The lack of economic debate may have been a relief to Mr Howard after his government's unpopular introduction of a "goods and services tax" (GST), similar to VAT was blamed for dampening the economy earlier this year.

BBC: Australia's 'empty' economic agenda

The euro has made prices more transparent in Europe, even if consumers worry that retailers have used its introduction to mark up their goods (see article).

ECONOMIST: Pricing strategies

The improvement in sales is attributed to the introduction of a new catalogue, which increased the range of goods in each store by 30%.

BBC: Christmas shops in search of sparkle