This week saw two major fashion retailers launch a private and new brand respectively: Woolworths Holdings launched Studio.W at David Jones, to be rolled out across all 38 stores over the next few weeks, and The Foschini Group (TFG) has launched Soda Bloc, the first entirely tween-focused brand in South Africa. TFG will open 11 Soda Bloc stores across the country before the end of the year. For the Women's Month special section, Sindy Peters interviews 'momtrepreneur' Sedeeqa Kalam, founder of Organic Baby, on juggling motherhood and running a start-up in online retail. Lorinda Voges, CEO of 4Elementsmedia, was also featured this week. Although she's not a mother yet, the birth of her niece changed her mindset about business, and, she says, moving to Cape Town has taught her the value in "living a balanced life". Sophie Baker explains how to optimise your website's online shopping experience. "More and more people are making purchases online due to the ease and convenience, but there are some conditions attached," she says. Then Shopping SA speaks to Michaela Murning, head of Retail and Shopper Insights at TNS, about the latest retail trends and what they mean in future terms. Also in the line of research, South Africans are showing an increasing preference for aluminium beverage packaging, and Distell reports a surge in revenue driven by the domestic market as consumer demand for the group's wine brands increases.
Jessica Taylor, Retail Editor (@Biz_Retail)
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