If all goes according to plan, French home improvement retailer Leroy Merlin, which opened its first South African store in September last year, will have invested R1bn into its SA operations by the start of 2020. The company is opening its second store in Little Falls at the end of August 2019 - the second store in a pipeline that will deliver a total of four stores by 2020. 23 Aug 2019
South Africa's vibrant craft gin industry was on show at the first South African Craft Gin Awards, held at the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel on Wednesday evening. With product quality that rivals the world's biggest liquor brands and packaging design to match, the inaugural event acknowledged and celebrated the finest craft gins the country has to offer. 22 Aug 2019
South Africa's retail trade sector employs almost 900,000 individuals. The sector is extremely competitive, occupying some 23.4-million square metres of gross lettable area across 1,959 malls traversing the country - not to mention online operations like Superbalist and Takealot. 22 Aug 2019
Local sneaker care brand Sneaker Lab has set its sights on the global market following an international investment partnership with Buffet and KLT. 22 Aug 2019
It was inspiring to read about the launch of Waitrose's trial in Oxford offering consumers a range of products free of packaging. Their system isn't revolutionary - smaller supermarkets have been doing the same thing for quite some time, as have many committed people. But it's the first time that a major supermarket has made a big move away from the packaging-dependent model that has dominated major supermarkets for years. 21 Aug 2019
Hasbro, one of the world's largest toy manufacturers, has stated its ambition to eliminate all plastic in packaging for new products by the end of 2022, including plastic elements like polybags, elastic bands, shrink wrap, window sheets and blister packs. 21 Aug 2019
Even though the Constitutional Court decriminalised cannabis for personal use, the informal sale of it poses some danger to the uninformed consumer. So says The Vape Store founder Nicola Malvicini, who has issued a consumer advisory to ensure that the public remains educated on the matter. 21 Aug 2019
At the recent RCS Retail Summit, Dion Chang, South African trend analyst and founder of Flux Trends, pointed to several marketing trends shaping popular culture locally and abroad. One of the most prominent is what he terms 'The Rise of Eve', which recognises the rise of the female economy as women increasingly take the lead at home and the workplace. 20 Aug 2019
Manufacturers from leading SA trading partner Thailand will travel to Johannesburg later this month, for meetings with local importers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers. 20 Aug 2019
Sandwich Baron CEO and founder Sally J'Arlette-Joy believes that women-led businesses are the key to alleviating South Africa's growing unemployment rate. 20 Aug 2019
World Plant Milk Day, happening on 22 August, celebrates the array of plant-based alternatives to dairy products and highlights their benefits for humans, animals and the planet, to ultimately encourage people to try them. 19 Aug 2019
Luxity, a South African retailer of pre-owned luxury goods, has seen increased web traffic for items in the luxury second-hand market, hinting at growing public interest in the segment. Overall, the company's top five performing brands are Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, Hermès and Christian Louboutin. 19 Aug 2019
South African businesses are faced with an exceedingly difficult task. They have to find ways to survive in the face of ongoing political uncertainty, fast eroding business and investor confidence, and declining consumer spend. From large retail banks to small consultancies, local businesses have to fight hard to win customers - and even more so to retain them. 19 Aug 2019
This week, Steve Madden, the U.S. designer and marketer of footwear and fashion accessories, acquired two privately-held fashion brands; namely Greats Brand, Inc. and BB Dakota. Greats is a digitally native footwear brand specialising in premium sneakers made in Italy while BB Dakota is a contemporary women's apparel company. 16 Aug 2019
The first conviction for 3D printing a firearm was recently reported in London, not long after 3D printed masks were used to trick face recognition. Should we be afraid? 16 Aug 2019
Even though 54% of South African consumers are swayed by social media when making fashion purchasing decisions, in-store shopping continues to grow. 16 Aug 2019
Morningside Shopping Centre in Sandton is shaking up almost one-third of its retail and restaurant mix with the introduction of new brands. 16 Aug 2019
Lightstone reveals how the service station industry offering continues to evolve in a demanding environment 15 Aug 2019
At the inaugural eCommerce Awards held in Nairobi on 9 August 2019, iProspect East Africa in partnership with Masoko by Safaricom added yet another award to its growing collection - the E-Commerce Agency of the Year. 15 Aug 2019
Celebrated South African artist, designer and businesswoman Carrol Boyes passed away Wednesday night at the age of 65, after a brief illness. Boyes is the founder, creator and CEO of the Carrol Boyes retailer in Cape Town, and was best known for her signature home decor design. 15 Aug 2019
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