Somewhere between the Olympics and all this unusual weather, half the month has already slipped by me. So what's been happening this last week? Sarie magazine has made a move into online shopping; Pricer wins a multimillion rand electronic shelf labeling deal; Nestlé looks to Africa for growth opportunities; and Nederburg launches its new range, Heritage Anthology. And could Tesco have its eye on Pick n Pay? Stats show that manufacturing is up, but business confidence is down. Cash withdrawals are also up, although this might not be reflected in retail as economists expect retail sales figures (due out Wednesday) to reveal a slowdown. Lindsay Grubb wants to know when we stopped caring about client service, while Aki Kalliatakis asks whether your customer relationships are sustainable. Don't forget, entries for Jump's annual e-Commerce Awards close this Wednesday - so show your favourite online shops how much you love them and send in your nominations. Public voting opens on 16 August. Oh, and if you haven't entered the Biz birthday competition yet - what are you waiting for? PS: As one of our reader's put it "I've had enough of the rain so have gone in search of sunshine." I'll be logging out next week to celebrate my date of manufacture, but thanks to my esteemed colleagues, your daily dose of retail news will find its way into your inbox as usual. See you in the spring!

Shan Radcliffe, Retail editor
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