BANBURY, England, September 27 /PRNewswire/ --     The British Shops and Stores Association (bssa), is inviting input from
independent non-food retailers to the first edition of its quarterly Sales
Monitor. The Sales Monitor will paint an accurate picture of consumer
spending and retail performance by sector and region for independent non-food
retailers.

By accessing the live link to the on-line survey at
http://www.british-shops.co.uk/sales_monitor/autumn_07.htm, participants
will be contributing to the creation of a unique snapshot of the health of
the high street from the perspective of the independent sector.

Using data from both bssa members and non-members, the Sales Monitor will
differ from the British Retail Consortium's Retail Sales Monitor in several
ways. Calculated on a quarterly rather than monthly basis, it will crucially
not include sales returns from multiples or businesses operating in the food
sector.

Hosted on-line and taking just minutes to complete, the deadline for
entries for the first report is October 14th.

John Dean, bssa Chief Executive, comments:

"This sales monitor of quarterly performance is a key element in bssa's
campaign to draw attention to the plight of the high street and the very real
challenges facing many businesses. This more accurate representation will
enable us to comment authoritatively on the performance of the high street
from the small and independent retailers' perspective, highlighting the
issues which most impact upon them."

The results of the first quarterly Sales Monitor will be made available
to all participating businesses by the end of October. For further
information, contact bssa on +44-(0)-1295-712277 or email info@bssa.co.uk.

Notes for Editors:

- bssa is the leading trade association to offer unrivalled
support and commercial advantage to small and medium-sized non-food
retailers. It was established in 1991 as a consequence of the merger of
the Drapers' Chamber of Trade, Menswear Association of Britain and
National Association of Retail Furnishers. It has enjoyed continual
growth in membership in recent years from across the spectrum of high
street retailers. Today it has in excess of 4,000 members who have a
combined annual turnover exceeding GBP3 billion, trading out of 6,200
outlets and employing over 45,000 staff.

- bssa has invested heavily in its infrastructure and is now
recognised as a lead trade association within the non-food retail sector,
where it focuses on the small and medium sized business (SME).

- The Association has two primary tasks, to leverage economies
of scale, created by a large membership base, to provide a comprehensive
and highly competitive portfolio of core retailing business and
professional services to its members. In addition, it represents the
interests and concerns of its members to government both directly and
indirectly through the offices of the British Retail Consortium.

- Issued on behalf of bssa by Energy Public Relations Ltd.