§ Mr. Fordasked the Secretary of State for Industry what are the purposes of the club 403 project; and if he will list the organisations which have so far indicated their intention to participate.
§ Mr. ButcherClub 403 is a test market project to be run in the West Midlands for a nominal period of six months during the next year. Its purpose is to establish what consumers want from a residential viewdata package of information and services, in what form these are required and, further, what the consumer is prepared to pay for the package as a whole.
179WThe facilities to be offered should include: information, including local weather forecasts, rail, bus, and other travel information, an electronic newspaper service and many other items; entertainments, including games and puzzles; messaging, including the facility for one consumer to pass a message to another via his viewdata TV set; teleservices, including teleshopping, telebanking, telebooking and other similar interactive services.
Further organisations are agreeing to participate in club 403 virtually daily. A selection of those who have already agreed to join and provide information and services are as follows:
- ABC Travel Guides
- Alan Hopkins Sports
- American Express
- Avis Rent-A-Car
- Bank of Scotland
- Bejam Foodstores
- Citibank Savings
- Consumers' Association
- Debenhams
- General Accident
- Godfrey Davis
- Great Universal Stores
- Halifax Building Society
- Imperial Life
- Leeds Permanent Building Society
- Lewis's
- Lloyds Bank
- Meteorological Office
- Midland Bank
- National Bus Company
- National Exhibition Centre (Birmingham)
- Nottingham Building Society
- Talbot Motor Company
- Trust House Forte