Who Is Ahead In The Flat Screen TV Race?

LG are certainly a main contender for the ultimate flat screen TV manufacturer but as we described in the previous blog, there is stiff competition throughout the entire electronics market. Check out our range of great HD and LCD flat screen TV's at The Expat Marketplace - makes shopping in Spain so easy with free delivery to your door, anywhere throught Europe.


LG's 42LG7000 Bluetooth-enabled LCD television lets you view all images from your mobilephone or computer directly on its 42-inch screen. With its Full HD 1080presolution and impressive 60,000:1 contrast rate, you'll enjoy images filledwith deep colours and vivid detail. The 42LG7000's 100 Hz technology also guaranteesmaximum fluidity. This TV comes equipped with four HDMI sockets and one USBport so you can hook up all your external audio/video devices! Plus, for evenmore entertainment options, the 42LG7000's built-in digital tuner gives you access toloads of Freeview channels!

Serious Competition In The Digital Camera Market

In 2009, the digital electronics retail industry is a minefield. Trying to keep up to date with the latest gadgets, chips, processors, applications and wide range of product technology is more than a full-time job.

Take the digital camera retail market for example. You are wanting to choose a new digital SLR to replace your now out of date, 2003 state of the art model. Where do you start? Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji, Pentax, Minolta, Leica, Olympus and the list goes on...and that's just the easy bit! Once you have narrowed down the shortlist of manufacuturers you have the unenviable task of wading through the mountains of technical specifications and the comparisons of such, together with the need to decipher the associated jargon, e.g. the APS-C CCD image sensors and BIONZ® processing engine, or the "Quick AF Live View" technology

Then you move to mobile phones...or now as most are known 'smartphones' because of their 'smart and intelligent' capabilities. Nokia, Samsung, Blackberry, iPhones, Y phones, ABCDE phones, and probably the latest 'I can't work it out, does it make calls?' phones! Apps (applications - i.e. things it can do!) are available by their thousands and soon the high multi-thousands. They work like computers, they act like computers, and they confuse you, just like computers! Indeed, the computers are too very confusing - no wonder 6.3 million pensioners in the UK are not using computers.

Here at The Expat Marketplace, we understand technology. We don't keep up to date with every gadget made but we have a fair idea if we are ever posed the question -"What does it do?" or "Which do you recommend?" That's one reason why expat shopping with us is so enjoyable. We have a team that will de-mystify the jargon and advise you in the best possible way. Don't waste time trying to figure it out, just go to the people that know.

Is Spain Still The Place To Be!

Why For Very Many Expats Spain Is Still The Place To Be!

Sure there has a been a big recession globally, with UK and Spain still battling through it for what will be some while to come, in some areas. However, despite the doom and gloom of the economy, the sun still shines in southern Spain, and for every negaitve there are positives. Many of the people with whom I have had conversations recently, and yes some of them have been hard hit by the downturn in currency fluctuations, remain very positive about their continued lives in Spain.

As one retiree put it recently, "Where in the UK can you find a place as beautiful as the Andalusia province, with 2 bedroom apartments for as little as €70,000, where there are no traffic lights, little or no road works, no traffic queues, no CCTV, no TV licences, the sun shines for 320 days a year on average (which translates into cheaper fuel bills), a great health system with little or no queues, healthy food and good wine at€ €1.45 per bottle?"

When it's put like that it's a very convincing case for leaving the grey skies of the UK behind. But of course it does have some down sides too as the interviewee, pointed out. "Sure there are expats here struggling to make a living but no-one ever promoted Spain as the land of golden business opportunity". If you move abroad and it doesn't matter where you go, there are always cultural differences that one has to get used to e.g. the language, the siestas, the local manyana approach to life and some think the shopping...but none of this is surrmountable. If you are an enterprising type of person, then there is a host of different business opportunities, outside of the usual bar and restaurant route, in which one could become involved.

As for the shopping...online shopping makes everything possible. With sites like UK Shopping in Spain, expats can readily get any of their favourite brands delivered directly to their door, and as my interviewee confirmed, "...anything is possible including Coronation Street on TV! Reduced income? We've just got to get used to it!"

See what the Daily Mail has to say about the Spanish property market here

Shoppers Turn To Online Deals For Christmas?

With Christmas only 8 weeks away and with the state of the British and Spanish economies in disarray, it is little wonder that many expat shoppers and locals are turning to the internet to make their money go further.

Some are doing the cheap option of exchange a gift voucher route, whilst others are waiting for the sales. But the sales will be coming early in this festive season. Retailers just can't afford to wait until after Christmas to launch their discounts and 2009 discounts are available throughout the year online. So who will win the shopping war? High Street shopping or online shopping? What will you being doing for your shopping this Christmas?

Many expats believe that because of the very nature of their new lives abroad, much of the UK goods are out of reach. Not so, for years established businesses have not only provided access to the goods but delivered them directly to your doors (almost) regardless of where you are in Europe. For examle if you are shopping in Spain, there are regular retail suppliers like UK Shopping in Spain delivering throughout Europe regularly, With internet shopping reaching the billions of GBP's per annum and door to door delivery, coupled with the fact that they can pay the bill off over a period of months on credit card, my guess is that online shopping will win through this year.

What will you be doing for your Christmas shopping? Local Spanish stores or online?

Welcome to Expat Shopping - Spanish Stores

You don't have to look too far...

We've been in Spain for many years running our own retail shop on the beach front in Mojacar, Almeria Province, and we've also successfully brought UK products to both the expatriate community and the locals via our sister site UK Shopping in Spain. Now, however, we have our own unique offering in the name of The Expat Marketplace, to compliment our other retail activities.

With in excess of 20,000 products and free standard delivery to your door for all expats throughout Europe, our offering cannot be beaten!

Naturally, as time progresses we'll be writing more within this blog, alerting you to offers and discounts and the products of the week or month....and we'll even include some reviews of the more popular products. What is for sure is that you won't get our products from Spanish stores! We know from our time here that shopping in Spain for the average expat can be rather daunting too, so we'll help you along the way.

Happy shopping!