Aleksandr Orlov, the meerkat star of the Compare The Market ads, has held off stiff competition from Lewis Hamilton, Mr. T, Dannii Minogue and Lionel Messi to make the ad featuring his great-grandfather’s victory over a mongoose army the U.K.’s most-liked TV ad of the year.

The worldwide economic slowdown has resulted in a significant decline in consumer spending as retailers of all types have been affected.   But while people may hold on to their cars longer or put off the purchase of a new handbag, they all must eat.  Even grocers are seeing a big change in how consumers are spending their money.  According to new Nielsen research prepared for the BBC, food shoppers are spending their money on more basic items such as white bread, baked beans and other staples.
Sales of standard sliced white …

Brand Republic reported Tuesday that the fastest-growing UK websites over the past 12 months were those offering consumer discounts, according to Nielsen Online.
Nielsen’s list of the 10 fastest-growing UK websites included a site offering UK travel discounts, two coupon/reward sites, a shopping comparison site, and a site with classified ads for jobs, cars and homes.
“Sites tapping into consumer concerns about the economy, giving them the opportunity to save money, dominate the fastest growing list,” Alex Burmaster, Internet Analyst, Nielsen Online, told Brand Republic.
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More than half (55%) of UK consumers are cutting back on food purchases, Nielsen reported Wednesday.  Last year, Nielsen’s Homescan survey found that just a third (36%) of UK consumers were trying to reduce grocery spending.  
Meanwhile, sales at low-cost food retailers are growing.  In the last 12 weeks, Tesco’s sales were up 6.1% over the same time perod last year. Sales at Asda (+8.9%) and Morrison’s (+9.5%) grew by even larger percentages during the same period.
“Shoppers have been making fewer visits to the major supermarkets,” Mike Watkins, Senior Manager, Retailer …