Headlines
RetailWeak results spur change[Sasha Planting] With an estimated 9% share of the market, Woolies says it is acting to ensure consistency in food availability. PIC takes on JD Group over share options[Renée Bonorchis, Editor at Large] Retailer, JD Group, calls it a 'good retention mechanism'. The customer is sometimes always right"Every customer experience is designed to endear customers to us," blogs Dale Wolf. "We give a perfect customer experience, even when it costs us to do so. We do this because it builds trust and people buy from companies they trust. If the conclusion is that you cannot trust Facebook, then you should either be very careful [about] what you share with them ... [or] vote with your feet." SA's highest ever petrol hike looms[Edwin Tshivhidzo] Motorists are warned to brace themselves for another petrol hike this week, the highest increase South Africans have ever experienced. Here's a new Experience – and it's a world first for SA HP in partnership with Digital Planet is launching HP Experience in South Africa and it will be the first of its kind concept retail store in the world. The new flagship store, located in Sandton City, will officially open on 1 April 2008. Discovery quits US retail market[Regis Nyamakanga, Financial Services Editor] Health insurer Discovery's US firm Destiny Health will exit the American retail insurance market after major losses. Google gets on board for Kenya's tourism industry[Carole Kimutai] Kenya's struggling tourism sector will receive a boost following an announcement by Google to promote tourism in Africa through online marketing tools by providing free advertisement vouchers to African organisations to market their businesses in an online environment. Diving to new depths online Gearing up to offer a complete online service for divers - from equipment to courses and travel packages - South Africa's newest online scuba diving shop, CyberDiver.co.za, launched on 18 February 2008. Advertisement:
Banking & FinanceApprenticeship used to address payroll skills shortage School leavers entering the job market now have an opportunity to combine further study with practical work experience under a new payroll apprenticeship initiative spearheaded by Accsys, a national provider of HR and payroll management software. Facing the blacklist: Over 6 million in the redAccording to a report from the National Credit Regulator (NCR), credit bureaux held records for 16.9 million credit active consumers, as at 30 September 2007, with over a third of them holding a bad credit record. Inflation climbs to 8.8%South Africa's inflation rate has risen sharply to 8.8% year-on-year in January 2008, coming in precisely in line with expectations said Econometrix economist Russell Lamberti. Fourth quarter GDP comes in at 5.3%[Bathandwa Mbola] South Africa's fourth quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) continued with its upswing registering yet another increase of 5.3%. The debt abyss lures more SA consumersKramer is now seeing a debt counsellor to renegotiate his debts. Mpuma to open investment opportunities[Gabi Khumalo] Mpumalanga Premier Thabang Makwetla has unveiled plans to extend investment opportunities by launching a growth fund to finance projects that banks may be reluctant to fund.
Brand newsFast-food chain caught in tug of war[Suthentira Govender] Nando's has been drawn into a long-standing feud between rival Muslim halaal accreditation organisations. The Son setsMedia24 has announced the closure of the Gauteng and Free State editions of the Son newspaper, effective 29 February 2008. Meet one of the world's finest vodka distillers [Gregory Gondwe] Polish Master Distiller of Pravda Vodka, Aleksandra (Ola) Kulak, 70 years young, visited South Africa this week to share her knowledge with the media in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Retailer's cosmetic range wins beauty-without-cruelty accreditationWoolworths' entire private label range of toiletries and cosmetics has been approved by Beauty Without Cruelty. Woolworths is now included on BWC's “White List” of companies that comply with their humane criteria. These products include all of retailers' own-label bath & body products, colour cosmetics and skin care ranges. Edcon sales, earnings up, as well as costs[Nicola Mawson] Unlisted retail giant Edcon, which was bought by private equity company Bain last year in a R25bn deal, reported a 9% increase in sales to December 31. Operating outside limits[Larry Claasen] Shaun Miller does not share the concerns of many other CEOs over electricity supply and higher interest rates. Steinhoff shares surge on earnings rise[Nicola Mawson, Consumer Industries Correspondent] Furniture company Steinhoff's share price rose sharply after it announced its first-half profit had risen. Massmart H1 dil HEPS 370.3c vs 328.2cMassmart says its diluted headline earnings per share for six months ended December 2007 have increased 12.8% to 370.3c. New winter warmers [ActivRetail] Denny Convenience Foods has added two new flavours to their convenient and wholesome range of Heat & Serve soups. Fresh Garden Pea and Sweet Potato & Ginger are the latest additions to the range, offering consumers a versatile selection of flavours in the canned soup sector. CTICC wins international honours Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), which after just four years of operations has entered the lists of South Africa's top 500 companies, has also received two international awards that take Cape Town's status as a destination of note to new heights. Purrfect… Let's face it, if you really love your pets, they're not just pets – they're part of the family, so it makes purrfect sense to give them really nutritious meals that will keep them in your home, on your lap and hogging the duvet for as long as possible. Reduced rates for international callsMTN has reduced rates for international calls. MTN customers can expect to pay up to 60% less for calls to international destinations. New single-dose treatment of athlete's foot Novartis has launched Lamisil® Film Forming Solution Once™– claimed to be the first single-dose treatment for athlete's foot in South Africa. eBay names new Skype chiefLast Monday, online auctioneer eBay named Josh Silverman as the chief executive of its online telephone service, Skype. Steinhoff International interim HEPS seen up 20-25%Steinhoff International says it expects far better results over corresponding period last year. PIC holds indirect stake of 3.13% in RichemontRichemont said on Tuesday that Public Investment Corporation (PIC) holds a 3.13% indirect stake in the group. Ad campaign makes 110 metre dash Wideopen Platform locks consumers into Sony Ericsson's W910i hoarding advertisement for 110 metres at the V & A Waterfront. Danie de Wet elected by shareholders as a KWV director - KWV LimitedAt a general meeting of shareholders of KWV Limited held in Paarl, Danie de Wet was elected by the shareholders as a director of the company. He remains chairman of the board of KWV Limited.
Consumer researchRevealing personal information still inhibits online shoppingConsumers enjoy the convenience of shopping on the internet but even in the United States, where shopping on line has been around for some time, people are still cautious. Many South African consumers share the same sense of caution when it comes to handing out personal information over the internet. Leverage your unsubscribes[The Email Diva] Your unsubscribes could tell you a lot – if only you let them. Right now, you probably just wave them goodbye, but with a little effort, you could find out why they are leaving. And more than once you may find that it is not that they are unhappy – they may simply be moving to a new company. Whatever the reason, find out what it is, and use it. Looks like fruit... Tastes like fruit... But is it fruit?Well, according to a consumer group in Britain, no it is not... not often enough... The organisation claims that many people (the report relates to the UK) are being misled into buying fruit-flavoured products that contain little or no fruit. More taxes see drop in tobacco use - WHO[Bathandwa Mbola] Due to higher taxes placed on tobacco in South Africa, the consumption of cigarettes has declined among the young and the poor, according to a report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Health & Safety‘Treat all electrical cables and power lines as live'This was the message from Eskom to township communities, and the power utility put it across to the township residents with Primedia@Home's Community Chat Billboards, in an attempt to reduce the high number of electrocution fatalities.
Import/ExportSarkozy's visit to yield SA-France agreementSouth Africa is looking forward to signing a number of bilateral agreements with France during a state visit by French President Nicolas Sarkozy this week.
PromotionsShopping centre uses shuttle diplomacy with A1 results With Durban hosting the A1 Grand Prix it seems only appropriate for the largest shopping centre not only in Durban, but in the Southern Hemisphere to get in on the action.
RegulatorySAFACT responds to calls for internet piracy legislationThe recent media coverage of proposed UK legislation to combat internet-based piracy has sparked a long overdue debate on the possible need for similar legislation in South Africa.
Retail servicesThe successful customer loyalty mindset[Louis Columbus] After reading the book Mindset: The Psychology of Success by Dr. Carol S. Dweck, I began to wonder if her concepts of fixed versus growth mindsets were either accentuated or diminished when it came to customer relationship strategies enabled with SaaS-based applications. The year of personal improvement: 2008 - Quo Vadis CommunicationsQuo Vadis Communications will be running its communications courses in Johannesburg and Cape Town during March, April and May 2008.
SecuritySecure e-commerce from first to final click[Tom Bowers] What's most important to consumers when making a purchase online? Personal identity. Consumers are taking more notice of their individual online security after a string of recent identity theft cases made major headlines.
Supply chainMakgoro makes magic with mangoesBy naming Makgoro Mannya the Female Farmer of the Year, the agriculture department just scratches the surface of her achievements, writes Neels Blom. SA's genetically modified food produce up 30%[Michael Appel] South Africa's genetically modified (GM) maize, soya and cotton, in terms of area planted, increased by 30% to 1.8 million hectares (ha) over 2006/07. Hulett in talks to supply Eskom with powerSouth African agri-processing company Tongaat Hulett is in negotiations to supply Eskom with electricity generated at its plants, in answer to the government's call for co-generation projects by industrial players. Climate change affecting fish stocksClimate change is emerging as the latest threat to the world's fast declining fish stocks, which could affect millions of people who depend on the oceans for food and income, says a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). R6m dry bean project to benefit communities[Siboniso Ntuli] The communities of the Amajuba District Municipalities in the northern part of the KwaZulu-Natal are to benefit from a R6 million dry bean corridor massification project.
TechnologyRapid increase in radio and TV channels in Africa, says new reportA rapid increase in the number of radio and TV channels in Africa over the last three years has piqued interest in the continent by international media players. New MS tracking tool measures online ad effectiveness"Our Engagement Mapping approach conveys how each ad exposure - whether display, rich media or search, seen multiple times on multiple sites and across many channels - influenced an eventual purchase," said Brian McAndrews, senior vice president of the Advertiser & Publisher Solutions Division at Microsoft. The R200 notebookLG releases a 12.1 inch piano design number - The R200 notebook. Nokia tinkers with morphing phone concept[Katherine Noyes] Imagine what you'd get if you crossed Gumby with a smartphone, and you've got some idea of what a new, nanotech handset from Nokia could be like. | 
