Europe

And these big distribution chains have announced that in their various stores it will be possible to pay with the new European currency, as already happens with U.S. dollars. Among the big distribution chains participating in this initiative are Harrod's, Marks & Spencers, Dixons, Selfridges and Virgin.

This initiative has taken place in order to make life easier for the thousands of tourists and students that invade the various British cities every year, but also the life of the many workers that commute between London and other European cities.

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According to a survey conducted in October, 50 percent of the Britons would be willing to renounce British pounds. This shift in desires and intentions is mainly due to the popularity of Tony Blair, who has recently clearly come back to support the European unified currency.

But that's not all. According to the research conducted by Gartner Consulting and commissioned by NCR, 73 percent of British retailers declare to be "ready for the Euro." 83 percent of those retailers will accept the unified currency as a means of payment and one third of those retailers will be even able to give change in Euro. "A very positive sign," the European Vice-president of NCR, Alberto Camuri, has remarked, "Because the retailers have understood the customers' point of view and problems and have thus considered the Euro more as an opportunity than as an inconvenience."