Generator suppliers run out of stock
[Luyanda Makapela] As intermittent power outages continue nationwide, generator suppliers are running out of stock and many do not expect new stock for weeks.

The answer lies in focus
[Sasha Planting] Of all the apparel retailers, Truworths is evidently closest to getting it right.

Rates may remain unchanged - economist
[Michael Appel] Taking into account a slow down in consumer demand, decreasing Rand value and electricity problems, Econometrix Economist Russell Lamberti is confident that interest rates will remain as is.

The big green paint job
Is this entire ecology-sensitive greenery facade just a hoopla offering lip-service to the green movement, or does the real message still need some serious distillation? Now, this of course calls to mind the super-green-men of the new branding circus.

Generator sales soar on worries of major blackouts
[Dumisani Ndlela] Two countrywide blackouts this week sent Zimbabwean businesses scurrying for back-up power supplies on worries of major power supply interruptions this year from the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA), the country's power utility. Generator retailers reported soaring generator sales.

BUSA meets with Eskom
Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) held a meeting with the CEO of Eskom, Jacob Maroga, at the BUSA offices in Sandton yesterday, Wednesday, 23 January 2007. The meeting was the widest consultation by Eskom with the business community so far, with more than 44 BUSA member organisations representing both small and large businesses.

Pleasing customers, securing transactions: Having e-tail both ways
The ultimate goal of a risk management program is to enhance the customer experience to create repeat sales and enthusiastic word-of-mouth referrals.

'The people's bike' arrives in EL
[Siya Miti] SA's answer to rising petrol prices, the Vuka Scuta, zoomed into East London last week, giving local commuters a new way of travelling to work.

Your gateway to half-price Tuesday
With all the interest rate hikes, Gateway Theatre of Shopping has decided to cut prices in half.

Eskom offers incentives for solar power use
Energy utility Eskom has invited customers to register on its site and receive incentives for using solar power as an alternative to coal generated electricity.

Govt, stakeholders to discuss bread price
Government has raised concerns over the recent increase in the price of bread, and has called for a meeting with industry stakeholders to discuss ways of easing the impact of the increase.

Lewis revenue up 8% for quarter ended January 5
Lewis reports that its revenue growth for the quarter ended 5 January 2008 increased by 8% with the cumulative revenue growth for the nine months ended 5 January increasing by 10%.

Not ready to retire?
As people are encouraged to live healthier and more active lifestyles well into their advanced years, many people are expected to retire from active employment prematurely - at a time when they still have much to offer society in terms of their skills, talents and experience.

A diary with a difference...
It's not just a diary; the 2008 Financial Freedom Abundance Diary a fiscal guide with a heart and soul. It's like having your own financial coach steering you, day by day, towards wealth and abundance. It guides you to set goals and to pay yourself first. It's full of practical advice, self-help tips and inspirational quotations. You'll also find a ‘virtual' abundance game to illustrate this advice. Easy-to-complete charts or boxes ensure you can keep track of spending, debts, expenses, goals and actions for the months ahead. Overall, the 2008 Financial Freedom Abundance Diary offers a step-by-step guide to steer you towards greater wealth and more leisure time – showing you that financial freedom is a choice. To order, contact Linda Smith on 082 859 5854 or 021 713 3168 or e-mail: linda@financial-freedom.co.za. See also http://www.financial-freedom.co.za


Look who's popped up
The POP SHOP is a point of purchase company with big plans in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban; they're aiming to be a unique agency and one to watch. With their two main partners Shane Poplett with 15 years production backing and Sue Bogle with 17 years as a creative director, they plan on making an inspiring combination.

Global knowledge meets local expertise
A leading South African provider of financial derivatives to retail investors, Global Trader, has announced it is entering into a strategic alliance with Merrill Lynch for the provision of a world-class electronic trading, research and other services platform to South African retail clients of Global Trader.


Ozzies push their cards to the limit - and beyond
A new study reveals that a million Australians only make the minimum payment on their credit card each month.

Growing a new niche in retail banking
[Alan Gemes, Fabienne Konik, and Caroline Moss] This US study shows how some top performers are adapting to target the lucrative mass affluent market.

African Bank buys, delists Ellerines
[Nicola Mawson, Consumer Industries Correspondent] The furniture retailer disappears from the JSE after 37 years.

The lurking perils of online transactions
Hundred of millions of people use Web mail, which is why in many ways e-mail is more important to keep secure than your bank account. Many people have important online accounts tied to a single Web mail address. If anyone gained access to your e-mail account, all accounts associated with it could be compromised as well.

Join the Swedish royal family in bed, for just R500000
[Nicola Mawson] South Africans can now buy a top-of-the-range Swedish bed, as enjoyed by the Swedish royals (and Nicole Kidman, by the way).

SA retailer shortlisted as one of the world's most responsible
Woolworths has received international recognition in the retail sector by being shortlisted for the Responsible Retailer of the Year. Woolworths competes for the title with six companies from across the globe that have been shortlisted by the World Retail Awards 2008.

Five-wine blend makes for a uniquely South African flavour
[ActivRetail] Adoro Five Regions Sauvignon Blanc 2007 is a fitting follow-up to its four-star rated debutante, a uniquely South African blend where the old world meets the new.

Connecting with the autistic through sensory toys
When 7-year-old autistic child, Taylor, focuses on a toy, her family knows it's prime time for learning. When Taylor's mom (and others like her) approached Fat Brain Toys for help in selecting toys for a child with autism, the company went to the specialists in autism and neurology - with the result being a new 'Special Needs Resource Centre'.

Cornelius takes on the continent
Skhumbuzo Nkosi, CEO, Primedia Outdoor, has announced that Frikkie Cornelius has been promoted to General Manager, Africa Division to drive the outdoor operation in the African environment.


Local red wine triumphs in Sweden
Allesverloren Estate – the oldest wine farm in the Swartland and famous for its acclaimed Shiraz – took top honours in Sweden with its 2006 vintage clinching the title of Red Wine of the Year for 2007.


Truworths looking sharp
[Nicola Mawson, Consumer Industries Correspondent] Fashion retailer reports higher sales in the six months to December but National Credit Act and higher interest rates take their toll.

Sharapova and Sony Ericsson in a love match
Sony Ericsson has announced that it has signed an exclusive four-year sponsorship agreement with female tennis player, Maria Sharapova, to become the company's first global brand ambassador.


A taste for tea
[ActivRetail] Five Roses has announced the appointment of its new tea master, Dinesh Wijeyawardana, who steps in to replace previous tea master, Reggie Rajiah, who retired in November last year, after 45 years in the tea industry.

KWV progresses with its strategy and announces a new German approach - KWV Limited
KWV, the wine and brandy producer, trader and marketer in Paarl, South Africa, has announced the sale of its German subsidiary, Eggers & Franke, to Racke GmbH of Germany. The sale agreement means a further step for KWV in its alliance with Racke.

No black-outs or cold coffee at Gallo Images - Gallo Images
Gallo Images turbo-charged generator is keeping South African advertising, publishing and marketing teams connected to www.gettyimages.com despite the countrywide power crisis.


St. Dalfour Healthy Cuisine - the premium snack alternative - Cornucopia Industries
St. Dalfour from France presents Healthy Cuisine – a meal-in-a-tin that comes complete with eating utensils and condiments. Said to be a culinary breakthrough, this meal range is different from other prepared foods. The difference lies in the food being packed under a very strong vacuum that naturally preserves the goodness of the food without artificial preservatives or gluten. Healthy Cuisine is low in calories and cholesterol (less than 5%) and contains no nitrites, hydrogenated oils, colourings and additives.

Meals are mobile!
With over 36 million cell phone users registered in South Africa in 2007 and more than 2.5 billion active users worldwide, it is not surprising that South Africa's biggest restaurant guide has now gone mobile.

Five trends to watch in online video advertising
[Jayant Kadambi] It's that magical time of year again. Of course I'm referring to the annual ritual of declaring that the coming year will be The Year of Online Video.

Demographics: The targeting construct that would not die
[Josh Chasin] Recently, our customers have communicated a message to us loud and clear. It is a message that may seem counterintuitive here in the 21st century, in the all-digital, micro-targeting, behavioural targeting, contextual targeting age.

UK footwear retailers suffer despite Brits' growing love of shoes
Cost inflation has compounded the problems facing the UK's footwear specialists, according to the latest report* from Verdict Research, part of the Datamonitor group.

Nothing is insignificant when it comes to brand fulfillment
[Don Frischmann] Go beyond: In every single way, marketers must do more to lock in customer loyalty.

More people multitasking media than ever
Videos on cell phones prove to be the fastest growing new media, and as web radio grows, so TV's influence to purchase declines.

Honda tops JD Power survey
Honda dominates the authoritative 2007 JD Power Customer Satisfaction Index Study which has just been released with the brand ranked highest in the South African market for the second year running – and it also won four category awards.


Fuel prices changing US consumer habits
A new study from The Nielsen Company finds that 49% of US consumers are reducing their spending to compensate for rising fuel prices, up four points from June 2007. The study found that 70% of consumers are combining shopping trips and errands, and 41% are eating out less, and 39% staying home more often. The study has relevance here, as the SA fuel price rises.

Restaurant Review aims to improve Cape Town's customer service
Cape Town restaurants and hotels face stiff competition amongst themselves as they vie for attention from the scores of visitors flocking to the city. But in an industry where word of mouth is vitally important to success, a lack of repeat clients due to lagging customer service is a sure sign that a restaurant isn't living up to its potential.

Blogs influence availability of news, but not quality
According to a survey of US journalists by Brodeur, a unit of Omnicom Group, blogs are not only having an impact on the speed and availability of news but also influencing the tone and editorial direction of reporting.

Keep your hands clean
Icon Media's latest innovation is aptly named Sanitation Stations, open to the public wet-wipe dispensers that are set up in stores in areas in which germs may be likely to spread.

CEE and Russian logistics market set to double by 2012
Central and Eastern Europe's (CEE) €2 billion express and parcels business has grown rapidly over the last few years and become more consolidated and competitive. However, a new report by independent market analyst Datamonitor finds the CEE (and Russian) region still offers great potential to express and parcels operators.

Women don't buy brands, they join them!
“Big brands” can no longer rely on brand loyalty as consumers are more media and marketing savvy than ever and are no longer drawn by pretty packaging or slick marketing. There are many more products on the shelves than just a decade ago, and there will be many more offerings in the next two years.

Space rapidly selling out for Markex 2008
With six months to go before Markex and World of Events 2008, this show for the South African marketing and promotions industry is already 62% sold out.

Space rapidly selling out for Markex 2008
With six months to go before Markex and World of Events 2008, this show for the South African marketing and promotions industry is already 62% sold out.

Gotcha!
[Nicolette Scrooby] Some stores in East London have been caught selling underweight loaves of bread.

Busa warns on interest rates
While Business Unity South Africa (Busa) says it supports inflation targeting in SA – and recognises that CPIX is currently still outside the target range of 3-6%, the organisation has also issued a statement in which it says it believes that the Reserve Bank should not increase interest rates again at the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting this week.

A broken record: Global music biz losing war on piracy
"Legitimate digital sales will accelerate, because the removal of DRM takes away a major impediment to the mass-market adoption of digital tracks," said Phil Leigh, senior analyst with Inside Digital Media. "That will remove a big incentive for using pirated tracks."

SABS vows to clamp down on errant bread retailers
The South African Bureau of Standards vowed to clamp down on retailers flouting bread production rules.

Business as usual for KIA
Concerns have been raised regarding the safety of passengers when travelling through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and Kenya Airways has issued and assurance that at no time has there been a threat to its operations; the airline and other foreign carries such as BA and Virgin continue to operate normally.

Retail Risk 2008
The Consumer Goods Council South Africa and Technews Publishing have announced they will jointly host a Retail Security conference early in 2008. The conference, titled Retail Risk 2008, will be held in Cape Town on 26th February, in Durban on 28th February and in Johannesburg on 4th March.

Retail risk - and how you can meet the challenges and win
Retail Risk 2008, a retail security conference jointly hosted by The Consumer Goods Council (CGC) South Africa and Technews Publishing, takes place in Cape Town on 26 February, in Durban on 28 February and in Johannesburg on 4 March. This article is published with permission of Hi-Tech Security Solutions.

Mozambican, SA farmers partner to grow sugarcane
[Sydney Masinga] The Mozambican government will donate 29,000 hectares of land to small-scale sugarcane farmers in both Mozambique and South Africa over the next three years.

A grain of truth
[Sasha Planting] Many of the costs that cause baking companies to increase prices are out of their hands.

Organic foods hit the big time but second thoughts for some
Organic foods are so successful that production cannot keep up with demand. However, there is another snag as well...

LG sets the pace
LG Electronics (LG), a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics, unveiled its latest products and technologies at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which was held at Las Vegas Convention Centre from January 7-10, 2008.

New mail archiving and backup solution passes the test
Preserv8TM, an e-mail archive retention and messaging platform developed and introduced by Integr8 IS, has officially met with the full legal requirements that are relevant to electronic communication management in South Africa.


Open source software can change the face of the education industry
Open source software is becoming more prominent within education as more institutions turn towards it as a means in which to ease their pain points.

Time to panic about Y2K38?
In a nutshell, the year 2038 problem, as it is also known, is that most Unix-like operating systems represent time as the number of seconds since January 1, 1970.

Phoning from the edge
While highly innovative in many dimensions, the mobile phone business in the US in at least one respect represents a curious throwback to a previous era. In 1968, the FCC issued a landmark decision, deciding that any communication device could be connected to the wire-line phone network as long as it did not damage the network. However, no such ruling applies to US wireless networks.

The divide between BPM technology vendors and users
The way forward for Business Process Management (BPM) involves better alignment between what the technology vendors think is required, and what the end users are actually looking to do with their solutions.

SA production house to train Sudanese journalists
On Monday, 21 January 2008, 20 Sudanese journalists arrived at the television production house, Urban Brew Studios, ahead of their training.


Are you investing to grow your human capital?
Every digital publisher knows how much they need their people to be productive. But, does every digital publisher know how many of his or her people are flight risks? How painful would it be if one or more of your best people left your company?

More funds for business school
IoD awards bursary fund to UCT Graduate School of Business to develop young emerging leaders.