Net café takes on high-street retailers

NEWS Following today's launch of the first easyEverything Internet café in London, company founder and chairman, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, told Silicon.com he hopes to snatch business away from high-street stores. easyEverything plans to open a nationwide chain of cybercafes by the end of the year, targeting busy shopping areas in major cities. According to Haji-Ioannou - who also owns cut-price airline, easyJet - consumers will be encouraged to browse around high-street shops and then pop into their nearest easyEverything café to buy the items at discount prices. One site high up on Haji-Ioannou's list is Oxford Street in London. "They won't know what hit them," he said. According to the company, it can avoid relying on advertising or alliances to raise revenue - users will pay £1 an hour to browse and buy on the Web, attracted by the everyday savings offered by manufacturers and retailers selling online. Haji-Ioannou dismissed security fears surrounding the Internet. "We'll exercise due care," he said. "But everyone will be covered." "An easyEverything portal is the next big thing," Haji-Ioannou added, explaining that the site will eventually become a centre for ecommerce on the Web and offer Internet access to consumers.