British American Tobacco's acquisition of South African e-cigarette maker Twisp won approval from South Africa's Competition Tribunal on Tuesday. The merger got the green light after the multinational cigarette and tobacco manufacturer agreed to a series of conditions. 15 Aug 2019
Measured in real terms, retail trade sales increased by 2,4% year-on-year in June 2019, according to a Statistics South Africa report. 14 Aug 2019
Country Road's first Teen collection, catering for pre-teen and teen girls and boys aged 8-16, will launch in South African stores this August. 14 Aug 2019
Sho Madjozi and Stayfree have launched a Facebook chatbot aimed at making conversations about menstrual health pain free. In Sync with Sho Madjozi is available for free on Facebook's Messenger platform and provides information through audio clips of conversations between Sho Madjozi and a health professional along with relatable illustrations and text conversations. 14 Aug 2019
Pep Clothing (PepClo), a division of Pepkor Holdings, is celebrating 50 years of production in South Africa. The company - which is SA's largest clothing manufacturer under one roof, employing just over 2,000 people - has reached this milestone birthday despite operating in a strained garment manufacturing environment over the last few decades. 13 Aug 2019
Omnichannel customer engagement revolves around so much more than just a technology-driven approach. A cross-channel strategy needs to be an integral human one if organisations are to remain competitive in an increasingly connected environment. 13 Aug 2019
A new payments services platform called Co-Switch aims to open up the buy-aid market to both consumers and retailers, and it's currently being introduced to Cape Consumers and Iemas' members and retail partners. 13 Aug 2019
Penny Parolis has been in the luxury lingerie business for nearly 30 years. With a background in education, she switched her career focus in 1993 when she founded PDL Distributors with her husband and children, specialising in importing and distributing heritage brands of lingerie, swimwear, shapewear and hosiery to the South African market. 12 Aug 2019
When it comes to buying avocados, South Africans are not loyal to their regular retailers, but will instead seek out and support stores selling good quality avos, even if that means paying more for them. 12 Aug 2019
According to the latest survey from the Franchise Association of South Africa (FASA), 39% of franchisors have businesses in Africa, outside South African borders. This is equivalent to 1,775 stores in the SA franchise population. 12 Aug 2019
Diageo, one of the world's largest producers of spirits and beers, has committed to investing $219million in renewable energy upgrades at 11 of its breweries in Africa. The move represents Diageo's largest environmental investment in a decade. 8 Aug 2019
There is generally little outside recognition for a well thought out and perfectly executed plan of food safety until there is the smallest gap in the journey from farm to fork. A gap that the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) research confirms, can allow in a variety of bacteria, viruses, parasites, harmful toxins and chemicals to cause one of 250 foodborne diseases and that's when you will receive the sort of attention that you really don't want. 8 Aug 2019
Is it outdated to believe women still shop differently to men? The clichés are men purchase for speed and women are more motivated by price, men are big online shoppers but women still like something tangible and prefer brick-and-mortar stores. 7 Aug 2019
The anticipated collaboration between global retail giant H&M and South African label Mantsho will be available from 15 August 2019 in all South African stores, all H&M online markets as well as exclusive flagship stores around the world. 7 Aug 2019
Ahead of Women's Day in South Africa on 9 August, toy manufacturer Mattel has revealed that local singer Lira is the next Barbie role model to be recognised with a one-of-a-kind doll in her likeness. 7 Aug 2019
Credit Jim Henderson via Wikimedia
Luxury department store chain, Barneys New York, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and secured $75m in emergency financing from affiliates of Hilco Global and the Gordon Brothers Group. The 96-year-old company has been getting squeezed by rising rental and fewer visitors to its high-end fashion boutiques, according to a Bloomberg report. 6 Aug 2019
The only IQOS standalone store on the African continent opened its doors in South Africa recently. The new 160sqm flagship boutique, located in Sandton City Shopping Centre, will help Philip Morris South Africa (PMSA) - the local unit of international tobacco giant Philip Morris International (PMI) - introduce more cigarette smokers to its smoke-free tobacco products and educate them on the science behind it. 6 Aug 2019
The South Africa Furniture Initiative (Safi) has indicated that the proposed Furniture Industry Master Plan (FIMP) will be completed by 2020. The FIMP will focus on the development and support of the local industry. 6 Aug 2019
Let's do Biz