Multi-millionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson popped into Oxford yesterday to help launch his new Internet empire, but admitted he finds the web confusing, writes Philip Seton-Anderson.

He checked out Virgin Space, a new internet cafe in Cornmarket Street, and V.Shop, in the Westgate Centre, which specialises in selling internet telecommunications hardware.

Although Sir Richard, 50, of Mill End, near Kidlington, was keen to talk up the potential of the Internet, he confessed that he personally finds it all a bit of a mystery.

He said: "I'm a technophobe and I prefer human contact. It's partly a time issue and partly an age issue."

He said his children, Sam, 15, and Holly, 19, were on the Internet the whole time.

"If I want to buy something or get advice my children sort it out for me."

His shaky understanding of the Internet almost got him into trouble at a high-powered business conference.

He said: "I was at a conference in the States and the speaker asked who in the room doesn't use the Internet a lot. I was about to be the only one to put my hand up when my wife, Joan, grabbed my arm and stopped me."

Despite his ignorance, Sir Richard reckons that a typical household could save between 30 to 50 per cent on their bills by buying goods and services online.

Internet users will access the web using Virgin's own home page and computers at Virgin Space, which is housed within the Virgin Megastore on Cornmarket.

Users will log on with a membership card, which stores personal preferences. They will be charged 1 for every 15 minutes online.