Petrol price drops by a whopping R1.61
[Edwin Tshivhidzo] Motorists will be paying a whopping R1.61 less for a litre of petrol from Wednesday, 3 December 2008.

Nu World spends R10.4m on share repurchase
Nu World Holdings, which plans to buy 10% of its own shares, has so far bought 3%, the group says.

Call to design Cannes Lion t-shirt
After winning the Cannes Lions Titanium Grand Prix in 2008, UNIQLO is to produce an official Cannes Lions t-shirt for 2009. People from all over the world are invited to design a memorable t-shirt suitable for distribution at the 2009 Cannes Lions event.


NCR: 60% in the black, minor regression into red
The National Credit Regulator's (NCR) Credit Bureau Monitor reported 17.17 million credit active consumers for the quarter ending June 2008, of which 10.38 million consumers were in good standing, while 6.79 million consumers had 'impaired records'.

Your customers have evolved into a community. Have you joined?
[Jon Bishop] Yes, that is correct. Your customer stopped being your customer a few years ago when they realised that they truly do have the power, thanks to the advent of social media and price comparison sites and the like.


South Africa's GDP slows to 0.2%
[Luyanda Makapela] South Africa's economic growth rate has slowed to 0.2% in the third quarter of the year, compared to real annualised growth rates of 1.6 and 5.1% in the first and second quarters of the year, according to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA).

SA awarded best Chardonnay at 2008 Tri-Nations Wine Challenge
The full results of the 2008 Tri-Nations Wine Challenge were announced in Sydney on 21 November 2008. While Australia again dominated the competition, there were clear signs that both South Africa and New Zealand had substantially upped their game.


Zimbabwe: No jingle bells, just a hopeless Christmas
[Dumisani Ndlela] What used to be a festive season full of spending has turned out to be a time of grief for both shoppers and retailers in Zimbabwe. Shops which used to burst with customers scrambling for bargains are desolate, and newspapers, which used to struggle to cope with advertorials on retail specials, are battling to fill advertising space.

Tiger Brands full year earnings up 19%
Consumer foods manufacturer Tiger Brands today reported a 19% rise to 1 524.1 cents in headline earnings per share for the year ended September 2008.

Ackerman calls for SA optimism
Raymond Ackerman, founder and chairman of SA retail giant Pick n Pay, recently spoke out against the pessimism of South Africans in a speech at the Cape Times/Safmarine Business Breakfast. Recalling a South Africa of yesteryear, he said that the country "today is a far, far better place than it was before 1994", and asked locals to resist the urge to emigrate. Read Ackerman's speech on South Africa - The Good News here.

Saccawu gets recognition at Woolies
The South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers' Union (Saccawu) has been granted organisational rights at local retailer Woolworths, it was announced yesterday.

October CPIX slows to 12.4%
[Bathandwa Mbola] South Africa's targeted Consumer Price Index (CPIX), excluding mortgage rate changes, slowed for the second consecutive month to 12.4% year-on-year in October, indicating that there might be a cut in interest rates.

Pioneer Foods headline earnings/share down 11%
Pioneer Foods today reported an 11% decline in headline earnings per share to 292.4 cents for the year ended September 2008 from 328.4 cents a year ago. Diluted headline earnings per share declined to 285.3 cents from 318.2 cents.

Hunt for SA's face of FTV is on
With South Africa fast becoming a hotbed of design talent now hosting its own annual Fashion Weeks, the expansion of the Fashion TV (FTV) empire into SA has found a loyal community of trendspotters and followers; now reaching 348 million viewers in 202 countries on five continents. Now for the first time, aspiring South African fashionistas will have the chance to join the global hunt for the esteemed FTV runway title.


Local wine producer sponsors the BIFAs
Local wine producer Leopard's Leap will be sponsoring the prestigious 11th annual British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) where some of Britain's best-known actors have been nominated for awards in London this weekend.


Fresh alternative to summer favourite
Nestlé Ice Cream's Country Fresh brand launched its 'healthier alternative' earlier this month. Available in vanilla and chocolate, Country Fresh Plus contains more milk and no colourants, delivering a calcium rich treat.


C-Class sales soar to half a million
Mercedes-Benz has delivered 500,000 of its new C-Class models to customers around the world since the range was launched in March 2007.


Appletiser is New Zealand's supreme champion
Developed in 1965 by Edmond Lombardi, Appletiser has been a true South African success story, and today is sold across more than 35 global markets, including the UK, Japan and Australia, amongst many others - and also New Zealand...


Twinsaver launches new men's tissue range - Nampak Tissue
In the recent past men, have largely been sidelined by the beauty industry. The concept of ‘personal grooming' has always been considered more of a female interest. Today however, more and more men are dabbling with the idea of face wash, toner and moisturiser, and handkerchiefs have largely become an outdated concept.

Awarding local guardians
Volunteer National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) crewmember Andre Fletcher, who is based in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), is the winner of the 2008 Centrum Guardian Project, which celebrates courage by recognising and rewarding the lifesaving legends of the Emergency Services.


Feed Our Nation receives R15k donation
Feed Our Nation has received its first corporate contribution from the Nedbank Retail Banking Services in the form of a R15,000 donation to support orphaned and vulnerable children of South Africa.

Europe beckons
[Anders Andersen, Founder of JumpB] The article was originally written for US online retailers, but it applies equally to our own here in South Africa, for in almost every mention of the US, one could substitute SA - for example in the weakness of the currency compared with the euro. The European market presents us with a challenging but real opportunity.

E-tailers cooking up Cyber Monday promos to goose holiday sales
[Jeff Meisner] E-commerce sites are ramping up for Cyber Monday, their counterpart to the Black Friday holiday shopping rush, with a barrage of promotional offers. However, it's doubtful that deep discounts and free shipping offers will be enough to break through the consumer ennui triggered by the recession.

Global market turmoil no threat to 2010 - Jordaan
[Michael Appel] Despite the current global economic turmoil, South Africa's preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup are in their final stages and will not be affected greatly said Local Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan at the opening of Soccerex, the world's biggest inter-business football exhibition in the world, earlier this week.

Nestlé dairy products safe for consumption - govt, Nestlé
[Gabi Khumalo] The Department of Health and Nestlé South Africa have reassured the public and consumers that all Nestlé dairy products sold in the country are completely safe for consumption.

2010 hospitality package sales ‘far beyond Germany'
[Michael Appel] The amount of hospitality packages sold for the 2010 FIFA World Cup is far beyond what Germany sold in 2006, says FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke.

Seychelles retailers decide on ‘fair' rise in profit margin
Local retailers have taken new steps to cover their operation costs and make a reasonable profit while providing an affordable service to customers.

Zim-China trade hits US$500m mark
Asian giant is country's second largest trading partner after SA.

Prices plummet for recycled materials
Even the scrap business is down and out these days.

A closer look at the modal shift in the express delivery market
The rising volatility of oil prices and the consequent fuel surcharges applied by integrators such as DHL, TNT, UPS and FedEx combined with the economic slowdown has led to a gradual shift in customer demand away from express and parcel delivery services via air to alternatives such as road and rail.

Engen invests extra $10 million in Zambia
Engen has invested an extra US$10 million in Engen Petroleum Zambia Limited (EPZL). The South African company made the announcement at a red carpet event on Thursday, 27 November, attended by dignitaries including Zambia's Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry; the Malaysian Ambassador to Zambia and Zimbabwe; and the South African High Commissioner to Zambia.

Beating about the Busch
[Jacqui Pile] Brandhouse, SABMiller's biggest competitor in SA, may be tempted to brew Budweiser beer locally for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Survey says sustainability is gaining importance
Packaging Digest's 2008 study of sustainability in packaging demonstrates the issue's enormous impact and how US packagers are adjusting their operations to meet customers' new requirements.

New study says US homeowners want universal standards for "green" claims
Most won't accept products as "Green" based only on unsupported label claims.

Clothing producers sound warning
[Mathabo le Roux] In a move that should ease anxieties for textile and clothing manufacturers in developing countries exporting to the US, the US House of Representatives has agreed to monitor textile and apparel imports from China when quotas expire at the end of this year.

The rocky legal landscape of virtual worlds, Part 3: Copyrights
[Ross Dannenberg] Part 1 of this three-part series on intellectual property law in virtual worlds discusses trademark rights as applied to virtual goods. Part 2 addresses patent rights, including how patent rights can be obtained based on actions performed in virtual worlds, and whether patent rights are enforceable against virtual infringers. Part 3 delves into copyrights: how they can be obtained based on actions performed in virtual worlds, and how to protect your rights when your copyrights are infringed in virtual environments.

Study says red tape driving import costs up
Import procedures in Zimbabwe consume much more time and are much more costly than what the country's exporters incur to fulfil the same procedures in other countries, new trade statistics have revealed.

The rocky legal landscape of virtual worlds, Part 2: Patents
[Ross Dannenberg and Steve Chang] Part 1 of this three-part series on intellectual property law in virtual worlds discusses trademark rights as applied to virtual goods. Part 2 addresses patent rights, including how patent rights can be obtained based on actions performed in virtual worlds, and whether patent rights are enforceable against virtual infringers. Part 3 will delve into copyright issues.

Hong Kong still the place to be for retailers
Experian FootFall Index shows shopper numbers increase in Hong Kong but decrease in the UK for two consecutive months.

Title to showcase best shopping, eating spots in Joburg
Launching in May 2009 is Shopping & Eating In the City, the first in a new publication series titled ‘Jozi Places', conceived and developed by Kagiso Special Places and publishers Blue Planet Media to make shopping and eating in its key central Johannesburg management districts - and surrounding areas - a real pleasure, a memorable experience and a cinch.


Contact centre outsourcing vendors must take strategic view for BPO success
[Patrick O'Brien] Contact centre outsourcing providers are suffering thinning margins and lower contract volumes as the downturn bites, leading to an increasing appetite for diversification into adjacent business processes.

Property tips: Surviving in retail
Retail is a tough sector to be in. The harder pill to swallow is the fact that the prevailing market conditions look set to stay that way until at very least the second quarter of 2009.

The damage desperate discounts do
As desperate retailers try to entice shoppers into their stores with great discounts and specials, their efforts may result in bolstered sales, but...

Still some life left
[Sasha Planting] Proving that some retail sectors still have a heartbeat, Incredible Connection this month announced that sales grew by 17,1% in the financial year to August — well above the flat or negative growth reflected by many other retailers.

Robust times for Massmart
[Sure Kamhunga] Retailer Massmart yesterday issued an upbeat trading update, telling shareholders total sales in the first 21 weeks of the 2009 financial year were up by more than 13% and undertaking to keep an eye on costs while expanding its business.

Woolworths shares suspended as British retailers face crisis
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Shares in one of Britain's best-known high street retailers, Woolworths, were suspended here on Wednesday amid talks to rescue the firm, the company said.

Massmart 21-week total sales growth 13.3%
Wholesaler Massmart Holdings today reported total sales growth of 13.3% and comparable sales growth of 12.3% for the first 21 weeks of the 2009 financial year.

Still questions over bank's gamble on Ellerines
[Robert Laing] African Bank's first move when it got into the driving seat of furniture retail chain Ellerines in January was to slam the credit extension brakes hard.

Old threats are new again: Security tips for the holiday season
[Ori Eisen] Today we have the advantage of staying connected wherever we are, which gives us the convenience of completing our holiday shopping from home or our working space, at any time of day. This convenience, however, comes with a price, which can sometimes present itself literally. Cybercrime is prevalent in our daily news; stories that discuss the lack of security or how some fraudster managed to bypass security barriers in place can cause customers to wonder how secure they are when shopping online.

Pint-sized gadgets: When smaller is better
[JR Raphael] It's not every day you hear scores of men arguing over whose is the smallest. But in the modern world of mobile computing, it's a conversation that's becoming increasingly common.

At home with robots: the coming revolution
Normally, we think of robots as humanoid and self-aware, like Rosie or Data. Some day, they might be more like that, but robots are here in our homes today, cleaning our floors and even making our coffee. What does the future of human-robot relations hold?

Co-innovation campaign launches around mobile computing
The Reinvent Mobile initiative is designed to give millions of mobile computer users more say in what technologies and designs come to market.


Apple's superlative sequel: The latest iPod touch
The differences between the iPod touch's first and second generations may be relatively subtle, but they're enough to earn the newer model a perfect score. The price of entry has been lowered, and the fact that it's open to third-party applications from Apple's App Store makes it much more than just a music player.

Making fashionable dreams come true
Two talented young women will realise their dreams after they each won a R130,000 bursary to study towards a three-year diploma or degree in fashion courtesy of Elle magazine in partnership with LISOF, a fashion design school.


Informal traders learn new skills
[Rudo Mungoshi] Informal traders operating in the City of Johannesburg had the opportunity to sharpen their business skills at a training workshop held recently at the Museum Africa.