Economy: High Street Trade

Baroness Stowell of Beeston Excerpts

Tuesday 10th May 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Grade of Yarmouth (Con)]

My Lords—

[Baroness Stowell of Beeston (Con)]

My Lords, there can be only one of us standing up at any one time. Thank you. We have not heard from the Cross Benches. After hearing from them I suggest that we go to my noble friend Lord Grade.

[Lord Bilimoria]

My Lords, I have been a non-executive director of Booker, the FTSE 250 company, for eight and a half years. When I started our internet sales were £50 million. Today, out of a turnover of £5 billion, they are £1 billion. Surely the answer is to help the high street to take advantage of the internet age. What are the Government doing to help retailers to take advantage of the internet, whether on payments, winning customers or dealing with their suppliers and the supply chain?