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BT and global new media agency network USWeb/CKS have set up a joint venture offering online shopping consultancy to UK retailers.

The two partners have already signed up high street retailer Next as the first client for the service, which aims to offer across-the-board consultancy and implementation for retailers seeking to set up e-commerce ventures.

Neal Gandhi, client services director at the UK arm of USWeb/ CKS, says: “About 15 per cent of the UK population now have Internet access – the same situation the US market was in about two years ago. Increasingly, we’re seeing US retailers aggressively targeting the UK through the Internet channel.

“Fletcher Research reports that US retailers already hold one-third of the UK’s online sales market, with this share likely to soar over the coming months.”

The launch of the co-branded service coincides with a raft of similar announcements from companies including Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and Intershop, which are launching or revising e-commerce packages available to businesses direct or through licensing arrangements with ISPs.