Global beauty products maker and retailer L'Occitane International S.A., has agreed to buy beauty and skincare brand Elemis for approximately $900 million. The Elemis acquisition fitness into the Hong Kong-listed firm's strategy of building a "leading portfolio of premium cosmetics brands". 23 Jan 2019
FNB has introduced QR code payments for consumers and sole proprietor businesses via the FNB Banking App. The QR code payment capability is powered by Mastercard's digital payment service Masterpass, which is interoperable with most major domestic scan-to-pay services, representing a footprint of approximately 140,000 merchants and billers. 23 Jan 2019
The Oxford Dictionaries chose 'toxic' as its annual "Word of the Year". For 2019, the winning brands in South Africa and the rest of the world will be those that work to restore consumers' trust in a toxic environment and show that they are driven by a higher purpose than making money. 23 Jan 2019
Heineken South Africa (HSA) is training 28 learners enrolled in its Packaging Learnership programme. Through this SETA-accredited learnership, the students will attain an NQF level 3 packaging qualification upon graduation from the year-long programme. 22 Jan 2019
United Kingdom - "Blessed are the cheesemakers", runs the famous line from the Monty Python film Life of Brian. But a recent court case gives the lie to the notion that manufacturers of cheese have fortune on their side, after the court that interprets EU law ruled that cheese cannot be protected by copyright. 22 Jan 2019
The Woolworths-Ubuntu Baba baby carrier incident had a significantly negative impact on public perception of Woolworths' ethics and reputation. This is according to an analysis of social media conversation by opinion mining company, BrandsEye. 22 Jan 2019
With two key retail periods - Black Friday and Festive Season - now behind us, retailers are looking for new ways to increase revenue, grow market share, and boost profits. With consumer spending expected to reach $2.1 trillion and the urban population expected to swell by 190 million people by 2025, Africa's retail sector is poised for explosive growth. 22 Jan 2019
Maybelline New York has teamed up with global sportswear brand Puma to create a high performance, street style-inspired makeup collection. The Puma x Maybelline collaboration taps into the athleisure trend and has been designed with the "always-on, do-it-all lifestyle of Generation Z and Millennials" in mind. 21 Jan 2019
Online retailer Faithful to Nature has revealed the winners of its inaugural Eco Awards, a competition introduced to highlight the South African brands and businesses committed to demonstrating and promoting conscious consumption and eco-friendly, ethical products. 21 Jan 2019
The fresh produce industry's characteristics can easily be defined by those of its products - quick turnaround and short shelve life. It is definitely not an easy game and keeping your finger on the pulse of defining trends is essential. 21 Jan 2019
Running a retail business demands smart management of stock and supply to ensure you always have the cash and space you need to grow and expand. Having excess stock can take up back-room or shelf space, tie up capital and prevent you from investing back into your business. 18 Jan 2019
Even though online shopping is getting significant attention in the digital world, South African consumers still rely on in-store purchases for their shopping experience. This hybrid approach will impact on the retail environment of the future. 18 Jan 2019
A multimillion-rand Black Industrialist textile firm, Africa Bespoke Apparel (ABA), is ready to launch on 22 January 2019 in Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal. A 100% black-owned company operating in the textile, clothing and footwear sector, ABA is the first one amongst the Black Industrialists beneficiaries to create about 450 employment opportunities within four months of its operation. 18 Jan 2019
Food processing and packaging company Tetra Pak is to become the first company in the food and beverage carton industry to offer full-colour digital printing on its carton packages. 17 Jan 2019
I was in Seattle in October last year. Instead of swinging by Nordstrom for a bit of fashion shopping, I headed straight for Amazon Go. I had read so much about this 'no queues, no tills' shopping experience that I wanted to try it for myself. 17 Jan 2019
French retail giant Carrefour is using artificial intelligence to optimise its inventory management and reduce waste by integrating software developed by advanced analytics company SAS into its supply chain. 17 Jan 2019
Shop Association is a global NPO focused on enhancing retail environments and experience. With a presence in more than 20 countries across 6 continents, its purpose is to empower its broad spectrum of member companies with ongoing education, networking opportunities and real-world insights to equip them to innovate on demand and ultimately shape the evolution of retail. 16 Jan 2019
Every year, the battle to survive as a brick-and-mortar retailer gets tougher. According to a new study by Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, as consumer expectations heighten and e-commerce sales continue to rise, businesses too slow to adapt to a digital world have a tough road ahead. 16 Jan 2019
Nine years ago we were famously quoted as saying, "In 10 years' time nobody will go into a physical store to buy something they know they need." We believed that e-commerce was such an obviously better way of shopping. We were wrong. As of today, Yuppiechef has opened brick-and-mortar stores in four prime locations - most recently at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. 16 Jan 2019
Within a year, single-use plastics and excess packaging have become Public Enemy No. 1. 16 Jan 2019
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