Wanted! A 'hard-as-nails' CEO for Pick n Pay

[Zeenat Moorad] To steer it through its turnaround strategy, Pick n Pay will need to find a hard-as-nails CEO who really understands the food retail industry, Nedcor Securities analyst Syd Vianello said on Wednesday, 8 February. 9 Feb 2012 14:11

Amazon planning first real-world shop

SAN FRANCISCO, USA: Online retail titan Amazon will open its first real-world shop in just a few months, according to a blog devoted to news about electronic readers such as the popular Kindle. 8 Feb 2012 15:15

South African retailers more optimistic than international counterparts

Retail made doom-and-gloom new year headlines in the US and UK. A Deloitte survey revealed that retail insolvencies in the UK soared by 25% in the final three months of 2011 and more are expected. In South Africa, large retailers are proving resilient by comparison. 8 Feb 2012 14:16

Wal-Mart appoints new China boss after pork scandal

BEIJING, CHINA: US retail giant Wal-Mart on Tuesday, 7 February, named a new chief executive for its China operations, four months after the retailer's former boss quit following a scandal over falsely labelled pork. 7 Feb 2012 14:50

Holdsport five-month total sales up 11.5%

Holdsport (HSP), which runs the Sportsmans Warehouse and Outdoor Warehouse stores, said on Monday, 6 February, that total sales for the five months ended 31 January 2012 increased by 11.5% compared to the corresponding period last year. 7 Feb 2012 14:45

Consumers are under pressure

SA retailers as a group have revelled in a decade of remarkable growth, and the high ratings of their shares may suggest there's more to come. But there are warning signals too. 3 Feb 2012 14:18

AVI earnings seen up 30% to 194.4c

Consumer goods group AVI announced on Tuesday, 31 January, that it expected headline earnings per share for total operations in the six months to December 2011 to increase by 30% to 194.4 cents, from 149.9 cents a year ago. 31 Jan 2012 15:11

Massmart earnings seen 10%-18% higher

Consumer goods distributor Massmart Holdings advised on Tuesday, 31 January, that headline earnings per share (HEPS) would be between 10%-18% higher, or 402.4 cents to 431.6 cents, for the six months to 25 December 2011. 31 Jan 2012 15:04

Lewis merchandise sales up 5.5%

Retailer Lewis Group on Friday, 27 January, said merchandise sales for the quarter ended 31 December 2011 increased by 5.5% off a high comparative base of 13% last year. 27 Jan 2012 13:01

JD Group cash sales up 9.8% in furniture unit

Retailer JD Group said on Thursday, 26 January, cash sales in its furniture retail division grew by 9.8%, when compared to the previous corresponding period, with overall sales increasing by 3.6%. 26 Jan 2012 14:27

Learning from international retailers

[Leron Varsha] The South African retail sector has received a significant shakeup since the announcement of Wal-Mart's entry into the field. But there are lessons that can be learnt from a global retailer in the sense that continual improvement is always positive. As a global retailer, Wal-Mart has developed expertise in the area of negotiating with international suppliers, whilst our retailers do not operate on the same global scale. However, I maintain that with South Africa's level of expertise, retailers will hold their own against the global giant. 25 Jan 2012 13:19

[2012 trends] Back to school for marketers on teen basics

[Cathryn Treasure] It's back to basics for marketers on teen marketing - between all the talk about millennials and the born-digital, marketers have been swept up in a wave that makes it easy to forget the fundamentals. Here are several that marketers need to keep in mind when talking with today's teens (age range 11-19), regardless of what channel you choose to use. 25 Jan 2012 12:23

Consumers' festive spree

Armed with cash or backed by readily available credit, SA consumers continued on a merry shopping spree during the Christmas season. This is according to trading updates from Mr Price, Massmart and Shoprite. 20 Jan 2012 14:09