Dragon's Den star Jones does the business

AN ADVERTISING campaign featuring Peter Jones of TV show Dragon's Den has helped lift visitor numbers at comparison site Moneysupermarket.com.

The group yesterday said it had enjoyed a robust three months to 30 September, as internet revenues rose about 15 per cent on the first half, although this was down 15 per cent on the same period in 2008.

The marketing push featuring Jones – one of five multimillionaire investors on the popular BBC2 series – meant visitor numbers were up on the same period last year and against the second quarter, Moneysupermarket said in a trading update.

Savings was the strongest performing area, as consumers looked to maximise their returns in a low-interest environment and as lenders sought to strengthen their balance sheets through consumer deposits.

Unsecured lending, including credit card revenues, improved in the third quarter, with the rate of decline slowing from the first half.

Revenues in the group's travel section were 12 per cent down on a year earlier and 5 per cent lower than the first half.

The company said trends were in line with the first six months of the year, with interest in weekend break travel, including flights and hotels, remaining weak.

In home services, revenues picked up 30 per cent on the first half as a result of higher utility switching volumes, driven by the number of consumers who switched suppliers last year and had come off fixed-price deals.