A taste of things to come - 7 Mar 2016

Taste Holdings has announced that the first Starbucks stores in South Africa will be opened in Rosebank and the Mall of Africa in Midrand next month. Asked if it was the right time to introduce the brand into an economy projected to grow less than 1% this year, Taste CEO Carlo Gonzaga said: "Business is a long-term game. Economies will fluctuate. (But), if you give customers a good experience, the sales will follow."

Local competitor Vida e Caffe recently partnered with wiGroup to take its loyalty programme mobile. On purchase, you earn instant loyalty points, and can now share the #VidaLove by sending a friend a voucher, for which you also receive points.

As part of its strategy to 'steal' market share, Edgars CEO Bernie Brookes said the debt-burdened retailer is moving towards more local sourcing and in-house design of private label products.

In his article, Plain packaging for sugar may prove unhealthy, Gerald Bourne says the policy initiative regarding sugar tax raises the question: is a similar plain-packaging movement the next policy step? While Tilly Jayne mentions a few of the new and noteworthy e-commerce ventures the aspiring entrepreneur should be aware of...