Country Foods buys fishmonger for R2
[Nicola Mawson, Consumer Industries Correspondent] Mushroom and fruit juice company Country Foods Group has bought fishmonger The Mediterranean for R2.

Tiger Brands finance chief to call it quits
[Nicola Mawson, Consumer Industries Correspondent] Fast-moving consumer goods group Tiger Brands said yesterday chief financial officer Noel Doyle would be leaving the company at the end of May. Doyle — who has been with the group for a decade — said his decision had nothing to do with the recent bread price- fixing scandal. “It's just an opportunity I've been considering for quite a while.”

Beijing awaits triumphant fashion talent
Triumph, one of the world's leading lingerie brands, has launched a global design competition, the Triumph Inspiration Award, as part of its commitment to supporting emerging design talent. Fashion design students from across South Africa have submitted designs over the last month and 22 finalists have been selected to take part in the national final in Cape Town in May.

Asian giants to share expertise with Africa
[Michael Appel] Discussing the upcoming three-day Tokyo International Conference on Africa's Development (TICAD) IV Summit, Foreign Affairs Deputy Director-General for Asia and the Middle East Ambassador Jerry Matjila said there were many lessons Africa can learn from the Asian powerhouse, in terms of economic, human resource and skills development.

JD mum on PIC talks
[Edward West, editor of the Bottom Line] There were no answers to questions regarding an emergency meeting JD had with its largest shareholder.

Everyone's a retailer
[Keith Regan] The Internet has become the ultimate democracy in many ways, leveling the publishing playing field for writers with blogging software, allowing musical acts to distribute music without a record label and giving video producers outlets such as YouTube. With e-commerce outlets such as eBay, anyone can sell virtually anything.

Interest rate hike looming for SA – economist
[Michael Appel] In the face of South Africa's rising inflation rate, Reserve Bank Governor Tito Mboweni may not have much choice but to hike interest rates.

Mamelodi Sundowns partnership terminated
MTN South Africa announced today that it has decided not to renew its sponsorship agreement with Mamelodi Sundowns and that the end of the 2007/08 season would be the last year of their involvement with the team that they have sponsored for the past three years.

Soweto Wine Festival gains banking support
[Bathandwa Mbola] Standard Bank has reaffirmed its support of the wine industry by agreeing to sponsor the Soweto Wine Festival for the second year running.

Tiger Brands' CFO resigns
Tiger Brands' chief financial officer and executive director Noel Doyle is to leave the company and resign as a director with effect from 31 May 2008.

Brewer breaks ground in Sedibeng
[Nicola Mawson, Consumer Industries Correspondent] International brewer Heineken's proposed new 3-million-hectolitre brewery is set to be built in the Sedibeng district outside Johannesburg.


Mercedes-Benz South Africa bucks the trend
[Henrie Geyser] Mercedes-Benz South Africa had another bumper year in 2007 with turnover up by 13.5% to R37 billion.


Motorola's handset biz to go it alone
[Jim Offner] Having watched its shares lose nearly half of their value in the last year and its cellphone business continue to languish among the also-rans in a crowded field, Motorola said Wednesday, 26 March 2008, it will split into two publicly traded companies, separating its mobile devices business from its broadband and mobility solutions group.

One tree for every employee
In line with its 'Good business journey', Woolworths aims to reduce the its relative carbon footprint by 30% by 2012, and has committed to planting 17,000 trees by 2012 - one for each employee.

Durban supermarket gutted
Fire has gutted Supersave supermarket in Durban.

Your ultimate energy booster - Vital Health Foods
Energy is essential in this overstretched, high-speed world. How do we recharge our batteries when there is a constant drain on our resources? You may also find it harder to concentrate on tasks, and, eventually, you can also find your patience grows short and your level of frustration rises, even when confronted with seemingly simple challenges.

Greenwash is losing its shine - Gallo Images
Simply being seen to be green will soon not be enough, according to Getty Images global planning director, Rebecca Swift. In a recent update at BBC News24 she argues that time is running out for advertisers who "greenwash" audiences with empty eco-cliches.


New organically entwining tea

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Twinings has added a new tea to its stable, developed from a specially selected blend of organically grown teas from Ceylon and Africa. The organic method brings the best of the old and new as it combines a sound understanding of modern soil science with traditional methods of growing and pest control. Twining's tea range includes Classics, Origins, Flavoured, Green and Herbal Infusions. Distributed exclusively through Stafford Bros & Draeger, the range is available from all leading retail outlets and speciality tea stores.


Uncorking a new look

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Smollan Liquor has recently undergone a transformation to capture the key essence of the brand while simultaneously representing the entire product range of fine wines and brandy. “The look and feel of the brand was changed to better reflect the sophistication and specialisation of 'liquor' as a category,” explains Arno Gelderbloem of Smollan Liquor. He said as the company is almost five years old, it was time to update the brand to introduce an element of sophistication in keeping with their growth and experience. The new logo has a contemporary yet classical feel, while the layers offer a sense of depth in keeping with the brand's values of 'connecting'. “Smollan Liquor has always been about connecting, be it with our suppliers or our clients. That's our business value and it is well reflected in our new branding,” says Gelderbloem.

Catering in style for high-profile forum
Gham Gourmet, a division of Compass Group SA, recently catered for the South African / French Business Forum at the BOE/Clocktower Nedbank in Cape Town. The event was attended by some 450 high-profile dignitaries, including South African President, Thabo Mbeki and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Executive Chef Thomas Muecke and Sous Chef Hilton Norris prepared a special menu for the breakfast function. Arnold Abrahams, Gham Gourmet waiter and Tony Brandt, Patron in charge of the Cape served the President and eight other high profile delegates in the presidential holding room before the start of the conference.

What about a multichannel analytics team to make the most of data?
[Judah Phillips] Companies that derive revenue from multiple channels often have two analyst teams: the "database marketing team" and the "web analysis team." These groups tend not to communicate.

Wealthy consumers using social networks online
[Jack Loechner] USA - According to The Luxury Institute's latest WealthSurvey, the participation of wealthy online consumers in social networks dramatically increased to 60% in 2008, from 27% in 2007. Participation levels of online wealthy consumers in leading social networks are 16% for MySpace, 13% for LinkedIn, and 11% for Facebook.

First KZN Pick & Build branch opens its doors in Durban
The home and commercial development and construction market in Kwa-Zulu Natal is to receive a significant boost with the opening of the first Pick & Build franchise operation in Durban.

SA, Chile agree to expand economic links
South Africa and Chile have agreed to actively expand economic and trade links between the two countries following bilateral discussions on Tuesday, 25 March 2008.

What to wear this winter

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The Men's Health winter style guide, the 64-page A4 supplement, is already hotting up the newstands with its showcase of classic and contemporary trends, providing South African men with an access to styles tailor-made for their lifestyles. Looks include: boldly stated suits, achieving the fashionable preppy look without belonging to a country club or prep school, cleverly mixing together culture that is street wear, the art of fashion in urban edge, and how to dress for those red-carpet moments with eveningwear. The guide also advises men on recommended accessories such as watches, ties, cuff links, shoes, cologne and much more. Says Neil Doveton, fashion director: “I encourage all guys to make some kind of change, break the norm and try something different.”

“Chefs on the run”
Kagiso Khulani Supervision Food Services (KKS), a specialist operating division of Compass Group SA, has just marked two decades of sponsoring and hosting the KKS refreshment station at the Two Oceans Marathon, which took place in Cape Town on March 22.


Going green
For the second year running, Appletiser is the exclusive sponsor of the Elle green issue. The brand has joined forces with one of the world's number one fashion magazines, which is also targeted at women and is committed to all things green – no matter the season.

Govt prohibits use of asbestos in SA
[Michael Appel] Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk has announced that the use, manufacture and processing of asbestos will be prohibited in South Africa with immediate effect.

Jump starting small e-tailers
For small business online retailers, an e-commerce solution that quickly produces results is essential to survival. That's why FastCommerce recently launched a product submission service to Google Shopping, also known as Google Product Search.

Can CRM handle Web 2.0?
[Erika Morphy] Having your customers comment on your policies, products or employment practices is one thing. Having them suggest ideas for improving said policies and products - in a public forum where participants can vote on these ideas, no less - is an entirely different matter.

Philips SA to open light bulb plant in Lesotho
[Luyanda Makapela] An energy-saving light bulb manufacturing plant is to be built in Lesotho in a bid to help South Africans reduce their electricity consumption.

New trading platform for milk launched
An internet-based trading platform for milk producers and buyers has been established, the Milk Producers' Organisation (MPO) said on Wednesday, 26 March 2008.

Grandfather inspires entrepreneurial gem
Ajay Lalloo, inspired by his grandfather's disability, exploited a gap in the cellphone market some 12 years ago to become one of South Africa's true entrepreneurial gems, writes Michael Appel.

Better comms basket for SMMEs
MTN has created a basket of communication solutions it says is aimed at assisting small to medium enterprise owners.

Save on CRM dev costs: go off-the-shelf
Packaged applications take a considerable amount of risk out of any CRM implementation. Development time is reduced, testing time is reduced and, as a result, costs are typically lower. By providing standardized CRM building blocks, packaged applications allow companies to focus on the business value and making sure their CRM systems meet their business objectives.

Using search to manage your brand's online reputation
[Chrysi Philalithes] Last month an interesting thing happened to me. I became the "subject" rather than the "solver." Having given advice to brands and businesses on how to use search engine marketing to manage their online reputation, I was suddenly faced with needing to manage my own.

Sales of digital blackboards almost double
[Bathandwa Mbola] The demand for touch screen whiteboards has almost doubled, with sales in educational institutions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa increasing by 48% last year.

Track that brand
FindOwnerSearch.com, the easy-to-use website for finding brands and their owners, announces its official launch. Freely available to all users, the site combines the latest web technology with extensive brand and owner content to give users a faster, easier and better way to find brand information.

Testing email creative
[David Baker] What makes great email creative? Is it the design, format, use of images – or do you simply roll it all up into what you call a good customer experience?

Electronic payment network goes on literacy outreach
[Bathandwa Mbola] Retail electronic payment network, Visa has unveiled this year's series of financial literacy community outreach shows which are aimed at improving financial literacy in the country.