Nederburg Auction results reflect conservative economic climate
Overall income at the 34th Nederburg Auction in Paarl on Saturday, 20 September, fetched R4,79-million, compared with last year's R5,13-million. Auction organisers attributed this year's lower income as well as the lower average price of R1270 per nine-litre case - down 10% on last year - to the present economic conditions and highly competitive trading environment in the South African and international wine market.


Awarding choice winemakers
The winemakers have made their selection for the winners of the Investec Private Bank Winemakers' Choice Diamond Awards, and the trophies were handed out at a gala dinner in Stellenbosch on Wednesday, 17 September. Guests were also awarded with a surprise performance by South African music artist, Louise Carver.


Top global brands' valuation down by US$67 billion
LONDON & NEW YORK: Independent brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance yesterday, Thursday, 18 September 2008, revealed the impact of recession on the 100 leading global and US brands - between January and September, the brand value of these top brands has decreased by 4.2%, a drop of US$67 billion.

2010 ticketing rand-dollar exchange set at R7
[Michael Appel] The price of category four tickets for the 2010 FIFA World Cup has been set at US$20 (R140) with the rand-dollar exchange rates being frozen at R7, announced 2010 Local Organising Committee Chairman Dr Irvin Khoza, earlier this week.

Marketing the unseen
[Claus Jakobsen] Consumers respond best to what they can see. We buy a watch because it symbolises what we believe is our place in society: a fashionista or an elegant businessperson. Cars and clothes are highly visible statements of our individuality and we also often use them to make a statement about how far we've come in life. But what about invisible assets?


Joburg market expands northwards
With a growing market base and innovative changes being implemented, the Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market (JFPM) is fast transforming itself into a market leader, both locally and globally.

Wine title turns 15

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Readers will recognise Wine's 15 anniversary birthday issue by the festive cake, strawberries and sparkling wine on the cover, the foiled logo and metallic finish. And coupled with advertising in the 130-page SA Winelands Map Book - the magazine's added-value gift to all readers - the issue's ad income is up by 175 % - a record for the magazine. "We are thrilled at how well advertisers and the industry has supported the birthday issue," says publisher Heino Gehle. The birthday issue goes on sale today, Monday, 22 September 2008.

Woolworths to face five-day strike
Workers at South African retailer Woolworths will embark on a nationwide strike for five days from Wednesday, demanding union recognition, the union and company said today, Tuesday 16 September.

Deal for Pick n Pay staff
Pick n Pay and South African labour union Saccawu have reached a two-year remuneration deal, the retailer said last week. Staff would receive an across-the-board increase of R410 in year one, and R415 in year two. All variable-time employees would work for a minimum guaranteed 85 hours per month, with the 60 hours per month category falling away. The first year's wage increase would be backdated to 1 March 2008. - I-Net Bridge - Sapa

Calm prevailing on markets following Mbeki's resignation
[Michael Appel] Markets remain calm and almost unperturbed by the announcement of the resignation of President Thabo Mbeki delivered in a televised address on Sunday evening, say economists.

Tech sector braces for Wall Street aftershocks
[Jeff Meisner] USA: In a week that has cleaved once-mighty Wall Street institutions asunder, no market is safe from panic-induced losses, and that includes the technology sector.

So many potential customers, so little follow-up
[Aaron Baar] For all the hundreds of millions of dollars US short-term insurance companies spend on advertising their car insurance policies, they're not getting a very high conversion rate.

International: Federal Reserve Bank puts up $85bn loan to rescue AIG
The US Federal Reserve announced on Wednesday that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York will lend an 85 billion dollar-bridge-loan to American International Group Inc. (AIG) to save the country's biggest insurer from bankruptcy.

Major markets worldwide sink amid US financial crisis
The dramatic downward spiral of events in New York have continued to reshape the global financial system.

Web 2.0 holds promises and threats for online banking
[Rik Turner] Retail banks can see the benefits of technologies that enable a new, more customisable and interactive internet experience could bring to their online offerings, but fret about their security implications.

New Clicks announces changes to board
Retail group New Clicks today announced the appointment of John Bester as an independent non-executive director with effect from 1 October 2008.

Rewarding loyal pizza lovers with new offerings
Debonairs, one of the country's leading pizza delivery franchises, is launching the ‘Pizza Lover's' customer reward card at its 221 South African restaurants today, 22 September 2008, with an offering of over R100 million of value to customers. The introduction of the loyalty card follows on the recent installation of a special 'Hot-Holding Oven' in a growing number of the restaurants that aims to slash over-the-counter service time with its new, almost ‘instant' pizza.


MTN rings changes to contracts to lure customers
[Lesley Stones] Network operator MTN is slashing its number of cellphone contract variations from a mind-boggling 64 to less confusing 22, and promising that users will end up better off as well as less perplexed.

SAB invests R1.9m in tourism entrepreneurs
[Michael Appel] The annual Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year Awards (ETEYA) will be substantially boosted this year with the joining of South African Breweries (SAB).

Release your inner goddess

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Eva Longoria - the face of Magnum ice cream - went back to her Mexican roots and conjured up Mayan mysticism when she hosted an exclusive event at the Magnum Manor in the South of France at the beginning of April to launch the delicious new Magnum Mayan Mystica.


Premium apple ale joins FAB market
Following the global trend of premiumisation in beer, the South African Breweries (SAB) announced earlier this week the introduction of a new premium apple ale in the flavoured alcoholic beverages (FAB) sector. Blakes & Doyle Premium Dry Apple Ale will hit the shelves on 1 October 2008.


SA estate is tops down under
Nederburg's winning streak continued with cellar master Razvan Macici and his team when the estate took South Africa's only gold medal on the 2008 International Sweet Wine Challenge in Australia.


EA, Take-Two just call the whole thing off
[Walaika Haskins] Takeover talks between Electronic Arts (EA) and Take-Two have come to an end, the two video game software companies announced Sunday.

Kloof's king at Michelangelo
The Du Toitskloof Wine Cellar achieved excellent results at this year's Michelangelo International Wine Awards announced over the weekend. The cooperative cellar, known for its value wines, received nine awards, one of which was a Grand d'Or.

Parmalat sponsors Milk Producers' AGM - Parmalat SA
Parmalat SA is the proud sponsor of the 2008 National Symposium and AGM of the Milk Producers Organisation (MPO) taking place in Port Elizabeth on 17 September. This year's National Symposium will focus on transformation in the primary dairy sector and on ways of ensuring successful transformation.

Spekko Rice keeps it hot and spicy at the Spring Good Food and Wine Show! - Spekko Rice
On 13 August 2008 foodies from around South Africa and the World descended on Durban for the very first Durban Good Food and Wine Show!

Electric Sheep CEO on the virtual shopping mall
Right now, virtual worlds may be most appealing to children, and most of the more successful virtual worlds are those that cater to kids, says Sibley Verbeck, CEO of The Electric Sheep Company, a virtual worlds software, content and services provider. However, look for more retail virtual world applications in the near future.

Festive shopping fair to hit Durbs

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The Christmas Shopping Fair 2008 is set to be the premier festive shopping event of the year, attracting an estimated 40,000 people in LSM 8 and above. The fair is to be held at the Durban Exhibition Centre from 18 - 21 December 2008.

A model for pharmacists
[Sasha Planting] Dis-Chem is one of SA's largest unlisted retailers and it's expanding aggressively by franchising its model.

SA, Kenya seek to address import, export deficit
[Michael Appel] Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mphalwa told business leaders from South Africa and Kenya that strengthening bilateral relations will focus on reducing the import - export deficit that currently exists.

Import curbs 'must not hit only China'
[Mathabo le Roux] The trade and industry department has commissioned a study to gauge the effect of quotas on Chinese clothing and textiles imports into SA, which were introduced almost two years ago.

Capacity constraints hinder Africa's export performance
[Michael Appel] Capacity constraints are the main obstacle in improving Africa's export performance.

UK bakery says don't eat our goodies...
... well, not with every meal that is...

‘Amaizing' sandwich packaging ditches plastic, becomes tray
In another milestone in its Good business journey, Woolworths is switching from plastic to cardboard packaging for its ‘to go' range of sandwiches. The cardboard used in the new pack is certified as coming from a sustainable and well-managed forest, and while the transparent window may look like it's made from plastic, it's actually made from maize, another renewable resource.


Four ways to replace packing peanuts
[Brad Shorr] Packing peanuts presents a host of problems for packers and package recipients alike. Peanuts - technically known as expanded polystyrene loose fill - are messy, marginally effective for void filling and cushioning, and exceedingly difficult to dispose of or recycle.

Package design can revitalize product performance
If you think consumers aren't purchasing products because of their packaging, think again.


Mount Olive factory closing as use of plastic bags wanes
USA: Hilex Poly Co., one of the world's largest plastic bag companies, said Thursday that it will close a plant in Mount Olive and put about 160 employees out of work.

GM foods must be labelled
The Department of Trade and Industry has finally handed down a ruling for mandatory labelling of genetically modified foods.

Businesses must pay TV licences - SABC
The SABC is challenging South African businesses to show their commitment to good corporate governance by renewing their business TV licences before the end of September 2008.


Do you really understand what that label is telling you?
When it comes to the list of ingredients you find on some products, it's as well to double-check some of the claims that the manufacturer makes and also understand exactly what the terms really mean.

Exactmobile/NORM royalty dispute continues
WASPA announced last week that it has reached an agreement with SARRAL whereby WASPA members who sign individually, will be granted mechanical rights for digital music sales, at a rate of 5% of the retail sales price. Exactmobile is the first WASPA member to sign with SARRAL.

Woolies slips up on slip-ons
[Andrea Nagel] Retail giant Woolworths might have stepped on a few toes by selling slippers featuring a famed 1960s design — to which it might not have bought the rights.

Five steps to best-in-class sales performance
[Andrew Boyd and Alex Jefferies] New technologies are enabling customers to find out more about your company - and your competitors. This presents a new challenge for sales forces, which now have to interact with better-informed buyers. New Aberdeen research indicates five factors companies should focus on to improve their sales strategies.

Study: US stores brace for worst holiday season since 1991
[Sarah Mahoney] A new forecast in the United States isn't just predicting a lousy holiday for retailers, it's predicting the weakest Christmas in 17 years, since the financial meltdown of 1991.

Retail pharmacy conference highlights benefits of MTM
Clicks, one of the industry leaders in the field of retail pharmacy in South Africa, held its second annual Pharmacy Conference at the Cape Town International Convention Centre recently. Keynote speaker Dr Lawrence M Brown addressed delegates on the latest medication therapy management (MTM) trends in international pharmacy practice.


Ruminations on CRM following Gartner's industry bash
[Erika Morphy] USA: Gartner's annual Customer Relationship Management Summit stirred up a lot of speculation over the way the industry is evolving. The focus on Web 2.0 was intense and expected, but attendees also found plenty of grist for debate over CRM's fundamental principles.

Pick n Pay to launch new store format
After conducting extensive consumer research and an examination of big retailers around the world, South African listed retailer Pick n Pay announced on Monday that it is to launch a new store format.

'Woolies strike successful' says union
The majority of workers at Woolworths joined the first day of a five-day strike at the retailer, making it 'extremely successful', Saccawu said.

Woolies says impact of Saccawu strike is minimal
[Tiisetso Motsoeneng] It was business as usual at South African retailer Woolworths during the first day of the nationwide strike across all its operations.

JD buys into Blake and Maravedi
Furniture retailer JD Group has bought the shareholding of Unifer Holdings Limited in Blake & Associates Holdings and increased its holding from 27.5% to 55%, it said on Wednesday, 17 September.

'Just B' goes Legit
Legit, part of Edcon's discount division with 136 stores around the country, has launched a fashion range with television and radio personality, Bonang Matheba.


Best Buy brings Napster in from the cold
Still keeping its head above water in spite of the US economic downturn, Best Buy has evidently decided to make a strategic move into a new business area by purchasing legendary online music service Napster - which hasn't been doing all that well since it went legit.

Man arrested for burglary in Fourways
One man has been arrested and 15 others are on the run after a burglary at Cedar Square shopping centre in Fourways on Tuesday, Gauteng police said. Spokesman Inspector Balan Muthan said the armed men broke into four shops at the complex and stole goods amounting to over R100,000. "One clothing store, a leather jacket store, perfume store and one specialising in jeans were broken into," Muthan said. The West Rand dog unit arrested a 33-year-old man. The others escaped in four cars. Muthan said more arrests were expected. - I-Net Bridge - Sapa

Nano and Zune could learn a lot from each other
[Rachel Metz] The Zune has a long way to go to become a threat to the iPod. But it is getting closer.

Report: The peak oil problem and the CRM solution
Peak oil: When planet Earth reaches the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. Some say it has already happened, some believe it will within the next 50 years, and some deny the possibility all together.

Google, GE to groom grid for electric cars
USA: A future full of electric cars will have the US less dependent on foreign oil, but it'll be more dependent than ever on its own domestic energy infrastructure. That's just one of the issues Google and GE have addressed with a new partnership in which both companies will attempt to tackle the technological and political challenges of smartening up the nationwide power grid.

Particle accelerator helps test wine
So, how do you check a wine's vintage without opening the bottle? A London company claims to have found the answer.

Conflict management in the workplace
[Howard Badler] Conflict management seems to be the buzzword in a number of articles that I have read recently and I am seeing more and requests for conflict management training. Firstly you need to understand the definition of a conflict. Read on...

Johannesburg SMME trained to focus on export markets
[Rudo Mungoshi] Scores of Small Medium and Micro Enterprise (SMMEs) owners are being trained and mentored by the City of Johannesburg and the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce to help them expand into the export market.