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BizTrends is back While clothing retailers' sales picked up in the July to December period, they are still at lower levels than previous years. Phakamisa Ndzamela reports, taking Woolworths, Truworths and The Foschini Group into account, noting that these companies have been keeping prices low to try and support volumes, as well as diversifying geographically. Having surveyed the expansion plans of 115 leading retailers, CBRE states that South Africa is still a preferred location for international brands. Preston Gaddy from Broll says that whichever region or city it may be, the underlying fact is that organic growth in their home markets is somewhat limited. Even though Eastern Europe, Asia and South America are also on their radar, he says many European and Middle Eastern retailers continue to acknowledge Africa as a key area for expansion. In other news, BizTrends is back, this time covering all industries and featuring the likes of: Jon Copestake who unpacks a report published by the Economist Intelligence Unit, titled Industries in 2016, with a global focus on the retail market; Justin Smith from Woolworths on conscious consumerism in the retail space and Jenna McArthur of er Jenna McArthur PR on the next big thing in fashion PR. For more trends pieces related to other industries, go to Bizcommunity.com/BizTrends. Jessica Taylor, Retail Editor (@Biz_Retail)
Comment online in our ed's column archive. Go mobile with apps and m.bizcommunity.com. Engage with us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+. Subscribe to YouTube and via RSS. Send all your retail news and event invitations to retailnews@bizcommunity.com, exclusive opinion pieces to contributors-retail@bizcommunity.com and international news to internationalnews@bizcommunity.com. Read "How to contribute to Biz, from op-ed pieces to news". | Weekly top stories |
Manish Bhalla Shopping cart abandonment rate has always been a big concern for ecommerce retailers, but the rise of m-commerce has given this crucial metric a whole new dimension... Read | Paul Adepoju Nigerian gift-card startup SureGifts is introducing a new service that allows employees in Nigeria to obtain voucher loans to pay for certain online services... Read | Mall advertising is effective in building brands, gaining increased exposure and providing a tangible and lasting presence with shoppers... Read | Phakamisa Ndzamela South African retailers face a tough environment this year due to challenging domestic macroeconomics, but those with exposure to developed markets and higher earning customers are likely to fare better... Read | Almost one-third of European retailers view Africa as an important future destination in the next three to five years, real estate advisor, CBRE has advised... Read | Bekezela Phakathi The Department of Trade and Industry is looking to accelerate SA's move into more value-added activities to cushion the country from the decline in commodity prices... Read | Johan Botha I recently read a post on social media about one unfortunate individual who had been treated very unfairly by a business... Read | Paul Adepoju The first time I heard about Travelbeta launch by Onyeka Akumah was in July 2015 at the official launch of HouseMax in Lagos. Akumah described the platform as one that would totally transform the travel space in Africa... Read | Charlotte Mathews Fashion retailer The Foschini Group's shares surged 1.34% to R113.08 after it said its Christmas trading beat expectations... Read |
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 | Business can be slower than normal after New Year as people return from holiday and start getting ready to get back to work. For a small business owner, the luxury of having some spare time available makes this an ideal opportunity to prepare for 2016... read | |  | Colin McClelland Old Mutual's private equity unit has bought a stake in In2Food, a South African maker of ready-made meals and snacks, as the investor bets on an increasing appetite for convenience products among SA's growing middle class... read | |  | Charlotte Mathews Food and household goods retail chain Shoprite Holdings, which owns brands including Shoprite, Checkers, Usave and OK Furniture, showed muted growth in the six months to December as South African consumers came under pressure and competition among supermarket chains intensified... read | |  | A global study by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International reveals that 33% of financial services organisations don't offer customers a secure channel for all their online payments... read | |  | Eran Feinstein Rapidly advancing technology is not just changing the topography and demographics of East Africa - it is transforming the entire face of business, retail and financial development. What was once viewed as an untappable region is now being revisited with fresh eyes as an evolving market that is robust, viable and competitive - and should be globally recognised... read | | |
 | Jenna McArthur The PR landscape is constantly evolving and finding new ways and means of reaching communities. Jenna McArthur, owner of fashion PR agency Jenna McArthur PR, maps out what's next in 2016... read | | |
 | Erik du Plessis and Neil Higgs Here is a list of brands that gained more than two million users between 2010 and 2014 (Source AMPS). This is enough people to fill Ellis Park more than 33 times... read | | |
 | Lindy Barbour Despite the economic outlook, political uncertainty, international strife, drought, and the weakening of the rand, there remains an industry oasis. It is the franchise industry, encompassing a wide array of business sectors and it continues to hold its own year on year. At Franchize Directions, we believe 2016 is going to be no exception... read | | |
 | Linda Ensor and Simon Barber The US government has adopted a "prudent, risk-averse" approach in extending rather than completely lifting the threatened suspension of SA's agricultural products under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), the Department of Trade and Industry's director-general Lionel October says... read | |  | Simon Barber WASHINGTON - SA has two months to show it is implementing week's 11th hour agreement to open its market to US poultry and other meats or it will again face loss of trade preferences under the African Growth and Opportunity Act... read | | |
 | Graham van der Made South African startup Fastvan is an all-in-one courier service app looking to change the logistics industry. It's like an Uber but with parcels... read | |  | Jacques Coetzee Nigerian internet company Iconway has launched Padi, described as a hyper-local delivery service. It allows people to order products from neighbourhood stores and have them delivered to their doorstep within just 90 minutes... read | | |
 | Ntsakisi Maswanganyi SA's manufacturing sector is on the edge of a recession, data released on Tuesday showed... read | |  | Manufacturing output contracted year on year in November last year, although the pace of contraction was lower than that recorded in October... read | | |
 | Mark Allix Building material retailer Cashbuild jumped 8.3% on Tuesday after saying its December quarter revenue had grown 15% from the matching period in 2014. Its revenue over six months was 14% higher than in the previous year... read | |  | Shoprite Holdings (SHP) increased turnover by 8.8% from R57.5bn to about R62.5bn in the six months to December 2015, the company said in an operational update on Tuesday... read | | |
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 | Grant Marshbank Supply chains - the series of events needed to get goods and services to customers at the right place, time, quality, and price - face a number of impending challenges in 2016... read | | |
 | Ndibu Motaung The South African commercial property market has broadly performed relatively well in the past few years despite the disappointing economic climate and somewhat mixed market fundamentals... read | |  | Simon Black 2015 saw many interesting trends and developments - particularly that of commercial property developers looking at ways to "go green". It also saw a boom in development of Africa's richest mile, Sandton, where commercial property space is more in demand than ever because of its prime location... read | |  | Jackie Burger Neo-Trans, wearables and curated self-expression seem to be the stylish buzzwords of 2016. Jackie Burger, style icon and editor-at-large, gives her thoughts on this year's ever-shifting fashion landscape. read | |  | Jon Copestake Although most retail markets will expand steadily in 2016, consumers and retailers alike could be vulnerable to crises of confidence... read | |  | Justin Smith Conscious consumerism and innovation are on the rise in the retail space and customers are demanding that increased attention is paid to sustainability... read | | |  | SAN FRANCISCO - Amazon said on Friday it has taken the first steps to begin maritime shipping operations, adding to its already vast arsenal of logistical operations... read | |  | LONDON - Luxury fashion group Burberry on Thursday announced a return to retail sales growth in China despite an economic slowdown, boosting overall results in its third quarter... read | |  | LONDON - Troubled British supermarket giant Tesco posted sliding quarterly sales on Thursday as the nation's biggest retailer faced fierce competition but put in a solid performance over Christmas... read | |  | FRANKFURT - German retail and distribution giant Metro said Tuesday it expects to have achieved a "significant" increase in quarterly profits, thanks to "very good" Christmas business and gains from the sale of its cash-and carry business in Vietnam... read | |  | HAVANA - Dutch food and cosmetics giant Unilever will begin operations in Cuba in 2017 after communist officials authorized a joint venture with state firm Intersuchel, they said Monday... read | |  | SHANGHAI - China's biggest state-owned chemical firm on Monday announced it will buy Germany's KraussMaffei Group, which makes machinery for producing plastics and rubber, for 925 million euros ($1.0 billion)... read | | | | | | | More International | |
|  | During January, CNN's Marketplace Africa is airing a series of episodes featuring four of the biggest global brands in Africa... read | | | More Africa | |
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 | Jimmy Tembo We went through part 1 of this article without defining branding... read | |
|  | Rocket Creative Design and Display is looking for a temp office all-rounder to add support to their office team. Two month contract. Read more >> |
 | Stellenbosch University currently seeks to appoint a suitably qualified and experienced sales consultant (Ref. MHF/013/0116). Applications close - 25 January 2016. Read more >> |
| | | | | Effective customer careFront Foot Strategic Consulting - 21 Jan 2016, Randburg | 22 Jan 2016, Boksburg | 16 Feb 2016, Randburg | | |
| Debbi Fields "The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it." Henry David Thoreau "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams and live the life you have imagined." Bill Gates "It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure." Richard Branson "Do not be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again." Robert Kiyosaki "Don't let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning." |
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