently to save money.

Gareth Robinson, managing director of Carrentals.co.uk, says: “The results of our latest survey were somewhat concerning, as road safety is simply so important particularly in winter. We understand that people need to make cutbacks wherever possible but we don’t advise skimping on vehicle maintenance.”

“British winters are typically hazardous on the roads and ice causes many accidents every year. With that in mind we want people to consider where else they can make savings rather than neglecting their car’s safety, something which puts themselves and others at risk.”

The Carrentals.co.uk poll also found that almost 1 in 3 people have traded their car in for a cheaper to maintain model in recent times, while more than 56% now visit an independent garage for car servicing in place of more costly authorised places.

Traditional car rescue cover has also suffered as a result of the financial crisis according to the new Carrentals.co.uk survey. 1 in 10 people have cancelled car rescue contracts and 3% of people confessed to driving without insurance due to the costs of policies these days.

“People clearly need to make cutbacks wherever possible these days, and we understand that entirely, Gareth went on. “However that is not to say that we condone neglecting road safety. Car maintenance is essential, especially with icy weather on the way, so we urge people to look for other ways to save money this winter.”

The award winning Carrentals.co.uk is the leading car hire comparison site comparing the best deals from up to 50 rental companies, including Alamo, Auto Europe, Budget, Holiday Autos and Sixt. Travellers can rent a car in over 15,000 locations around the world, including car hire in Tenerife, and car hire in Lanzarote for a winter sun escape.

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Advertising, Automotive, Software, Technology, Web 2.0

Effekt-Etage Creates Innovative iPad App

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Seemingly real paint samples that react to movements of the iPad, leather that you can actually touch as well as see, and individualised image content in many app areas. A new benchmark for innovation, interactivity and customer communication.

BMW Individual, the most exclusive way to drive a BMW, is now available as an interactive experience on the iPad. Thanks to an innovative user interface, this unprecedented virtual product catalogue enables a breathtaking experience of BMW Individual, the BMW premium range.

The app commissioned by BMW M GmbH and developed by Effekt-Etage had a simple aim: to fully exploit the interactive potential offered by the iPad medium in an innovative way, thus creating a new benchmark. The app developed by Effekt-Etage is set to establish a new trend in the category of interactive product magazines.

Its various chapters relate interesting facts about the BMW Individual philosophy, paint finishes, fine leather upholstery and other equipment options. In addition, users can create a virtual vehicle according to their preferences and view the finished result in a Visualiser.

The app is the first to achieve a near-realistic representation of paint finish samples in a virtual environment. In part this is due to Effekt-Etage’s high-quality 3D renderings, which perfectly communicate the BMW Individual paint finishes’ special appeal. In addition, the virtual paint finishes react to movements of the iPad, so the user has the actual impression of moving a real-life paint sample in relation to a light source. This virtual reality effect has also been implemented for the leather samples, allowing the user to leaf through them and touch them.

The interactive capability of this app means that almost every product image can be interacted with, creating a virtual environment that allows users to experience the look and feel of the various equipment details for themselves.

Another outstanding feature is the way the app combines the product information and vehicle configuration processes.

The conventional approach involves the user finding information about products and features such as paint finishes, equipment etc. in a physical catalogue, or on the web. They then begin a separate step of vehicle configuration in a Configurator, beginning with a default vehicle. The BMW Individual app goes one step further by combining these previously separate steps. While reading the various chapters, users are already able to bookmark paintwork finishes, leather colours or other features they like. They can effectively configure their vehicle while gathering information, performing both activities within a single process. As a result, the vehicle initially shown in the Configurator already reflects the user’s individual preferences.

Users can of course save “their” dream car, share it with friends and acquaintances on Facebook, file it in their personal photo album, or send it off in an e-mail.

The BMW Individual iPad app comes in English and German, is optimised for the iPad and iPad2, and is available free of charge in the App Store.

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Consumer Services, Retail, Shopping, Transportation & Logistics

Christmas Shoppers Should Go Online To Find Black Friday Deals, Says Parcel2Go

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Britain’s leading online parcel delivery specialist Parcel2Go has reminded shoppers looking for great deals on their Christmas presents this year to remember to capitalise on Black Friday on November 25.

The annual event, which marks the start of the Christmas shopping rush in America, is designed to inspire US consumers and get the tills ringing at the start of the festive season. But thanks to the internet, next week’s shopping bonanza won’t be restricted to people living in the United States.

Amazon UK is one retailer that is joining in to bring British shoppers deals on a range of goods from books and music to fashion and beauty products, and Parcel2Go has reminded people not to miss out. Amazon will be offering timed deals between Monday, November 21 and Black Friday on the 25th.

Richard Mercer, marketing director at Parcel2Go, said: “Black Friday might have begun as a US tradition but deal-conscious shoppers from the UK now have the chance to beat the Christmas rush and grab themselves a few bargains.

“Online shopping has completely revolutionised the way people buy presents at Christmas and as long as people make sure that their gifts are being shipped with leading couriers then buying online is a great way to avoid the queues at the tills. There are sure to be plenty of Black Friday deals to be had next week and by choosing to send presents to friends and relatives using Parcel2Go, shoppers will be able to save even more money.”

Anyone thinking of ordering goods from American businesses on Black Friday might find that some retailers will only ship to US addresses. Parcel2Go offers customers the opportunity to rent an American address and have goods forwarded to Europe with professional couriers such as DHL and FedEx, so buying direct from the US is no problem at all.

Richard added: “The US address rental service has become incredibly popular and we’d expect to see an increase in demand from European consumers as Black Friday draws closer.”

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