[Shan Radcliffe] February started off with a bang on Wednesday as the price of petrol climbed another 34c per litre. The ASA finally announced its ruling in favour of the little guy who was having a "good old fashioned" spat with Woolies. read more
[Shan Radcliffe] We're about to enter the "month of love", yet with Valentine's Day a mere two weeks away, I have yet to see a single TV ad spouting on about chocolate hearts, discount kisses and diamond sales. I was, however, appalled to see the Easter Bunny hopping all over my screen this weekend and had to double-check that I hadn't pulled a Rip van Winkle into March. read more
[Shan Radcliffe] If you listened carefully on Thursday, you were sure to hear the collective sigh of relief from homeowners countrywide as the Monetary Policy Committee announced it was keeping the repo rate unchanged, thereby keeping the interest rate stable at 9%.
Retailers, too, have been smiling all the way to the bank as news of increased turnovers comes in, though some faired better than others. Retail trade sales for November also increased year-on-year, but were down month-on-month.
The Bureau of Market Research released its 2012 retail sales forecast yesterday, predicting only moderate growth as high inflation is expected to eat away at consumer purchasing power.
Pick n Pay is beefing up its team with the introduction international retail pro, Helmut Hoerz, as head of merchandising. read more
[Shan Radcliffe] Ah, the new year has begun in earnest today for those people slinking into the office for the first time this year, so a big welcome back to all trawling through overflowing mailboxes and "in" bins. For the poor souls who shuffled in last week already, I hope you enjoyed your quiet time, as I suspect you're now surrounded by the sounds of a perpetually boiling kettle, the clink of coffee cups and noisy chatter revolving around what your colleagues got up to on holiday. read more
[Shan Radcliffe] We've been counting down the weeks
And at last the time has come
The final newsie of year
But fans, please don't be glum
We'll be back by January 9
Till then we wish you well
And for our loyal readers,
These few items on which to dwell...
Food prices are a easin'
More forecasts for the season
Make the best of festive spending
Or see what you will be missing
And so we bid you a fond adieu
May the shoppers empty your shelves
You know you'll need the space
To welcome 2012!
Until then, to all our subscribers, clients, contributors, business partners and visitors to our sites, may you all have a restful, peaceful, safe and enjoyable festive season! read more
[Shan Radcliffe] More than 15000 people gathered at Durban's International Convention Centre today for the opening of COP17, the United Nation's annual climate change conference, which President Jacob Zuma has called a "defining moment". read more
[Shan Radcliffe] In five weeks, the annual insane holiday shopping rush will be over, we'll be living on leftovers and looking forward to a new year. But that's still five weeks away and right now, we're spiraling headlong into said insane shopping crunch. read more
[Shan Radcliffe] After an almost year-long process made up of four group stages, the 25 finalists have finally been whittled down to produce the winners of the 2011 Pyro Inspiration Awards.
Over the pond, locally-brewed Distell has captured the New York spirit on it's first try, and is bringing home the title of Distillery of the Year for the NY International Spirits Competition 2011.
Lastly, SA Fairtrade Week opens today - be sure to taste the change and support it, because as we all know, local (smaak) lekker! read more
[Shan Radcliffe] This morning, the winners of Jump Shopping's annual E-Commerce Awards were named, in what organisers say has been the biggest year for the competition yet. Bid or Buy was voted as the public's favourite site as well as Best E-Commerce Services Website, while Yuppiechef won Best E-Commerce Store Award and Best Shopping Process Award for the second year running.
Although the findings of the SA Competition Appeals Court hearings for the Wal-Mart/Massmart merger have yet to be released, the US retail giant has scored a win over the border in Namibia. read more
[Shan Radcliffe] I'm getting a peculiar sense of déjà vu at the moment - ah, that's right, it's almost the start of a new month and the petrol price is going up. Again. read more
[Shan Radcliffe] It's hard to believe the year is winding down already and, as festive decor creeps into stores, I find it hard to utter this shocker: "It's only 10 weeks till Christmas...!" And while I can almost hear the collective sigh of relief from most industries looking forward to winding down for the holidays, it's eclipsed by the sound of retailers kicking into overdrive and ramping up their arsenal in time for the shopping onslaught. read more
[Shan Radcliffe] I suspect the R-word is officially verboten in most SA households after yesterday's narrow defeat... and many of us are doing what South Africans do best in these situations - drowning our sorrows in an ice cold beer. read more
Angola
Botswana
Malawi
Mozambique
Namibia
Zimbabwe
Cote D'Ivoire
Ghana
Nigeria
Kenya
Uganda
Tanzania
Mauritius
Seychelles
Algeria
Egypt
Morocco
Zambia
