Petrol price to drop by 27 cents
[Janine du Plessis] The price of petrol is to decrease by 27 cents per litre on Wednesday, the Department of Minerals and Energy said on Friday.

SA economy is stronger than ever, says Mpahlwa
[Siboniso Ntuli] The South African economy is stronger than ever with numerous employment opportunities, says Minister for Trade and Industry Mandisi Mpahlwa.

2008 CWG Auction awash with debuts and white wines
A record number of white wines and first time entries from new winemakers and cellars have made the cut for the prestigious 2008 Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction. Now in its 23rd year, the auction will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) on Saturday, 27 September 2008.


The Piazza pulls in leading retailers
[Nick Wilson, Property editor] Although retailers are struggling in an economic slowdown, there is strong demand for retail space at Melrose Arch's R2,27bn mixed-use node, The Piazza.

2008 Landbouweekblad Woman Winemaker of the Year Awards
[Caroline Lowings] Winemakers and aficionados from all over the Cape gathered at the Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West to attend the 2008 Landbouweekblad Woman Winemaker of the Year Award ceremony on Thursday, 24 July 2008. The competition, now in its 5th year, has grown from strength to strength and received over 60 wine entries this year.

Major makeover for Cape Town clothing manufacturer
[ActivRetail] House of Monatic (HoM), the clothing design, sourcing, marketing, manufacturing and distribution, subsidiary of JSE-listed Brimstone Investment Corporation (Brimstone), has announced a R3-million upgrade of its shirt factory in Salt River, Cape Town. This follows the multi-million upgrades of the group jacket, trouser line and cutting room facilities over the last few years.

US report: First half magazine pages and ad revenue down; food, retail and travel up
Expert believes this year's trend is similar to the last two drop-offs - in the early 1990s and earlier part of this decade - when PIB revenue and pages declined, but later recovered as the ad market picked up.

SACSC honours regional stores
The 2008 Western Cape Special Star Awards gala event took place last week at the Grand West Casino in Cape Town, showing off the best that shopping centres in the Cape have to offer. Introduced by the South African Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC) in 2006, the awards honour those retailers and service providers in each region which deliver an exceptional level of customer service and contribute to the South African shopping centre industry.


City of Joburg to increase electricity tariffs
[Edwin Tshivhidzo] Johannesburg Executive Mayor Amos Masondo has announced that the increase of 20.6% in electricity tariffs will be effective from 1 August 2008.

SACTWU launches designer unit
South Africa's apparel Trade Union, the South African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (SACTWU) has launched a unit to provide a "voice" to designers. The new unit, called the South African Fashion Designers' Institute (SAFDI), will have representation in all of the provinces.


Meet Wally - The Heart and Stroke Foundation SA
Less than two weeks after his 52nd birthday, a Gauteng businessman will give South African television viewers a rather unconventional gift of his own: the opportunity to learn some very important lessons from his own difficult journey of cardiovascular disease.

Another journ award for Shape
Shape advisory board dietitian Jane Badham recently won the South African Association for Food Science and Technology annual Meritorious Award for Food Science Journalism. Her story, entitled Fat Attack, published in the November 2007 issue of Shape, beat entries from TV, radio and print. The award is intended to recognise those journalists who adopt a responsible approach and whose reports are objective and scientifically correct, and consequently whose work contributes to sound consumer knowledge and an understanding of controversial or complex food issues.

New pledges from AskOnce
The national campaign to promote the second phase of Nedbank's AskOnce programme, which is reportedly resonating with consumers who battle to get good service from their bank, has seen the company launch five additional service promises.

Inflation jumps to 11.6%
[Michael Appel] Inflation for June 2008 has jumped to 11.6% year-on-year (y/y), coming in 0.7 of a percentage point higher than May 2008, reported Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Wednesday, 30 July 2008.

Has Motorola turned the corner?
[Erika Morphy] Motorola performed better than analysts had expected in Q2, delivering net earnings of US$4 million on Thursday. Revenue was $8.1 billion, beating expectations by Wall Street analysts of $7.5 billion for the handset manufacturer.

Tsotsi's Terry Pheto joins L'Oreal's Dream Team
Renowned South African actress Terry Pheto is joining cosmetic house, L'Oreal Paris's international list of Dream Team spokespersons.


'Mario Kart,' 'Wii Fit' whip Nintendo into shape in Q1
[Yuri Kageyama] Nintendo's profit for the fiscal first quarter surged 34% as sales of its hit Wii console shot up, underlining the success of the video game unit in attracting novice players.


Estate launches maiden Methode Cap Classique
[ActivRetail] Helderberg wine estate, Eikendal, is adding to South Africa's lineup of Methode Cap Classique wines made in the style of French champagne, with the launch of its maiden MCC - Mon Desir 2005 - an elegant débutante made of 100% Chardonnay.


Indulgent new range of luxury biscuits
Bakers Biscuits has entered the luxury biscuit segment with the launch of the ‘Baked with Love' Premium range of decadent treats.


Sony Q1 profit plunges nearly 50%
[Jeff Meisner] Year-over-year profits at Tokyo-based consumer electronics giant Sony fell 47% to US$326 million during the first quarter, and company officials predict a further decrease in profits later in the year.

Flipflop fit for a man
Many men have overdone done it at the gym or on the sports field, and now have aching knees and stiff ankles. Offering a solution to the problem, Fitflop has launched a specially designed shoe for men that incorporates patent-pending microwobbleboard technology to maximize muscle-load while reducing joint strain.


Solving your pets' skin allergies - vets are listening - Vondis Holistic Pet Nutrition
Recently, Vondis Holistic Pet Nutrition was invited by a forum of 70 vets to address the problems of skin-related ailments and other conditions. Here is a summary of that presentation.

Online advertising shows significant impact on brand awareness
Though focused on the pharmaceutical industry, the study may have broader reaching appeal to e-marketers in other industries.

Behavioural targeting's predictive future
[Kaila Colbin] The Tour de France ended this past weekend, and if you watched any of it on TV, you were overwhelmed with ads for high-end bicycle brands like Colnago and Pinarello...

UK business failures up 17.5% as credit squeeze takes hold
This report relates to the current situation in the UK, where, just as in SA, fuel and other costs have risen, as have interest rates. The result is that companies, including airlines, have closed.

SA stars come out in support of xenophobic victims
The International Fashion Sale is reaching to the stars to aid the plight of hundreds of victims of the recent spate of xenophobic attacks. South African celebrities, such as Mzansi actress Khanyisile Mbau and top model Christina Storm, are joining forces to aid the Red Cross at the sale, which takes place at Northgate's Coca-Cola Dome from 31 July - 3 August 2008, to collect clothes and blankets for the displaced and homeless individuals.

Almost a million ways to make a child smile

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The annual ‘Caring for Our Children' campaign by Danone Clover has raised R900,000 in the first of its two month winter run, and is a fine illustration of Madiba's words: “There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.” In previous years, the campaign raised R1,3 million (2004), R1,4 million (2005), R1,5 million (2006) and R1,6 million (2007). The money already raised this year is a sign last year's total will be surpassed.

Fididel: For those who love to dicker
[Kimberly Hill] A recent advertising campaign has eBay exhorting consumers to "Shop Victoriously," and, it's true, winning an online auction can be fun. My recent score - vintage hand carders to process wool for spinning, won for a mere US$15 - was a hoot. I got solid tools for an obscure craft at less than one-third the price they cost new.

2008 Mandela Coin: Is it legal to sell them?
The biggest mystery about the 2008 Mandela coin, also known as the 90th birthday coin, is not why anyone would want to pay more than R5 for a coin that is worth exactly R5. The mystery is how is it possible that no one in the South African Reserve Bank saw it coming? After all, there have been precedents: the 1994 Mandela Presidential Inauguration R5 coin, as well as the 2000 Mandela R5 coin.

Amazon goes mano-a-mano with eBay in online payments arena
[Mike Pearson] First Amazon transformed itself from simple online bookseller to general e-tailer. Then it spread into the world of Web services and distributed computing. Now the online giant is entering the alternative payments game.

New online market Wigix: More like Nasdaq than Sotheby's
[Jack M. Germain] The idea was simple: Build a large catalogue of consumer items and make it accessible in a structured format, unlike what already exists in wide-open search engines like Google. Give users tools similar to what they get on financial web sites. Give a unique online business experience to both the buyers of the goods and the sellers.

e-Tail IT superstore launches
South African online technology superstore targeting sub-Saharan Africa, Click2BuyIT.com, launched yesterday with the backing of international online retail IT knowledge and a multi-million Rand start-up investment in the company.

Durban baristas compete for top honours in Barista Champs - Cape Gourmet Wine Show
Durban is counting down the days to the start of the inaugural Good Food & Wine Show which comes to the Durban Exhibition Centre from 14-17 August. A highlight of the Spring Show in Durban are the Regional Barista Championships, that will see Durban's top Baristas go head to head as they compete for top honours in the regional competition and a chance to travel to the National Barista Championships in Johannesburg.

V&A Waterfront Restaurant Award winners
The V&A Waterfront celebrated the its third Annual Restaurant Awards, as well as the launch of the 2008/2009 Restaurant Guide, at a one-of-a-kind event held in the predator tank at the Two Oceans Aquarium on Wednesday, 30 July 2008.

SA to advance Egyptian and Chile relations
[Bathandwa Mbola] South Africa is looking to increase its economic and trade relations with Egypt and Chile this week, with President Thabo Mbeki holding talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Pretoria, and Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad heading off to a forum discussion in Chile.

VWSA reaches export milestone

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The 350,000th export vehicle has been manufactured at Volkswagen of South Africa's (VWSA) Uitenhage plant. This year, the company will export in excess of 40,000 vehicles. This amount includes 10,260 5th generation Jettas, an additional order announced by the Uitenhage automotive manufacturer earlier this year. The aforementioned export order has seen the addition of Great Britain and Ireland to VWSA's list of export destinations. The additional order of 5th generation Jettas comes on top of the plan to export 21,000 5th generation Golfs and 8,800 Polos in 2008 to various countries in the Asia Pacific region, with the bulk of these units going to Japan.

Packed with information, labels make a sales pitch
When Mount Everest Mineral Water Ltd drew up a new game plan for its mineral water brand, Himalayan, it was sure that the bottle had to pack more than just water. It had to tell consumers a story about the brand, its iconic source and the link with Indian mythology.

Good for the Ground comes to Durban - Good for the Ground
This year sees the first Spring Good Food and Wine Show coming to Durban (14 - 17 August 2008, Durban Exhibition Centre) and the award-winning Good for the Ground packaging team are going to be there.

Coke launches commemorative Olympic "fan can"
[ActivRetail] In celebration of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, which start in the Chinese capital on 8 August 2008, Coca-Cola has launched a limited edition “fan can” for avid collectors of Coca-Cola memorabilia, as well as Olympic Games fans.

Spectre of product placement regulations
[Chris Moerdyk] There are distinct mutterings from the TV industry in the US about regulating branded television by forcing channels to identify product placement. It seems the process of bringing some sort of regulation to branded television was started by screen writers who clearly are becoming more and more irritated at their producers insisting on them including products or lines of dialogue paid for by advertisers.

Agency to take over medicines control proposed
[Shaun Benton] A new agency with the powers to regulate all medicines and health products in South Africa, including health foods and cosmetics with medicinal claims, has been proposed by the Department of Health.

Can Apple break through China's Great Wall of counterfeits?
[Renay San Miguel] Apple may be making a lot of noise lately with its new iPhone 3G, but when it comes to fighting software pirates, Steve Jobs' company prefers to speak softly and carry a big stick - the stick, of course, being legal action like its recent lawsuit against computer maker Psystar for producing machines that can run Apple software.

Three special ingredients for a great cross-channel loyalty brew
[Patrick McHugh] In this heated battle for the consumer dollar, retail marketers are looking to establish a personal and consistent relationship with shoppers through integrated customer loyalty programs that leverage traditional offline and emerging communications channels. Not surprisingly, it can be overwhelming for retailers to figure out where to start.

Global manufacturers' spend on warranty management solutions tipped to exceed $1bn
[Adam Jura] Manufacturing companies are increasingly looking to warranty management processes in order to enhance both bottom and top line performance. The resulting investment in technology is creating a significant opportunity for technology vendors.

Customer conversations: Approach with care
[Erika Morphy] One best practice forward-looking companies have adopted is being proactive with online conversations that criticize, question - or hopefully compliment - a company's products or services.

Self-service kiosks: Bane or boon?
[Erika Morphy] The self-service kiosk industry is growing at a fast clip, with transactions at these expected to surpass US$607 billion this year in North America alone, according to the IHL Group. But are the kiosks really increasing efficiency for consumers?

The who's who of US retailing
[Pedro de Gouveia] The USA's National Retail Federation's venerable retail trade publication, Stores magazine, announced the results of its 2008 Top 100 Retailers Study in July.

Clicks spreads in-store wings
[Mathabo le Roux] Despite a tight consumer environment, retailer Clicks' roll-out of pharmacies in its health and beauty stores is continuing apace. The retailer yesterday launched its 150th in-store pharmacy with the opening of a dispensing section in its Hyde Park store. Another five to six stores are set to be opened within the next month, before the company's financial year-end.

PEP launches cellular stores
Having positioned itself as one of the biggest retailers of pre-paid cellular products in South Africa, PEP is now opening its first stand-alone cellular stores. The first PEPcell store opens on 31 July 2008 in Khayelitsha; the second store opens in Parow Centre on 1 August; the third store opens in Nyanga on 15 August.

JD Group repurchases R217m of its own shares
Furniture retailer JD Group says it has acquired 5.42 million ordinary shares, equivalent to 3% of its issued share capital, for a total consideration of R217.2 million in the open market.

Bumper opening day

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From 4am on a dark and rainy morning, around a thousand people formed a 300m long queue to get into the new PEPcell store in Khayelitsha on Thursday, 31 July 2008, to be the first to benefit from the opening offers. Cellphones for as little as R99 plus a range of airtime discounts beckoned people and the store beat its own first day target before midday. The second store opened this morning in Parow Centre - when the queues started at 3am. The third opens in Nyanga on 15 August.


Higher prices boost Truworths profit
Clothing retailer Truworths International increased annual profit as much as 20% after higher prices and expanded selling space boosted sales. Earnings per share for 53 weeks to 29 June 2008 were between 15% and 20% higher in the corresponding period last year. - I-Net Bridge - Business Day

Report: Hackers getting faster at cooking up new attacks
Computer hackers are whipping out exploits at an accelerating rate, according to a new IBM security report. They're able to come up with ways to attack newly discovered vulnerabilities faster thanks to automated programs, and they also benefit from well-intentioned security researchers who make too much information available too soon, according to the report.

PPI significantly lower than expected - economist
[Michael Appel] Factory gate prices for June 2008 has surprised many economists coming in significantly under what was expected at 16.8% year-on-year (y/y) for June 2008, reported Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Thursday, 31 July 2008.

Green-tech movement spawns eco-friendly hard drive
[Erika Morphy] Storage vendor Fabrik has introduced an external hard drive with a manufacturing process focused on reducing its impact on the environment.

Initiative to train over 2000 wine fundis for 2010
Wines of South Africa (WOSA), the not-for-profit organisation that promotes South African wines worldwide, is initiating a novel job-creation campaign to train 2010 wine waiters ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.