South Africa's buttermilk and maas category has continued to increase year-on-year in both volume and value terms during 2017, states a recently released BMi Research report. With products being eaten with maize or used for cooking and baking, buttermilk and maas are considered part of the staple diet in the country. 17 Sep 2018
Ugandan e-commerce startup 2ambale is targeting people between the ages of 21 and 35 with its mobile app, which promises deliveries of orders within one hour. 17 Sep 2018
Two weeks after immigrant-owned shops closed in Ratanda, south of Heidelberg, Gauteng, residents accuse local shop owners of hiking prices for bread and airtime. 14 Sep 2018
Rooibos tea has become an integral part of South Africans' way of life and is considered by many as our national beverage. In light of Heritage Month, the SA Rooibos Council (SARC) set out to determine how consumption of this local favourite has changed in recent years by polling more than 1,000 South Africans from diverse cultures and ages about the popular brew. 14 Sep 2018
Coles' recent "Little Shop collectables" promotion has proved a hit with consumers, with entire sets of the toy products selling online for exorbitant prices. 14 Sep 2018
Massmart is championing the shift to renewable energy in the retail sector with the launch of its sixth solar plant. 14 Sep 2018
Chicken emerged as a favourite to be VAT-exempted for the support of South Africa's poor, when stakeholders presented their responses to the Woolard Panel of Expert's report in Parliament yesterday. The overwhelming majority of organisations represented, which included FairPlay, Cosatu, SAPA, PWC, the Institute of Economic Justice and the SA Chamber of Banking called on MPs to vote for chicken to be added to the VAT-free basket. 13 Sep 2018
Image credit: Callebaut
Belgian-Swiss cocoa company Barry Callebaut officially unveiled ruby chocolate in September last year, much to the delight of confectioners, chefs and average chocolate-loving consumers around the globe. 13 Sep 2018
Chemicals commonly found in beauty products may place manufacturers and suppliers at significant liability risk, states a new report released by Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE (AGCS) and Praedicat. 13 Sep 2018
Food losses and waste are an enormous drain on natural resources. Roughly one-third of the annual food produced globally for human consumption - approximately 1.3 billion tonnes - is lost or wasted. These losses are particularly unfortunate in Africa where approximately 20% of the population is undernourished. 13 Sep 2018
It's no secret that online shopping is taking off in South Africa. In fact, studies show that the local e-commerce market is expected to reach almost twenty-five million online shoppers by 2021 - a considerable number given our internet penetration is at around 50%, give or take 10% depending on which study you read. However, the other 50% still enjoy an offline shopping experience and, it goes without saying, even online shoppers like visiting an actual store. 12 Sep 2018
The clothing, pharmaceutical, medical goods, cosmetics and toiletry sectors outperformed the South African retail market for July 2018, showing year-on-year growth of 3.9% and 4.6% respectively, excluding the effects of inflation. This is according to the Mastercard SpendingPulse July 2018 report, which provides a macro-economic analysis of retail spending trends in South Africa. 12 Sep 2018
The winners have been revealed for the 12th annual Pentawards, a prestigious worldwide competition devoted exclusively to packaging design. This year's gala ceremony was held at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York on 6 September 2018, which hosted over 280 of the most creative and innovative members of the global packaging design community. 12 Sep 2018
South African consumers are facing an increasingly stressful, time-starved lifestyle which has created a burgeoning demand for convenient solutions that can help simplify their lives. This lends itself to a host of untapped opportunities for South African manufacturers and retailers. 12 Sep 2018
Cape Town-based beverage company, Superlatte, scooped a Bronze award in the Food Trends Category at the prestigious Pentawards 2018, held in New York City on 6 September. 11 Sep 2018
Coca-Cola's £3.9 billion acquisition of Costa Coffee has made quite a ripple. Atlanta-based Coca-Cola is obviously best known for its soft drinks portfolio, found in supermarkets, kiosks, hotels, bars and restaurants around the world. 11 Sep 2018
In preparation for Black Friday, retailers need to scale their systems, leverage big data analytics and tools and capitalise on an exceptional customer experience well before the manic shopping event hits. This is according to Gareth Hawkey, group CEO at enterprise retail software development company RedPanda Software. 11 Sep 2018
Revenues in South Africa's technical consumer goods market climbed 8% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2018, boosted by a 16% rise in the telecommunications sector and a 17,4% increase in small domestic appliances, according to point of sale data from market research firm, GfK South Africa. The data also shows that the major domestic appliances and consumer IT segments grew by 3% and 6.6% respectively. 11 Sep 2018
South Africans are forecasted to spend over R45 billion online this year, with over 60% making a purchase from an overseas retailer. This is according to the fourth annual cross-border e-commerce report released by PayPal and Ipsos, which shows that online shopping is on a steady incline in the country. 11 Sep 2018
The announcement in June that SA's online fashion juggernauts, Spree and Superbalist, will merge into one focused platform, left many questions regarding the branding of the new entity. 10 Sep 2018
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