Financial News for 18th March 2010

Here is this week's financial news from BigFish Media Voiceover Artist Sasha Twining:

A LOTTA ALLOTMENTS
Our thoughts this past week have been turning to getting our fingers dirty. At least that’s what gardening superstore B&Q reckons. They say sales of greenhouses, potting sheds and spades have soared by 40% so far this year compared to last. A couple of years ago, 70% of seed sold was for flowering plants, now the vast majority is to grow vegetables.


LEAVES UP MOTHER BROWN
Our High Street shops will be thanking Mothers this week as Mothering Sunday brought a welcome boost in trade. Sales of cut flowers rose by 40% and many boys and girls may have been influenced by the sunny weather too, as John Lewis said sales of gardening gifts for Mum were up.


KENSINGTON KING OF ID FRAUD
Make sure you check your credit record. ID fraud has risen by 20% in the past year. People most at risk include those who move house often, or whose post is delivered in communal hallways. London is the ID fraud hotspot, with Kensington residents most at risk.


SLAMMING THE PHONE DOWN
There was a new word for the business dictionary this week – ‘slamming’. This is the practice where a fraudenlent land-line provider cons a customer into changing their service. Normally for a far pricier deal. Watchdog Ofcom unveiled new regulations which they say should vastly reduce the near 800 victims a month.


TO OUR CREDIT?
When was the last time you compared your outgoings with your earnings? Figures out this week suggest one in ten of us are living beyond our means. This is not a new phenomenon, but the change is that in the past house owners could release equity from their homes – now we’re turning to high interest credit cards to plug the gap.

Sasha Twining is LBC 97.3's Business Correspondent. You can hear her Monday-Friday between 4 and 7pm on the James Whale Programme.