Google announced they've extended and expanded the AdWords local inventory ads they launched in the US about a year ago to more countries.
The new ads are now available in the UK, France, Germany, Japan and Australia.
Local inventory ads (formerly called Local Product Listing Ads) are designed to make your local stores and inventory accessible to people shopping online. Here is a screen shot of how the ads may look to searchers:
Google said that "83% of shoppers would be more likely to visit a store if they could check the availability of an item online beforehand."
For more details on this ad format, see this page.
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
