USA: What began 60 years ago as a humble television store in this sleepy southern capital of Richmond, Virginia, ended Sunday as Circuit City closed its doors for good - its 567 remaining US stores to be left broom clean and vacant. 10 Mar 2009
In spite of the conditions facing the retail sector, manufacturing and retail company Rex Trueform grew its bottom line as a result of its upmarket retail chain Queenspark. 10 Mar 2009
Anticipating further cost-of-living increases, South Africans are likely to spend less this year on items such as holiday trips, entertainment, dining out, and various luxury goods. 9 Mar 2009
Enterprises are jumping on the cloud computing bandwagon, and that's usually a good thing. Not every application and function belongs in the cloud, however. Enterprises need to centralise their strategies on cloud computing so everyone is on the same page. 9 Mar 2009
Journyx, a company that provides Web-based time-tracking and project management applications, also offers its customers a back door into customer service. That is, its application lets users track what a customer costs. That is a number that is often surprisingly miscalculated or not calculated at all, said CEO Curt Finch. 9 Mar 2009
In this age of hype and hysteria, nearly every IT product peddled comes with the dire warning "if you do not buy, you die." On a few occasions, however, that claim proves true in the biggest, most unmistakable ways. 9 Mar 2009
South African commodity organisations, input suppliers, manufactures and retailers need to partner with government to develop practical solutions to address high food prices, says Agriculture and Land affairs Minister Lulu Xingwala. 9 Mar 2009
BEAVERTON, USA: Nike announced that Jeanne P. Jackson, 57, a member of its Board of Directors since 2001, has been named to the newly created role of President of Direct to Consumer for the company, effective immediately. Jackson will drive Nike, Inc.'s global retail efforts which include Nike-owned retail stores worldwide, its affiliate retail stores and its digital commerce organisation. She will report to Nike, Inc. President and CEO, Mark Parker. 9 Mar 2009
International renowned designers who wish to survive are not hiding behind a fashion utopia. They may still hold over-elaborate fashion shows but they know the bottom line to survival is sales. Selling not to an elite clientele but selling to the mass. Italian couturier Roberto Cavlli said, "It's not a time for romance." Giorgio Armani said the fashion world had been "too euphoric". 9 Mar 2009
BERLIN: Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma is to meet with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier Monday, 9 March 2009, to review existing bilateral political, economic and trade relations between South Africa and Germany. 9 Mar 2009
Among the many emergency responses to the global economic crisis, one thing is becoming clear - the response of global business to environmental change and sustainable green business has moved to the forefront of forward planning. 6 Mar 2009
Over 250 exhibitors participating in a 'sold out' Hostex 2009, covering two packed halls, are reaching fever pitch in their preparations for this year's event which is poised to be the most exciting in its 23-year history. Acclaimed as South Africa's premier International Hospitality and Catering Exhibition, Hostex, brought to you by Specialised Exhibitions will
be taking place at Sandton Convention Centre from 15 - 18 March 2009. 6 Mar 2009
Samsung Electronics has showcased six of its 11 new devices it is planning to release in two weeks, reaching a multimedia and style milestone and strengthening its leadership in the premium full-touch market. The devices, which include a waterproof cellphone and a high definition (HD) handset, were launched in South Africa yesterday, Thursday 5 March 2009, at the Peech Hotel in Johannesburg. 6 Mar 2009
In an age in which pay-for-parking malls are the norm, free parking is the exception. Boost Juice Bars, a healthy fast-food outlet, is handing out redeemable parking vouchers with every purchase of original size Boost products. 6 Mar 2009
This week Nintendo unveiled its lineup of upcoming titles for the year. Sony CEO Howard Stringer did some executive shuffling in an apparent effort to re-energize the consumer electronics company. Also, Microsoft got some good news from Japan, scoring a hit with its latest exclusive title, "Star Ocean: The Last Hope". 6 Mar 2009
FRANKFURT: German retail sales posted a surprise fall in January, indicating that consumer demand is still muted despite a reported rise in consumer confidence, official data showed on Thursday, 5 March 2009. 6 Mar 2009
Fundamental attributes of a business leader when guiding a corporation to success include the ability to rationally strategise and take control, while placing emphasis on conducting business in an efficient and objective manner. In a globalised world, and particularly during the current financial crisis, such attributes have however been found not to be sufficient to ensure a company achieves long term success. The recent South African study, Supply Chain Intelligence Report (SCIR) 2009, has indicated that intuition, supposedly one of women's defining characteristics, is a key component to a company's sustainability and success levels. 5 Mar 2009
The fact that Gartner predicted that worldwide Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software revenue would grow by 14% in 2008 doesn't surprise me. The consumer thinking is deeply penetrating businesses of all sizes and the interest in extending CRM applications and strategies into communities and social media is spiralling. 5 Mar 2009
Puma City has been named 'Best Retail Space' by American publication Travel + Leisure. A tour de force of architecture and design, the 11,000 square-foot (over 1,000m2) structure is made from 24, 40-foot long, steel shipping containers, each weighing in at 11 tons. It consists of three levels of containers stacked on top of one another and then slightly shifted to create natural outdoor spaces with large overhangs and wide open terraces. 5 Mar 2009
You may not have the latest US$359 Kindle electronic book reader from Amazon.com, but if you own an iPhone or iPod touch, a new application will let you access much of the same content on your Apple device. 5 Mar 2009
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