Daily Mirror

1 in 4 to only shop online

- BY NICOLA METHVEN TV Editor and BEN GLAZE Deputy Political Editor

ONE in four shoppers will stop visiting actual stores in the next three years, a study claims.

While 86% of 18 to 34-year-olds will also not see stores having real staff as being important.

And the poll by software firm VMware found 25% of 18 to 54s want more unmanned checkouts.

VMware’s Jordi Ferrer said: “Retailers have the difficult job of integratin­g complex IT systems securely and quickly to fulfil expectatio­ns.” THE BBC has been slammed for allowing the cost of the new EastEnders set to spiral by £27million.

The bill for rebuilding the soap’s HQ is set to cost £87million of licence fee money rather than the £60million originally planned.

The set in Elstree, Herts, was supposed to be completed by August but now will not be finished until 2023.

Labour MP Wes Streeting, who represents East London constituen­cy Ilford North, said: “This looks like a case of art imitating life as the cost of Albert Square seems to have rocketed as fast as East London’s house prices.

“Even avid fans of the soap will raise eyebrows at these costs.”

The E20 project was conceived in 2013 with the aim of saving almost £500,000 a year and allow high-definition filming.

It will replace the current set at BBC Elstree Centre which was built to last just two years back in 1984 and has been

Shane Richie plays Alfie Moon

beset by health and safety problems and maintenanc­e costs.

The new front lot replicates Albert Square and the traditiona­l set and the back lot is made to look more like the streets of 21st century London. A damning report by watchdog the National Audit Office blamed the 45% increase in costs on over-optimism, lack of expertise and delays in constructi­on.

The BBC first revised its plans in 2015, moving its target completion date to October 2020. However, in October 2017 Streeting

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