JD Group full year earnings dip
Furniture group JD Group has witnessed a 51% decline in diluted headline earnings per share from 609.8 cents to 298.3 cents for the year ended August.

Union-Swiss wins Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Award
Justin and David Letschert, the owners of Union-Swiss, have been named the winners of the Emerging Entrepreneur Category at the South African chapter of the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Awards Programme.

SA bags three Global Food Industry Awards
Three South African food products recently won awards at the first International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST*) Global Food Industry Awards in Shanghai, China.


Tradehold earnings improves slightly
Retail holding company Tradehold says its headline earnings per share for the six months to 31 August improved slightly to -0.5 pence from -0.7 pence in the year earlier period.

A healthy brand is a healthy business
[Bayo Adekanmbi] Brands are not inanimate products we pick off the shelf. Like man, they are living entities with extendable organic identities that exist in the hearts and minds of everyone they touch. They evolve like embryonic creatures and grow to take on human personalities that make them powerful forces that control our desires.

Retail trend to remain downward
The trend in retail sales growth is expected to remain downward for most of this year due to pressure from higher interest rates and the National Credit Act and high inflation, which continue to exert pressure on household finances.

Retail sales plunge as consumers take cover
[Mariam Isa] Retail sales dived 5% in September compared with the same month last year, marking the fifth annual fall in a row and confirming that the economy's third-biggest sector is mired in a recession.

Price decrease promotions are all about perception
[Chris Moerdyk] South African business in general seems to be missing out on a wonderful marketing opportunity by completely ignoring what every single consumer in the country desperately wants to hear. Prices decreasing.

The sensual shopper
[Alex Madison and Lisa Harmon] We like to touch and feel a new product before we buy it, but we cannot do that when offered a product via an email. So how can email marketers get around the challenge of still encouraging a sale based on an email? How can they appeal to the senses via email?

Mutual's return droops, Spar's throbs
[Ben Temkin] Old Mutual's closing share price was R8,48 last Thursday. On Friday, its third-quarter results showed the group's unrealised losses on its US Life business had doubled to $2,3bn.

The lowdown on Glycaemic Index (GI) and Glycaemic Load (GL) - The Heart and Stroke Foundation SA
[Ayesha Seedat] National Diabetes Awareness Week runs form the 10 - 14 November 2008, with the 14th marking World Diabetes Day.

G-20 leaders commit to restoring global growth
The Group of 20 (G-20) countries are determined to enhance cooperation and work together to restore global growth and achieve reform in the world's financial systems.

The credit crunch: A potential opportunity for card issuers
[Mike Fisher] Today's liquidity crunch is a far-reaching conundrum causing the global credit markets to react in an irrational and volatile way. All granters of credit are under immense pressure, as the market continues to point its gnarled finger at the mortgage industry as the chief culprit for the market's disarray.

Africa endorses measures to mitigate impact of financial crisis
TUNIS: African finance ministers and central bank governors rose from a day-long meeting on Wednesday, 12 November 2008 in Tunis after the adoption of a communiqué on what their countries would do individually and collectively and the type of support they expect from the international community to caution the likely impact of the global financial crisis on their economies.

Standard Bank launches mobile-based ATM/branch locator
AfriGIS, a location based services company, has developed a mobile service that enables Standard Bank customers to locate the nearest Standard Bank ATM or branch from their cellphones.

World Bank cuts growth forecast amid global financial crisis
The World Bank on Tuesday lowered its growth forecast for the world economy to only 1% in 2009 due to the impacts of the global financial crisis.

SA's credit downgrading 'not catastrophic' - economist
[Michael Appel] Credit agencies have lost integrity in the midst of the ongoing global financial crisis and in an attempt to regain credibility, they have downgraded many emerging markets from stable to negative.

End of free banking becomes a reality
[Rod Logan] For years, South African bank customers have complained of high bank charges. Now it seems customers in the UK will also begin to feel the pinch - and they could end up paying for services they presently enjoy for free.

Sizzling sauces for summer
With the braai season in full swing, Heinz has stepped in with four flavours to add a saucy “something extra” to summer mealtimes. Heinz BBQ Sauce comes in Original, Spicy, Smokey Honey and Brown Sugar, and is packaged in a convenient squeeze tube.


EA to join Wii fitness craze
[Walaika Haskins] Video game publisher Electronic Arts (EA) has announced that it will add to the growing number of fitness games for the Wii with its own entrant, "Sports Active", set for release in Spring 2009.

Sweeter deal with new Café Sticks 200s
[ActivRetail] Canderel, the low kilojoule sweetener brand, has launched their latest product, ‘Café Sticks'. The product, which has been on the shelves at all major retailers from since 1 November, is available in a premium tube which contains 200 sweetener sticks.


Circuit City resorts to bankruptcy to stay afloat
[Erika Morphy] Circuit City has filed for reorganisation relief in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Richmond. The retailer - the second largest in the electronics goods space after Best Buy - has clearly been struggling for the last several months. In November alone, it slashed its workforce by 20% and announced plans to close 155 stores.

Tiger Brands expects improved full year earnings
Consumer foods group Tiger Brand expects headline earnings per share (HEPS) from continuing operations for the year ended September to reflect an improvement of between 32% and 37% compared to that achieved in the previous financial year.

Häagen-Dazs celebrates its roots indulgently - General Mills South Africa
Häagen-Dazs is going back to its roots to entice ice cream lovers to indulge themselves with a taste of its whole tradition, from its quality-conscious beginnings in the 1960s to its current dedication to purity and sensual delight.


Summer Sensäations are pure bliss - General Mills South Africa
Until the end of December, Häagen-Dazs lovers can double their pleasure by buying a pint of their favourite Häagen-Dazs decadence, then adding a pint of the new delicious and indulgent Limited Edition Häagen-Dazs Raspberries & Meringue flavour.


Spekko Rice joins South Africa's Thai community for the 2008 Grand Thai Festival - Spekko Rice
The second annual Thai Festival took place at Joburg's Zoo Lake over the weekend of 13th and 14th September 2008. The picturesque setting was transformed into an exotic Thai landscape as South Africa's Thai community put on a wonderful display of the very best they have to offer in terms of traditional Thai food, Thai massage, Thai dancing and Thai boxing, too!

Bottoms up to "Show me your sloggi"

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The finale of sloggi's second global model contest to find the world's most beautiful bottom took place in Paris, France, on 12 November 2008. The underwear brand's international "Show me your sloggi" competition, co-sponsored by the Lycra brand, was launched on the internet at http://www.sloggi.com, whereby candidates could submit their photos. More than 11,200 photos were presented, and more than 31.8 million voted in the search of the world's most beautiful bottom. A VIP jury chose two winners among 45 finalists from 26 countries. Before the final choice was announced, the contestants had to convince the jury of their modelling qualities with an extraordinary choreography in the "Club Quartier Latin". sloggi awarded Melanie Nunes Fronckowiak, 20, Brazil, and Saiba Bombote, 27, France, the title "Most Beautiful Bottom in the World", a modelling contract for the next international sloggi campaign, EUR 15,000 prize money, plus some exclusive insurance for their precious derrieres.


Delightful new range of fruit drink

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Quali is introducing a new vitamin enriched 6.0% ready to drink fruit drink called Delight. Formulated with filtered water and added vitamins A, C and E, the range comes in orange, guava, mango, apple and tropical flavours. Available in an economical 2L pack, Quali Delight is a cold chain product that requires constant refrigeration. It will be stocked in retail and wholesale outlets from the week of 17 November 2008 in the Western and Eastern Cape only.
- ActivRetail

CMO Council meeting tackles CSI, Brand SA
[Sindy Peters] The relationship between CEOs and chief marketing officers (CMOs), as well as the role marketing should play in corporate social investment projects, were topics of discussion at the second annual CMO Council board meeting held in Cape Town last month. Bizcommunity.com spoke to Donovan Neale-May, executive director of the CMO Council, regarding feedback from the meeting, as well as Brand South Africa and Africa's place within the CMO Council global network.

Don't mess with the platform - enhance the e-commerce experience
[Joe Chung] Many etailers are considering major changes to their platforms at a time when consumer confidence is in the tank. Online retailers should instead focus on the customer experience, which will keep shoppers spending, not on a new platform the customers won't even notice.

Nintendo opens online gaming outlet
Nintendo SA is launching a new online store, enabling gaming enthusiasts to order both the latest releases as well as back-issues of their favourite Wii and DS Lite games direct from the site.


All the 2008 SA E-Commerce Awards winners
The winners of the 2008 South African E-Commerce Awards, hosted by Jump Shopping, were announced yesterday, Monday, 10 November 2008. Winning the most awards this year was eDreams.co.za.

Gambia: Can farmers axe rice imports through ‘Nerica'?
BANJUL: Heavy dependence on imported rice is crippling Gambian consumers, leading the government to call for New Rice for Africa, or Nerica, production to double.

New CEO for Barloworld Logistics
Barloworld Logistics has appointed a new CEO for its Africa operations. Eric Gower-Winter takes over the reins from Isaac Shongwe on 1 January 2009 when Shongwe moves on to become CEO of the Barloworld Logistics group.

UPS' customer acquisition scramble
[Rachel Tobin Ramos] USA: Minutes after DHL announced last Monday it was ceding the US express mail market, UPS' sales force - more than 3,000 strong - swung into action.

Minister of Labour awards Imperial Logistics - Imperial Logistics
Imperial Holdings' wholly owned Logistics division recently received an award for Good Practice in Skills Development from the Minister of Labour, Membathisi Mdladlana. Imperial Logistics was one of eighteen recipients and the only achiever in the Logistics and Supply Chain Management Sector.

Manufacturing dips slightly by 2.5%
[Michael Appel] Motor vehicle, food and beverage manufacturing have contributed towards the 2.5% decrease in manufacturing for the third quarter of 2008, reported Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Tuesday, 11 November.

Auto industry quite bullish
Industry leaders in South Africa's automotive industry are optimistic that local factories will escape most of the damage caused by the US's credit crunch, with growth forecasted from as early as the middle of 2009.

US wine investment specialist talks on SA wines
Mike Fisher, a founding partner of US investment banking firm Global Wine Partners, believes South Africa, with its excellent wine-growing conditions, the beauty of its winelands and competitive cost structures, is well-placed to advance from its relative obscurity in the US to the point where it becomes better recognised for its quality offerings.

EU food labels 'are too big to fit on to packaging'
Demands by the EU to fit nutritional information on to food packaging will not work because the labels are too big, food companies have complained.

Competition to change magazine readers' lives
Freshpak tea, Bona magazine and Jose House of Beauty will be giving five of the magazine's readers the opportunity to change their lives.

Sales soar while consumers 'score a break'
[ActivRetail] Challenged to sell an additional eight million Kit Kats during 2008, Nestlé tasked JWT to conceptualise a promotion to drive repeat purchases of 4-finger and Chunky Kit Kats.


Tradeway gets its promoters on track - Tradeway Promotions
Tradeway Promotions has announced that it has successfully completed its pilot project using its custom cellular location-based services to track and monitor promoter activity and performance. The company says that this has added an extra dimension to its standard supervision and monitoring procedures delivering exponential results for clients and their activations.

Guilty LCD makers to fork over hefty fines for price-fixing
[Lara Jakes Jordan and Joelle Tessler] Three Asian electronics firms have agreed to plead guilty and pay US$585 million in fines for conspiring to drive up the prices of LCD screens used in computers, TVs, cellphones and other electronic devices.

The rocky legal landscape of virtual worlds, Part 1: Trademarks
[Ross Dannenberg] As virtual worlds evolve from geek playgrounds into parallel business universes, legal questions that might have seemed absurd a few years ago are beginning to take on new import. One of the trickiest areas to navigate is the terrain of intellectual property law.

NCA shields consumers from financial fallout
The National Credit Act (NCA) has, to a large degree, protected consumers from the credit crunch now facing the nation. At the same time it is weeding out bad apples in the micro lending industry, in this case a micro-lender in the Northern Cape who charged up to 240% interest on short term loans.

Economic downturn effects on SA consumer behaviour
[Alan Todd] Whether you call it the “credit crunch”, an “economic downturn” or a "recession”, the fact is that the consumers' discretionary spending is being squeezed hard, and their confidence about the economic future has been dented. Consumers are feeling economic stress right now, and this anxiety is heightened by a sense of danger rooted in 21st century worries about terrorism, environmental guilt, genetically modified foods, oil shortages, political uncertainty, currency fluctuations and AIDS, to name some.


Launch of supplychainforesight 2009
The sixth annual supplychainforesight survey initiated and sponsored by Barloworld Logistics, has been launched to the industry. This year's survey will continue the trend of its successful predecessors by exploring groundbreaking aspects of supply chain and logistics practices in South Africa.

Impact of advertising on retail brands: Tesco case study, Part 1
[Pedro de Gouveia] How 'Every Little Helps' - advertising helped Tesco's brand image in the 1990s. The radical transformation of Tesco's fortunes from slumbering number two to Britain's largest supermarket chain, has been well documented in the UK.

Shift in shopping behaviour
Cash strapped consumers affected by the economic downturn are changing their shopping behaviour. This according to Stephen Mawby, MD of Glendinning Management Consultants, who says that retailers will have to respond to changing consumer needs as the economic climate forces shoppers to be more considered in their buying habits.

Customer service: Now more than ever...
[Vincent Deschamps] Enterprise organisations often think of customer service as an unavoidable fact of business, a necessary expense. Rethink customer service, however, and it can become a strategic weapon that fosters growth and competitive advantage.

Principles and myths regarding pest control - Rentokil
With organic living becoming a preference for health conscious individuals, ‘going green' and living closer to nature has received increased focus.

Richemont six-month sales up 10%
Swiss-based luxury goods group Richemont today reported a 10% rise in sales for the six months ended September to €2.8 billion.

Best Buy paints glum picture for '09
[Jeff Meisner] Just two days after regional consumer electronics chain Circuit City declared bankruptcy, Best Buy has slashed its earnings forecast for the upcoming holiday season and much of 2009.


Mr Price interim earnings up
Retailer Mr Price Group has reported an 11% increase in diluted headline earnings per share to 86 cents for the six months ended September from 77.5 cents a year ago.

Spar posts higher full year earnings
Supermarket chain Spar Group has posted a 29.9% increase in headline earnings per share from 312.3 cents to 405.7 cents per share for the 12 months ended September.

Look and Listen takes two top e-tail awards - Look and Listen
10,000 votes have placed Look and Listen as the Best Music and Movie Store and Best E-Commerce Site in the 2008 South African E-Commerce Awards.

Look & Listen has fans dreaming of a Yellow Christmas - Look and Listen
Keeping in the realm of “For the Fans”, Mick&Nick have developed a campaign for Look & Listen, steering clear of Santa Claus and concentrating more on what fans really want for Christmas.

New internet virus destroys 500,000 online bank accounts in Nigeria
A new internet virus, code-named Trojan, is reported to have infected and destroyed more than 500,000 online bank accounts and affected several thousands credit cards in Nigeria, South Africa and some countries in the developed world.

Dell dispels music player rumours
[Gabriel Madway] Dell, struggling to recharge its lineup of consumer product offerings, indicated Monday that a digital music player is not in the computer maker's near-term plans despite speculation that such a product is in the works.