Going, growing, gone! - 3 Oct 2011[Shan Radcliffe] Another month, another petrol price hike. But that's not going to dampen the spirit of growth as the end of September welcomed new stores across Africa for Pick n Pay and Builders Warehouse. read more SA Fashion Week in-store - 26 Sep 2011[Shan Radcliffe] SA Fashion Week has come and gone but its presence will linger longer for those fashionistas who want to get their hands on designer treasures. Having proven so successful last year, the Pop Up Shops will hold pride of place in the Sandton City Fountain Court for three days this coming weekend. read more Auctions, conventions, consumers and awards - 19 Sep 2011[Shan Radcliffe] Wine by the case-load went under the hammer this past weekend in the annual Nederburg Auction, now its 37th year. This year's record sale was a whopping R68000 for a single case of 1948 Monis Collectors Port that was snapped up by Obi Josephat Ndibe - the same importer who set the record last year for a case of 1964 Nederburg Port. In other news, Paul Jooste is raising concerns about consumer indicators, but SMMEs can expect to get a little guidance at next year's International Small Business Congress which is going to take place in Africa for the first time. To end on a high note, South Africa's tourism industry shone brightly at the 2011 World Travel Awards Africa - bringing home a plethora of awards. read more Season of new growth - 12 Sep 2011[Shan Radcliffe] During the season representative of new growth, many retailers are celebrating the opening of new stores: Clicks has just celebrated the opening of its 400th outlet, while Kauai hits its 100th. Woolworths is expanding further into Africa through a joint venture in Tanzania and Uganda. read more It's getting hot in here... - 5 Sep 2011[Shan Radcliffe] Spring is springing and fashion season is hotting up with the Spring/Summer collections on show in the coming months. Edgars is getting in on the gig as the official partner of of SA Fashion Week, which kicks off at the end of September. read more And... strut! - 29 Aug 2011[Shan Radcliffe] Coming up on the catwalk this September are the creations of the 2011 Elle New Talent Design Award finalists. One young designer is no stranger to the competition - Kutloano Molokomme made the top 7 in last year's awards. read more Salutations and celebrations! - 22 Aug 2011[Shan Radcliffe] In the next couple of weeks, Unisa's Personal Finance Research Unit will launch its study into the financial well-being of SA households, with the aim to answer the question: Are we income poor and asset rich? June's retail trade figures would suggest we're not in saving mode, however economists expect retail sales growth will slow during this next half of the year. As we head into the last part of Women's Month, two ladies have been recognised by Businesswomen's Association's as outstanding leaders in the business world. Congratulations to the BWA's businesswomen of the year, Philisiwe Buthelezi and Nondumiso Mzizana! Lastly, our marketing mothership is celebrating a decade of being the Biz this week - there's some fabulous prizes to be won, so check out the competition details and send us your wishes here: The Biz Bang Theory. read more Women's Day - 10 Aug 2011[Shan Radcliffe] read more Want it, need it, gooi it - 1 Aug 2011[Shan Radcliffe] Gemgem, a new group buying site specifically aimed at moms and tots launches today. Mike Abel reckons all these deal-of-the-day and "couponeer" sites are teaching consumers "...to pay less, to wait for the sale, the cut-price, the special. read more Don't be scared, be safe - 25 Jul 2011[Shan Radcliffe] Last week at SAITEX, which was running in conjunction with AB7, global retail expert Simon Mathers told the group attending the networking breakfast not to be scared of Walmart, just do things right. Government has other ideas though, having lodged a review application of the merger between the big US retailer and Massmart, after the public hearing was rendered all but completely irrelevant. In other conference news, Retail Risk is coming up in Sandton next week. read more Happy birthday! - 18 Jul 2011[Shan Radcliffe] On 15 July 2007, Bizcommunity Retail launched at Africa's Big 7 expo; four years later we've amassed over 34000 subscribers. I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all our readers - we really appreciate all your support over the years and look forward to many more years together. read more Growing African business - 11 Jul 2011[Shan Radcliffe] The 2011 Thailand Trade Show may be over but the launch of the Thai Trade Distribution Centre in Cape Town later this year will continue to open doors between the two countries for years to come. Still gearing up for business opportunities next week is Africa's Big Seven in conjunction with SAITEX. read more Silence is golden... for other networks - 4 Jul 2011[Shan Radcliffe] Even if you're not a Vodacom subscriber, you're bound to have heard about last week's service issues - whether it be on Facebook, Twitter, or the 7 o'clock news. Having been a loyal subscriber for 11 years now, I can happily say I was not affected by Thursday's little service malfunction - no, my 3G connection was only about as dodgy as it always is. read more (4 Comments) The Boys will be boys - 27 Jun 2011[Rod Baker: GM Content] After lengthy negotiations and the handing over of a large sum of cash, the issue surrounding the Bafana Bafana brand name has been resolved and on the manufacturing front, a recently held workshop and seminar, ExtruAfrica 2011 looked at technology that will enable people in rural areas to process food and feed. That seems to make good sense: provide people with suitable technology so that they can earn a livelihood. Meanwhile, Down Under, global tobacco giant Philip Morris is launching a legal challenge to Australia's plan to introduce plain cigarette packaging. read more Looking at control in the call centre - 20 Jun 2011[Rod Baker: GM Content] According to MTN Business, the way South African companies view 'control' in the call centre needs to change and that if local businesses take heed of research released overseas, they will understand the real business opportunity facing the call centre sector in the next 12 months. On the environment front, authorities in Australia have just launched a new site to monitor greenhouse gases in the Southern Hemisphere, and on the property front, property loan stocks are continuing to pique the interest of both small and large investors, thanks to strong returns tracked in the short-term and exceptional results posted over the long-term. read more |
