| Great - more competition | I'm one of the hundreds of thousands of South Africans who are uptight over the amount banks charge us for all the services they claim to provide, so any newcomer who gives them a run for their money has my vote. Last week saw the entry of yet another player in the home-lending market, and while it does not promise to be ‘all things to all people', if they can undercut the banks in some areas at least, while still providing a good service (judging by recent complaints in the papers, that should be a doddle) that's good news. Let's face it, when banks decide to close teller points around midday – just when the public is most likely to be in need of some rapid service – anything better should be reasonably simple to accomplish.
Rod Baker, Content Manager: Send your news to: retailnews@bizcommunity.com; or visit https://www.bizcommunity.com.
| | | Headlines | Audi R8 – the ultimate super car
Branding of SA crucial for success of 2010 World Cup
Dining out? Try one of these!
New report to assess SA manufacturing sectors
Seda boosts franchise entrepreneurship through cadet scheme training
Retailers turning to new technologies to retain market share
Edcon Retail Academy launches learnership programme
Now Sowetans can dress Yasuhiro style
Big upturn predicted for online retail
innovationTOWN to name SA's leading innovators
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Retail | | Feeding your kids just got easier
 Hands up all you mothers who have been longing for a guide to quick and easy, but healthy and nutritious meals your children will love. That many? Well, here's a book designed just for you.
Zimbabwe: Promise of full shop shelves met with scepticism
Predictions by Zimbabwe's Reserve Bank Governor, Gideon Gono, that empty supermarket shelves will soon be packed with goods are being received somewhat sceptically by Zimbabweans.
It's time to go green… go organic
What used to be viewed as choices for a ‘niche' market only, are now big business as consumers increasingly want to go green and eat, drink and use natural products.
New approach to tiles
Tile Africa, a leading supplier of local and international tiles and bathroom and kitchen fittings, is to launch a new concept store in Paarden Eiland, Cape Town.
Big upturn predicted for online retail
Online retail in South Africa has finally turned around, according to a new report from World Wide Worx. By the end of this year, online spending on retail goods in South Africa is expected to have grown by more than 35%, after 33% growth in 2006.
Kenyans welcome second full colour daily newspaper
[Carole Kimutai] It is barely six months since the first full colour newspaper Nairobi Star hit the news stands. Now Kenyan readers are welcoming yet another full colour newspaper - The Daily Metro. The first edition rolled off the press last week on Wednesday, 26 September.
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Banking & Finance | | The battle to stem the demise of global banking brands
The planned indigenisation of banking institutions in Zimbabwe has created grave economic concerns, centred on what appears to be a crusade by Minister of Indigenisation and Empowerment, Paul Mangwana's crusade for the demise of international brands in the financial sector.
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Brand news | | Pinotage puts SA estate in tie for top position
 Spier has won the trophy for best Pinotage and three gold medals (best in class) at the International Wine & Spirit Competition, tying for first place amongst South African producers.
Donning denims for breast cancer awareness
 On 5 October, thousands of people at nearly 45,000 locations across the USA participated in Lee National Denim Day by putting on their favourite jeans and donating $5 to help raise funds for the fight against breast cancer. Donations are projected to reach between $4 and $5 million for the Women's Cancer Programs of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF).
Red wine with a twist of coca
United Kingdom - Mariani Amalgamated Ltd. has announced the introduction of its premium red wine - a coca-based affair produced in the unlikely country of Peru.
Cape Town to up its act
Accelerate Cape Town (ACT) is a business-led initiative aimed at bringing together stakeholders in Cape Town and its surrounding region to develop and implement a long-term vision for sustainable, inclusive economic growth.
Branding of SA crucial for success of 2010 World Cup
[Nikolaus Eberl] The branding of South Africa's 2010 FIFA World Cup is vital to the success of the tournament away from the football pitch.
Magazine flying high
 Jet, South Africa's retail brand can once again lay claim to having South Africa's most widely read publication, the Jet Club magazine.
A hat-trick for top tequila
 There's another feather in Olmeca Tezón Añejo's cap after its Gold Medal at Concours Mondial de Bruxelles.
New top-of-range SA wine wins international trophy
A South African wine has been judged the top Shiraz in the 2007 International Wine & Spirit Competition, the organisers announced in London on Thursday (October 4).
UK company to launch biodegradable office products in US
Providing a solution to the problem of increased landfill, UK Company BCW Office products chooses Austin, Texas as it's USA headquarters to launch a range of biodegradable, plastic office products.
Special toys for special needs
USA - Magical Innovations, a Florida-based toy company, has unveiled the rollout of its new baby rattle for premature babies. The announcement of the new product was made in conjunction with the inauguration of the company's new web site, www.magicalinnovations.com.
Easy wear for your ears
 A new solution has been launched for iPod/MP3 player owners who have trouble keeping their earbud headphones in place, or find them an uncomfortable fit.
Scotch whisky distiller wins the ‘ultimate endorsement'
 Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky business of Pernod Ricard, is celebrating after being awarded the much-coveted Distiller of the Year title at the International Spirits Challenge (ISC) held at Claridge's in London on 26 September 2007.
People are not mass produced, so why should clothing be?
MakeYourOwnJeans.com is a leading online source for people who want and need to customise their jeans. They have recently expanded their product line to include more than 150 different types of denims to choose from, stretch and non-stretch, and have also added suits to their lineup that include sport coats.
Whiskey-lovers can welcome 16 Year Old single malt whisky
Chivas Brothers has announced the creation of Longmorn 16 Year Old, positioning the brand as a global, super-premium single malt whisky.
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Catering | | Dining out? Try one of these!
 So? Which is south Africa's top restaurant in Eat Out magazine's annual awards? Well, we'll only know in November, but in the meantime you won't go wrong trying a meal at any of the nominated establishments. Enjoy!
New CEO for catering group
 Compass Group SA, has announced the appointment of their new CEO.
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Consumer research | | Annual review helps parents choose the right toys
Toys for Smart Play!, the 16th annual report of Dr. Toy's 100 Best Children's Products 2007 awards is now freely available to parents, teachers and others in the online magazine, Dr. Toy's Guide.
Retailers turning to new technologies to retain market share
According to a new report by independent market analyst Datamonitor, the next step in the battle to retain customers is to streamline the buying experience, bringing it more in line with Internet shopping in terms of ease and speed of transaction.
Customer complaints can be a golden opportunity
[Alison Coleman] Customer complaints are something that business leaders generally like to avoid, yet they are a fact of business life, and when handled well, they can have a huge impact on the success of the organisation. Some industry sectors are better at dealing with complaints than others, according to the UK Customer Satisfaction Index, a new survey carried out by the UK's Institute of Customer Service.
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Distribution | | Logitech signs new SA distributor
Tarsus Technologies has announced the signature of a distribution agreement with Logitech, making it the brand's fourth distributor in South Africa.
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Franchising | | Franchisor gears up for festive season with new look
 Bed & Couch franchises throughout the country are busy preparing for what operators believe will be a very busy festive season.
Franchises – a fantastic employer
 As franchise employment figures near the half million mark a national award recognises excellence among franchisees.
Schuit shoots to the top
 Hands-on Ola Milky Lane franchisee scoops KZN franchise award.
Seda boosts franchise entrepreneurship through cadet scheme training
The drive to form public/private partnerships aimed at developing entrepreneurial skills amongst unemployed youth has resulted in a ground-breaking initiative from the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) and Massmart-owned Builders Warehouse.
Now Sowetans can dress Yasuhiro style
Following on its successful launch of the first PUMA store in South Africa last year, the group has launched a second store in Soweto. Consumers in Soweto and surrounding areas will now have access to a wide range of the edgiest sports lifestyle products available in one store.
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Health & Safety | | Take heart
 From October 19, 2007, the new menus at John Dory's Fish and Grill restaurants will feature the Heart Mark restaurant symbol for selected meal items.
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Import/Export | | IBSA summit to further strengthen trade ties
[Sholain Govender] The second annual India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) summit could result in the trilateral initiative achieving their trade target of US$10 billion within the next few years.
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Merchandising | | Artists yooz it
Yooz.us, a community for artists which allows them to upload art and have it sold as a T-shirt, has been launched to the public.
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Packaging | | Food packaging soon to be compostable
New Ice Inc., a company dedicated to the development, production and marketing of compostable food packaging, has been unveiled. The company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Instone Group, has been operating in stealth mode for a few years and is months away from introducing a new class of biodegradable food and beverage containers that are compostable.
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Promotions | | Girls! It's your chance to sparkle
 You're sassy, serious, social and suitably trendy, and you reckon life is fun with your friends. Now is your chance to click for a grand prize.
Three days, three locations, 37 electronic product categories
USA - With over 2,700 exhibitors and more than 140,000 attendees already confirmed, Las Vegas will be a busy place for the three days of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) from 7 - 10 January 2008. This over 10 times the size of the CES debut in New York 1967.
Wicked show stopper
 A light-washed stand featuring life-size cut-outs and gum ball machines dispensing jaw breakers took the first prize at SHOP-X recently.
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Regulatory | | 2008 National Electrical Code available
Cengage Learning, a provider of customised learning solutions in academic and career educational markets, has announced the release of the National Electrical Code 2008.
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Security | | Laptop theft exposes Gap's data security gap
[Rachel Konrad] USA - Anyone who's applied for employment at clothing retailer Gap may want to keep a close eye on their credit activity for a while. A laptop containing unencrypted personal information on 800,000 applicants has been stolen from a third-party vendor that manages some of the company's data. Gap has issued what's becoming a familiar response: apologies, help lines and a year of free credit monitoring.
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Shopfitting | | Riding Apple's retail coattails
[Keith Regan] USA - Several Apple resellers have started to roll out Apple-like storefronts of their own. In Orem, Utah, Simply Mac now sells its wares from a glass-front store that features the same amenities found in the Apple stores - from high-end displays to the service bar with qualified support staff. In fact, at first glance, it's difficult to tell the store from a flagship Apple location.
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Supply chain | | New report to assess SA manufacturing sectors
ManufacturingHub.co.za has commenced development of the first-ever Manufacturing.co.za – SA Manufacturing Assessed Report. The report will be released on 7 November 2007.
Cotton defoliant receives registration
USA - Arysta LifeScience North America Corporation has announced the registration of ADIOS cotton defoliant for use in California. The California Department of Pesticide Regulation accepted for registration ADIOS cotton defoliant on 1 August 2007.
New software program designed to enhance business profitability
South African company Douglasdale Dairy, has conceptualised a software program that is claimed will revolutionise processing and distribution businesses – in a variety of sectors.
Discussing response management on supply chain
Kinaxis, provider of Response Management solutions offering supply chain visibility and coordinated response to change for manufacturing and fulfillment organisations, recently participated in a podcast interview with Stephen Hochman, research director at AMR Research, in view of his May 2007 report entitled "Response Management: Next Wave of Supply Chain Innovation?"
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Technology | | Audi R8 – the ultimate super car
 "This is a friendly tip to Porsche 911 Carrera, Merc SL 500, Maserati, Ferrari F 430, Jaguar XKR, Aston Martin Vantage and Lamborghini Gallardo owners," writes Henrie Geyser for Bizcommunity.com's motoring section, "if you see something low and menacing in your rear view mirror and it's got four rings on the bonnet, I suggest you move over quickly into the left lane – because it might just be the new Audi R8."
Social networking and CRM finally hook up
[Erika Morphy] The big news when Saleforce.com released its latest version of what is hot in the CRM space - Winter '08 - was Force.com. The immediately understood subtext was that Salesforce.com had officially begun its migration to a platform on-demand company, launching the first salvo in what Denis Pombriant, managing principal of the Beagle Research Group, wrote could be the next platform wars.
More bucks for your widget
Online shopping service Mpire has introduced WidgetBucks, a new e-commerce advertising network that is said to help publishers, affiliates and bloggers earn three to four times more money compared to traditional ad networks.
Sony kicks off new era with skinny little TV
[Katherine Noyes] After years of developing light-emitting display technology, Sony is releasing an organic light emitting diode TV that sports a screen that is only 3mm thick. The 11-inch XEL-1 will be available in Japan in December.
innovationTOWN to name SA's leading innovators
The achievements of South Africa's top innovators in the public and private sectors will be celebrated at the innovationTOWN iHero Awards, which will be held at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Newtown, Johannesburg on 4 October 2007.
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Training | | Edcon Retail Academy launches learnership programme
[Michael Appel] Almost 1000 learners have been given the opportunity to pursue studies at the Edcon Retail Academy, through a sponsorship from the Wholesale and Retail Sector Training Authority (W&RSETA).
Previously disadvantaged to serve behind the bar
A newly launched Bartender Development Program is aimed at providing training and employment to the previously disadvantaged.
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| | Quotes | | | "Fashion is more usually a gentle progression of revisited ideas." - Bruce Oldfield | | "Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." - Jim Ryun | | "A brand is a proprietary visual, emotional, rational and cultural image that you associate with a company or product." - Charles R. Pettis III | | "In business, the competition will bite you if you keep running; if you stand still, they will swallow you." - William Knudsen | | "A house of brands is like a family, each needs a role and a relationship to others." - Jeffrey Sinclair | | More... Submit a Quote | | |
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