Retail rewind - a year in review 2011

[Zeenat Moorad] The approval of the Wal-Mart/Massmart deal will go down as the highlight of the retail sector in 2011. 6 Jan 2012 08:19

Benetton to build shopping mall

ROME, ITALY: Italian clothes maker Benetton signed a deal on Wednesday to restore a historic palace in Venice and turn it into a shopping centre as the watery city taps the private sector to help fund costly projects. 29 Dec 2011 10:05

Pick n Pay increases shareholding in TM Supermarkets

On 8 December 2011, the shareholders of TM Supermarkets voted unanimously to allow Pick n Pay to purchase an additional 24% of shares, bringing its holdings up to 49%. The Competition and Tariff Commission of Zimbabwe agreed, subject to certain conditions pertaining to labour and local procurement of goods. 12 Dec 2011 10:53

Bizcommunity.com

Bizcommunity launches new dedicated sectors, newsletters

Bizcommunity.com - South Africa's largest online B2B publisher - is set to grow even more with the introduction of 16 new content channels, with weekly newsletters, as from last week Tuesday, 20 September 2011. 20 Sep 2011 15:45

Woolworths to grow African joint ventures

[Annaleigh Vallie] South African retailer Woolworths Holdings has announced a joint venture in Tanzania and Uganda, adding more stores to its growing African portfolio. 12 Sep 2011 11:19

Pick n Pay opens store in Maputo

CAPE TOWN: Pick n Pay announced on Thursday, 23 June 2011, the opening of its first Mozambican store in Maputo which will extend its African footprint. The company plans to open a further two stores later this year and is seeking more opportunities across the country. 23 Jun 2011 11:45

Namibia court gives Wal-Mart thumbs up

The world's largest retailer Wal-Mart has confirmed that the High Court of Namibia has unanimously upheld its application to invalidate all conditions attached by the Namibian Competition Commission on its approval of the proposed acquisition of Massmart (MSM). 3 May 2011 10:27

The new savvy British consumer

LONDON, UK: There's a change taking place in the UK as consumers start taking control of when, how and where they shop. Power is shifting from retailers to consumers and retailers need to adapt to survive. The retail space is ever changing and evolving- the role of social media, mobile & TV continues to grow, as will innovation in the sector. 21 Apr 2011 07:47

Hypermarkets under pressure

HYDERABAD, INDIA: The reign of hypermarkets is under threat from a variety of sources and retailers urgently need to adapt and innovate to protect margins, finds Verdict's global arm Datamonitor Retail. 19 Apr 2011 12:19

China's marketing challenges

BEIJING, CHINA / NEW YORK, US: The meteoric rise in the spending power of the Chinese consumer presents unique challenges for marketers, according to a new study released by Forbes Insights and the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA). 13 Apr 2011 07:51

Germany's retail turnover to rise by 2%

NUREMBERG, GERMANY: According to calculations by GfK GeoMarketing, retail sales are likely to be 2% higher this year than in 2010 and reach a total volume of €406* billion. However, if prices climb relatively steeply this year, this could dampen consumers' willingness to spend and consequently impact retail sales. 30 Mar 2011 08:57

Asian contact lenses markets perform well

SINGAPORE: The contact lens industry continues to perform well in 2010, registering a healthy 12% growth across the five combined markets monitored by GfK Asia - Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan. According to GfK's full year retail audit findings, all these markets expanded in value within the range of 9 to 12%. 29 Mar 2011 07:53

RIM announces retail channels for BlackBerry PlayBook

WATERLOO, US: Research In Motion, based in Waterloo, in the US, has announced plans to make the highly anticipated BlackBerry PlayBook tablet available in more than 20 000 retail outlets in the US and Canada. 23 Mar 2011 12:13

Germany: eBooks not yet a mass market product

NUREMBERG, GERMANY: eBooks are already bestsellers in some countries. The major online retailer Amazon recently reported that it sold more eBooks than paperbacks in the USA last year. However, electronic books continue to be a niche product in Germany. 23 Mar 2011 12:02