18 May 2007

The boom in Internet shopping has seen Britons splashing out to the tune of £100 billion thus far, it has emerged.

Statistics from the Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG) indicate the extent of the nation's love affair with online shopping, as a 55 per cent rise in April continued to drive growth in the marketplace.

Additionally, the industry body claims that e-commerce has come a long way over the last 12 years, with the first ever British online purchase being a WHSmith book sold on CompuServe.

Jo Evans, managing director of IMRG, said that £100 billion represented an "astonishing landmark" for the industry.

Putting the success in context, she added: "April's online sales were worth about the same in one month as London's West End takes in a year."

IMRG's role is to promote e-retail by collaborating with a wider commerce community and establishing best practice and industry standards for companies.

© Adfero Ltd

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