Battle for instant meal market hots up
[Renée Bonorchis] Woolworths has started to fly in UK retailer Marks & Spencer products direct from Thailand, with stickers slapped on to the packaging claiming the food is specially packed for Woolworths.

Africa leads in international design
The Icograda Executive Board of Directors for the 2007-2009 term was elected during the close of the Icograda General Assembly in Havana, Cuba last month. To represent Africa, Mohammed Jogie was elected as vice-president to the Board.

World grain prices fuel food inflation
[ActivRetail] Massive hikes in world grain prices caused by an increased demand worldwide and extreme weather conditions have severely affected local prices, with a direct impact on Pioneer Foods' earnings.

Woolworths Foods: customer champion, environmental villain?
[Patrick Carmody] We all love the convenience of a pre-prepared sandwich. However, we rarely give a second thought to the fact that our R25.99 prawn and rocket sandwich might also carry a steep environmental cost.

Future techniques in online marketing
Senior editor in charge of Adotas Sarah Novotny summarises key future trends in online advertising as predicted by Dilip DaSilva, Exponential's founder and CEO. Excerpting from the summary, Novotny says there are six key trends identified in this release.

The price-fixing 14
NEWSWATCH: The number of companies being investigated in the bread price-fixing scandal has been increased to 14, according to Business Report, with Foodcorp joining Pioneer, Premier Foods and Tiger Brands as one of the major companies involved in the fraudulent behaviour.

The 12 Days of Christmas Price Index up 3.1%
USA - The significantly higher price of gold and increased compensation for minimum wage workers will make Christmas more expensive this year, according to the PNC Christmas Price Index. The tongue-in-cheek economic analysis by PNC Wealth Management is based on the cost of gifts in the holiday classic, 'The 12 Days of Christmas.'

Kalahari.net best of the best again
For the second year in a row, Kalahari.net has been awarded first place prize for Best e-Commerce Store of 2007, it was announced yesterday, Tuesday, 27 November 2007. It also scooped Best Online Bookstore and Best Online Jewellery and Watch Store as well.

Zimbabwe can't calculate inflation
Zimbabwe is so short on consumer goods, the government can't even calculate inflation, the chief statistician said on Tuesday.

Cash no longer king
A new report* by independent market analyst Datamonitor states that the value of cash payments in Europe** was Euro1,787bn in 2006, accounting for 33.9% of total household expenditure, down from 37.6% in 2002. The share of cash payments as a proportion of total consumer expenditure has declined over time and, as a result, is losing its status as a preferred method of payment.

Zimbabwe: Expats keep families afloat
The scale of migration to Britain by Zimbabweans escaping their country's economic and political woes has reached the point where, with typically wry humour, London is referred to as "Harare North".

Forum to focus on Africa's leading businesswomen
Women are the key to African economic development and are increasingly driving the global economy.


Balance your strategy to walk the tightrope of corporate leadership
Corporate leaders often look in complete control and seem to engage their markets with precision, confidence and control to generate profit. However, in truth, there is a very different scenario unfolding just beneath the surface.


Greener than green and whiter than white - building supply chain sustainability
Today's consumers are increasingly linking retailers and the brands they sell with social, environmental and economic responsibility. Retailers must therefore prepare to work collaboratively within their supplier ecosystem to retain consumers' loyalty and trust while addressing these concerns, argues Mark McDonnell.

FIFA merchandise stores open doors
Soccer supporters can already begin buying their FIFA branded T-shirts, scarves, badges, pens, cups, caps and replicas of the official mascot for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Join the Condomnation
This is AIDS Awareness week, and that means we all have to unite in spreading awareness of the pandemic, and play our part in fighting it, for our future and the future of our children. Join Bizcommunity.com and Cape Film Productions and become one of the Condomnation.

Inflation highest since 2002
[Michael Appel] South Africa's Consumer Price Index (CPIX) excluding mortgage costs has peaked near record highs last seen at the collapse of the rand in 2002, says Econometrix's Senior Economist Tony Twine.

CPIX climbs to 7.3%
[Michael Appel] South Africa's Consumer Price Index (CPIX) figure for October 2007, excluding mortgage costs, has come in 0.6 of a percentage point higher at 7.3% year-on-year (y/y) compared to September's 6.7% y/y.

Third quarter GDP in at 4.7%
[Michael Appel] The country's third quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has risen to 4.7% on a seasonally adjusted and annualised rate for the third quarter compared to the second quarter, reported Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Tuesday.

Johannesburg ranked amongst Top 50 "Global Centres of Commerce"
MasterCard Worldwide Centres of Commerce Index explores strategic role of cities in driving global commerce.

Award-winning 15 Year Old Brandy launched
Blended to win awards, KWV South Africa has launched the latest addition to its already extensive brandy portfolio, KWV 15 Year Old.

Tiger, Tiger, not burning bright
[Sasha Planting] The damage to Tiger Brands' reputation caused by the bread price scandal is acute – and it is not getting any better.

From tees to shirts
Bobby Jones, a premium golf brand, and J.Lindeberg, the 21st Century lifestyle brand for the modern consumer, are now available in South Africa. The store has opened in Montecasino, Johannesburg, and introduces a new concept in golf retail by allowing the public access to a complete golf lifestyle selection direct from the manufacturer - from fairways to runways.


Lion Lager makes a return, but only for Christmas
[Don Robertson] Lovers of SAB's once-mighty beer better hurry to the bottle store.

Mobile group opens Cresta store
MWEB has opened its second retail store – in the Cresta Mall in Northcliff, Johannesburg. This is the second store that the ISP has opened, the first being in Maponya Mall in Soweto.

Beat the break
Parmalat SA has pledged its support of the National Osteoporosis Foundation of South Africa with the launch of its new campaign. In an effort to highlight the silent killer known as Osteoporosis, the campaign will kick-off with a “Beat the Break” skipathon aimed at encouraging school going learners to drink up all their milk and eat their calcium rich foods, to assist in preventing the onset of the disease.

Strapped in and ready to eat
Dinner in the Sky is a new and exciting restaurant concept designed to thrill foodies and daredevils alike.


Now you can cook like a chef!
After two seasons of their cookery series Chef in my Kitchen, McCain Foods decided to give viewers of SABC2 what they were they were asking for: those delicious recipes...

SA consumers want good value for money
[ActivRetail] According to a recent survey conducted by The Nielsen Company, Good Value for Money is the most important factor in determining where consumers spend their grocery cash.

Pick n Pay rebrand a big numbers game
[Lauren Cohen] If you are one of those people who always sticks to their shopping list and does one big buy a month, you're the Joe Soap of the retail shopping world.


Ten trends to watch in packaged goods in 2008
With the new year fast approaching, new product developments promise better health and happier taste buds in 2008, Datamonitor's Productscan Online takes a look at trends in consumer packaged goods for the coming year.

Why brand integration belongs in your media mix
[Hamet Watt] According to a recent Piper Jaffray study in the United States, nearly 90% of people with digital video recorders (DVRs) skip TV ads. Forrester Research predicts DVRs will be in over 50% of homes by 2010.

Two Mango tickets with those pears, please
Air travel has just become even easier to buy, says Mango CEO Nico Bezuidenhout, as bookings on Mango became available from all Money Market counters in Checkers and Shoprite stores across the country as of 26 November. The airline, mandated to make domestic aviation more affordable and accessible, has this year implemented several innovative payment methods and distribution channels to deliver against this proposition.

R20m revamp for Grahamstown store
[Mike Loewe] The supermarket retail market is becoming overtraded, with customer service now making the difference between mere survival and success.

Toxic toys on bad trip off store shelves
[Sashni Pather] Bindeez have been found to contain ‘ecstasy' and have been recalled; but about 3,000 had already been sold.

Going green at the Transportation & Logitics World Summit
With up to 75% of a company's carbon footprint coming from transportation and logistics, the focus of supply chain greening is beginning to shift towards this area, where the opportunity to make the biggest difference exists. With this in mind, eyefortransport is gathering the biggest names in transportation and logistics greening at one of the most important industry forums on environmental issues to date: the Green Transportation & Logistics World Summit.

Six steps to buying the right GPS
[Rich Owings] GPS navigators are topping holiday wish lists as never before, yet with hundreds of models in the market place, how do you decide which one to buy?

Transnet reports revenue up R15.7 billion
[Michael Appel] After undergoing a number of structural reforms following the implementation of its turnaround strategy, Transnet has announced that its revenue is up 10% by R15.7 billion.

Future of the global jeans' industry
USA - By 2014 the global jeanswear market is forecast to rise by US$4.6 billion according to recent research undertaken by industry website just-style.com. The current global jeans market is currently valued at US$51.6bn (rising to US$56.2bn), taking into account the historic price deflation, the cumulative growth at 1.25% per year is pretty good.

New coffee packaging allows for re-look on positioning
[ActivRetail] House of Coffees has refreshed its look to appeal to loyal consumers and to attract new ones. The new packaging will allow the company to re-look their positioning in the market.

Tribunal upholds Tiger Brands' R99m fine
[Nicola Mawson, Consumer Industries Correspondent] The Competition Tribunal upheld the R99m penalty Tiger Brands agreed to pay for its role in bread and milling cartels, despite pressure from interest groups at a tribunal hearing.

Ready your business for the ‘silly season'
[Ian Donovan] The festive season is almost upon us! Ideally a time of sharing and caring, December can quickly turn into the ‘silly season' of aggravation as consumers inevitably encounter service ‘hiccups.'

The key to shopping 2.0 success: Empowering customers
[Philip Jacob] Even the titans of online retailing struggle with how to tackle the challenge of delivering personalisation. Most techniques for generating personalised product recommendations involve identifying which items tend to be purchased together. While this approach effectively groups products by interest, it doesn't get to the heart of treating each consumer as an individual.

Contact centres: Middle East presents a huge opportunity
Despite geopolitical tensions, economies are thriving in the Middle East resulting in an increasing focus on customer service in the region presenting opportunities for contact (call) centre vendors.

Data breaches more expensive every year
When an organization loses a customer's, employee's or citizen's personal information, the fallout burns everyone involved.

Store has to compensate customer for slip
Pinetown Checkers Supermarket must compensate a customer whose arms were injured when she slipped and fell in an oily patch in the supermarket in September 2005.

Asmal cracks whip on wine industry for 'unfair trade'
[Chris van Gass, Cape Correspondent] The Wine Council of SA is is taking aim at commercial 'tie-ups' between large wine producers and retail outlets and restaurants.

Non-organic beef is more eco-friendly...
According to a new Beef Eco-Report: Pound-for-pound, beef produced with grains and growth hormones produces 40% less greenhouse gas emissions and saves two-thirds more land for nature compared to organic grass-fed beef.

Registration open for RFID Journal LIVE! 2008
RFID Journal has announced that registration is now open for RFID Journal LIVE! 2008, the sixth annual conference and exhibition covering radio frequency identification (RFID).

Network security: Gullible users are the weakest link
Gone are the days of large-scale worms that targeted operating systems, according to a recent SANS institute report that ranks the top computer security threats facing IT.

Gridlock driving shoppers online
Frustration with traffic congestion is contributing to the mounting popularity of pick ‘n click purchasing, says Jerome McClement, Director of PCMall.co.za, one of the market leaders in online shopping.

Manufacturers face unique search marketing challenges
[Jeff Curie] The last thing I need to do is explain the value and importance of search advertising. According to recent statistics, more than a million companies advertise via Google's AdSense program, and, obviously, those companies range from Fortune 500 to individual entrepreneurs.

'Experiential' store opens in Durban
DionWired has upped its consumer electronics game yet again with the opening of its flagship store at Durban's Gateway mall earlier this month.