Tips for surviving the holiday shopping experience
[Anika Myers Palm] Stores packed with frazzled shoppers, inexperienced seasonal workers, long checkout lines. Are the holidays a time for consumers to resign themselves to poor customer service?

Inspiring gifts from Cavendish
For Cape-based shoppers facing the daunting task of where to go or what to buy this festive season, a new companion has been launched especially for you.


Edgars scores with FIFA
NEWSWATCH: FIFA has appointed Edgars Consolidated Stores as the official operator of the 2010 FIFA World Cup stores, reports the SABC.

Revamped shopping centres win awards
Two shopping centres managed by Old Mutual Investment Group Property Investments (OMIGPI) have won awards following their expansion and redevelopment.

Cash crunch strains Zimbabwe's electronic payment facilities
[Dumisani Ndlela] The need to carry barrow-loads of banknotes, if you want to pay cash, has led to more and more Zimbabweans turning to plastic - and that is bringing it's own problems...

Rising food, energy costs concern G20 - Manuel
Rising food and energy prices are expected to remain a key source of price pressures worldwide, which is of concern to the monetary authorities in the G20 member countries.

Harnessing Africa's dynamic potential
Africa is an entire continent crammed with potential and possibilities. This is the view of the Switch Group – one that it is already acting on, with a new branch office in Kenya and another planned for Nigeria.


Reeling in customers with free holiday shipping
All merchants' eyes will be focused on the outcome of this season's promotions. Even though e-commerce has become a common way for shoppers to buy Christmas gifts, they continue to experiment with different free shipping options in search of the model that makes the most sense for their business. Perhaps that formula will be slipped into their stockings this year.

Retail trade slows dramatically in SA
[Lihle Z Mtshali] Cross-border shoppers saved figures, says Stats SA.

Zimbabwe suffers a cash crunch
Just when life could not become any harder for Zimbabweans, who are already having to cope with food and fuel shortages and rocketing prices, local banks have run out of notes.

SA stands tall at US banking conference
South African achievements in cell phone banking sector set international benchmark.

Local cell phone banking on the rise
Cell phone banking in South Africa has more than doubled in one year and usage is to climb even more sharply in the coming year.

New blend, new bar
A dream returns... after a brief but notable debut back in 2004.


New campaign has a light touch
Stimorol, the chewing gum brand that invites young South Africans to "Chew Life", has put its name in lights - Primedia Outdoor PrimeLites, to be exact - as part of an edgy new advertising campaign that aims to differentiate and define the brand in the local youth market.


Como campaign brings back ‘60s style for beer with style
Peroni Nastro Azzuro, the world's number one premium Italian beer, has announced the launch of its new Calendario campaign – shot on location at Lake Como.


The best of Bosman's
Giorgio and George Dalla Cia, the father-and-son wine and grappa-making duo, have just released their first 2007 wines from their new premises at Bosman's Crossing in Stellenbosch.


Dairy scoops Supplier of the Year Award
[ActivRetail] Douglasdale Dairy was named the Supplier of the Year in the Dairy category in the Shell Pan African Supplier Awards held in Pretoria. The dairy took the honours ahead of finalists; Parmalat SA, Clover SA and Rome Dairy.


New magazine for "home-lovers"
Durban-based Famous Publishing has launched a new glossy magazine for the Hirsch's group. Geared for "people who love their homes", the simply titled HIRSCH'S launch addition will be made available to customers this week.


Passionate about peach
One of South Africa's most popular flavoured alcoholic drink brands, Brutal Fruit, has introduced a new variant to its family of flavours: Passionate Peach.


Estate has it covered
Nederburg, South Africa's popular premium wine label, plans to keep it that way with giant billboard exposure, in what is a first for the local wine industry.


Fresh off the rack

click to enlarge

Pick n Pay's new customer magazine Fresh Living, published by John Brown, went on sale in 365 stores countrywide on Monday, 19 November 2007, for only R9.95. The 108-page magazine is part of the retail giant's R110 million brand makeover. Pick n Pay GM strategy Lyndsay Webster-Rozon says that elements of the new branding, revealed earlier this month, have been used throughout the magazine. These include the new Cachet brand font and ‘window' box device that has been used to contain additional information, pictures and text. The print run for the first issue of the magazine is 150 000.

Just for the kids (but adults can have a taste too)
There's a mouth-watering menu from Kauai, exclusively for children. Now the whole family can sit down together and enjoy fresh and delicious meals at the good mood food company.

Survey to help retailers find their roots
Have you 'strategically positioned' your store in a particular shopping centre? Are people who have access to your retail outlet your true target market? Are sales at an all time low? Quite simply, have you done your homework? The Newspaper Advertising Bureau's (NAB) Roots 007 survey reveals these straightforward answers that can either make or break your business.

How to connect with 'connected consumers'
[Jeff Tidwell] For marketers, the advent of "e-everything" has been a blessing and a curse.

Pink poppie promotes prawn
[ActivRetail] A very naughty corgi, a cast of real people and the anticipation of a rather royal visitor are just some of the elements that add a quirky touch to Joe Public's latest campaign for Ocean Basket.


Danny K loves store's showers
When staff at On-Tap plumbing franchise spotted Danny K in their store, shopping for bathroom and kitchen fittings for his new home in Gauteng, someone turned on the thought taps and thought… “What about a partnership with Danny K?”

SA wines on the road in the USA
Hundreds of influential wine media and agents from across the USA have been treated to a Cape Classics road show, featuring South African heavyweights including Mulderbosch, Buitenverwachting, Kanonkop and Thelema.


Future European food trends - from farm to fork
Future trends in food consumption in Europe, China and the Indian sub-continent could impact on food producing nations such as South Africa.

WOSA's diversity positioning to be extended
South Africa's positioning on international wine markets that emphasises “variety is in our nature” has been endorsed by key industry players locally and abroad and is to be extended, according to the chief executive of Wines of South Africa (WOSA), Su Birch.


SA suspends meat, poultry exports to EU
[Michael Appel] South Africa has agreed to temporarily stop the export of inactive commodities such as pork, chicken, lamb and milk to the European Union (EU), announced the Department of Agriculture yesterday, Tuesday, 20 November 2007.

Engen seeks to boost competition in DRC oil industry
Customers of the big names in petroleum in the DRC look likely to get another supplier with the entry into the market of South African petroleum giant Engen as implementation of the agreement for its acquisition of the Shell Group's 60% share in Shell RDC and its 13% share in SEP proceeds.

Now it's wine in a tin
Well, yes and no… Simonsig, pioneers of South Africa's first Méthode Cap Classique, are celebrating the festive season with their blushing Brut Rosé in a limited release… and it's still in the bottle, but the bottle's now in a designer tin.


A new chip off the old block
Ovenbake Chips are getting a facelift with revised packaging and a campaign to educate consumers on what has turned out to be Peru's most famous export – the potato.

Sandton City promotion gets gold
Marketing Concepts and its client Sandton City won the grand prix of shopping centre marketing awards, the coveted Spectrum Award, for their innovative and creative marketing promotion of the up-market centre.

Iconic innovation for MTN at Entebbe Airport
Clear Channel Outdoor in Uganda have designed and built a unique landmark site for MTN at the Entebbe International Airport.

How to win customers' trust and loyalty
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Every market has its good, its bad and its ugly but there is a general perception that South African companies do not care about service and that service is much better overseas, Jamie Clyde of Kulula.com (formerly of Virgin Mobile), told delegates who attended a Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals (SOCAP) South Africa Breakfast held today, Thursday, 22 November 2007, at the Southern Sun Hotel in Rivonia, Johannesburg.

Report: e-Commerce fraudsters' haul may reach US$3.6bn in 2007
[Erika Morphy] Not surprisingly, merchants are employing more antifraud tools on their e-commerce sites. One possible - and unwelcome - result is a slowdown in response to legitimate customer orders. 27% of orders were manually reviewed in 2007, compared to 23% the year before; the number of orders requiring manual processing is growing faster than online sales.

Fish farming can meet rising demand
Farming fish under controlled conditions is the only way to meet future global demand, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Consumer tech: The biggest winners and losers of 2007
[Arik Hesseldahl] As the holiday season starts up, most major tech companies have laid down all the big cards they intend to play in 2007. Apple won out in personal media players but produced a relative dud in the set-top box category. In gaming, the Wii's surprise hotness is still hot, but no longer that surprising. In DVDs, Blu-ray and HD DVD are locked in a battle for supremacy that's left both starving.

Sorry, Darling, it's not good enough
[Andrew Kellett] The following article relates to the UK, but it has lessons for South Africa, and our own IT security.

Sony sets up shop for PSP gamers
[Walaika Haskins] Sony has opened an online content channel for PlayStation Portable users. By connecting to a computer, users can buy and download games and trailers. The move may be a push from Sony to gain ground on the Nintendo DS; however, the service does not take advantage of the PSP's WiFi capabilities, which could eliminate the need for a PC connection.

Wii vs Xbox vs PS3: The holiday horse race
[Walaika Haskins] Holiday insanity is on the horizon, and it's a season that will cap off a big year for the video game industry. Wii is the system everyone wants but nobody can find. The PlayStation 3 is tops with tech, bottoms with game selection. The Xbox 360 may have it best - a large stable of titles, apparently ample supply, and a new package that edges close to the Wii's price point.

New AT&T phone gets Napster groove on
USA - AT&T is teaming up with Napster to deliver music to its users by way of a new Samsung phone. The wireless carrier will offer the Napster Mobile service through the SLM phone, which will enable direct-to-the-phone downloads of music. Customers will be able to either subscribe to a plan that allows five downloads a month or buy songs individually.

Zune zooms off online retailers' shelves
[Jessica Mintz] The second generation of Microsoft's line of portable media players is apparently showing signs of life. The 80GB version of the device appears to have sold out at online retailers like Amazon. Microsoft said it emphasised production of smaller versions of the device, but added that more full-sized Zunes would make their way to shelves and retail Web sites within the next two weeks.

087 prefix for free fax-to-email is illegal
The use of number 087 as a prefix for the delivery of a free-fax-to-email service is not legal says Walter Bredell, head of Integr8 FAX.

New leadership program tailored for women
The UCT Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB) will launch an innovative program in 2008 specifically designed to develop women leaders in South Africa.