While we focus on women in South Africa during the month of August and honour our constitution for declaring the 9th of August a public holiday, retailers continue to look closely at the overall economic status of women. 15 Aug 2018
South African retail sales for June 2018 grew by 2.9% year-on-year excluding the effects of inflation, marking the weakest pace of growth since October 2017. This is according to the Mastercard SpendingPulse June 2018 report, which provides a macro-economic analysis of retail spending trends in South Africa. 15 Aug 2018
Over the past decade, the procurement function has become an important vehicle for business transformation in terms of ensuring supplier diversity and small business growth. However, this function is often underutilised by companies that regard supplier diversity as just a tickbox exercise for B-BBEE. 15 Aug 2018
Entrepreneur Silvana Dantu is marketing director of African Equations PTY Ltd, together with her business partner Shareen Parker, the producers of Zari Sparkling Grape juice, a local brand which has set out to disrupt the male-dominated agro-processing sector with its sparkling, alcohol-free beverage brand. 14 Aug 2018
The use of mobile devices to make retail and store payments will act as a driver for financial inclusion of the unbanked in emerging markets, forecasts a new study by Juniper Research. The research reveals that mobile merchant transactions by unbanked individuals will grow from 1.8 billion per annum in 2018 to 3.8 billion by 2023. 14 Aug 2018
The Tour de France is the biggest cycling race in the world, attracting 12 million TV viewers for each of its 21 stages, and 6.5 million digital fans from across 190 countries. It is a testament to the benefits of digital transformation that a sporting event more than 100 years old can keep innovating and pushing the boundaries of the digital fan experience. 14 Aug 2018
Online wine retailer Cybercellar has launched a new wine subscription service called Liquid Social, allowing customers to purchase a package of wine which is delivered to them on a monthly or quarterly basis. 14 Aug 2018
With South Africa being home to a host of world-class wine brands, newly released expressions can easily go unnoticed because consumers are faced with so many quality options. To pique interest and enhance the consumer experience, brands have therefore been upping the attention given to the development and design of their packaging. 13 Aug 2018
Nigerian e-commerce startup WaraCake has expanded into 23 Nigerian states and has also announced the launch of a new food delivery service called WaraChow. 13 Aug 2018
Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu. Photo: Antonio Fiorente
Whether its shoes, leather goods, coffee or healthy snacks, serial entrepreneur, Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, has the Midas touch when it comes to transforming quintessential Ethiopian products into global brands. 13 Aug 2018
South Africans have been latching on to the Korean beauty trend, and a new online store, Koreanbeauty.co.za, has been launched to cater to the growing demand. 13 Aug 2018
Ghanaian startup Eazyloop is allowing users to shop on international platforms like Amazon and have their purchases delivered to their door within two weeks. 13 Aug 2018
A staggering 235m items of unwanted clothing were forecast to be dumped in UK landfill in 2017, while the average American is estimated to bin 81lb (37kg) of used clothing annually. Overconsumption and the inevitable disposal of unwanted clothing has become a worrying global problem - and in many cases, this clothing is unnecessarily thrown away. Instead, it could be repaired or recycled. 10 Aug 2018
If your business model is still trying to catch up with what millennials want in packaging, you are going to get left behind by a new generation of digital nomads. And it has less to do with age and more to do with their increased buying power, tech savviness, global connectedness, environmental concern and an insatiable craving for instant gratification and the experiential. 10 Aug 2018
With unemployment rates at a whopping 27.1% in the second quarter of 2018, the current state of the economy and 51.7% of the South African population being female, it is important for women to be granted opportunities in what is traditionally viewed as male-dominated industries, such as trade and manufacturing. 10 Aug 2018
Genetically modified (GM) foods for human consumption have long been a subject of intense public debate, as well as academic research. 8 Aug 2018
Over the years, Black Friday has grown by leaps and bounds with more retailers and shopping centres jumping on the bandwagon to offer South African consumers bang for their buck, while creating an exciting environment to shop in. 8 Aug 2018
In an effort to reduce packaging waste, Woolworths is piloting an integrated reverse vending machine in its flagship green store, Woolworths Palmyra in Claremont. Takeaway paper coffee cups with barcodes, glass and tin containers, Tetrapak packaging, and plastic bottles and containers up to the 2.25 litre size are all accepted by the machine for recycling. 8 Aug 2018
PepsiCo's Indra Nooyi will be stepping down after 24 years with the beverage company, the last 12 holding the position of CEO. She will be replaced on 3 October by company veteran Ramon Laguarta, who has also been elected to the company's board of directors. Nooyi will remain chairman until early 2019 to ensure a smooth and seamless transition. 7 Aug 2018
The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has registered 'Scotch whisky' as a certification trademark in South Africa, which is the seventh largest Scotch whisky market by volume. 7 Aug 2018
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