A Bingley-based Internet service is helping to change the face of shopping by moving people from the high street to the world wide web.

Homeshopping.co.uk says some web-based shopping companies are purely portals directing customers to shopping sites. But it says its own website aims to understand people's buying habits and provide a tailor-made service to suit each individual's shopping needs.

A spokesman says: "From the comfort of your armchair, homeshopping.co.uk will take the mystique out of Internet shopping by making sure you receive information to suit your own tastes. If you need to know where you can buy a particular perfume or specialist jazz CD, homeshopping.cu.uk could provide you with the solution -- from the best sites to find bargains, unusual gadgets or your favourite shopping web sites, to helping you keep up to date on the products you buy the most."

The web site says it also provides impartial advice on consumer issues, as well as links to over 800 well-known and established retail outlets.

Homeshopping.co.uk highlights high street names and brands because it believes the public has more confidence buying online from established retailers, who then deliver direct to the customer's home.

Chairman Stephen Brabbins, pictured, and business development manager Richard Sturr are no strangers to multimedia or to providing exceptional customer service.

Stephen worked for many years at IBM, and Richard's background is in customer service at Tesco.

Richard says: "Homeshopping.co.uk has launched into a market expecting to reach £12.53 billion on-line sales by 2005, which equates to 5 per cent of total retail sales. Our web site differs in that consumer information is always a key feature."

Stephen, known as "Q" to his friends because of his passion for all manner of gadgets, says: "Here in the UK we are eight months ahead of Europe, and traffic has grown on the Internet by 71 per cent in the six months up to April."