What goes up... The world economy is offering up a mixed bag of successes and failures this week, with the African Development Bank having high hopes of East Africa's safe emergence from the global crisis, while Sony Ericsson and Nokia have reported big Q1 losses. Even the gaming industry, which has been sitting pretty for some time, wasn't able to escape the economic erosion this time around. South Africa can look forward to a boost though, with V&A Waterfront owner, Dubai World, saying it'll be forging ahead with some R13-billion worth of investment plans in the country. Even SA's ailing clothing and textile sector received some good news with the dti drawing up plans for a rescue package to save the industry. However, for those still struggling, Nedbank's analyst forum is emphasizing the importance of credit management to help tip the scales back into black. And while we're weathering the financial and seasonal storms, wine-lovers can look forward to celebrating 350 years of Cape winemaking with the Nederburg Auction, come springtime. Until then, pour yourself a warming glass of red, put your feet up, and enjoy. Cheers! Shan Radcliffe, Retail editor retailnews@bizcommunity.comResponses to this column welcomed in our new online editor's column archive. | Top stories
Retail
 [Simpiwe Piliso] Dubai World, owners of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, in Cape Town, are going ahead with major investment projects in South Africa despite the global economic slump. Read more >>
 What better way to celebrate 350 years of winemaking in the Cape than at the 35th Nederburg Auction of rare Cape wines? This year the prestigious annual event takes place in Paarl from 11 - 12 September. Major local and international wine buyers will be able to taste, select and bid on an array of 156 fine wines from 70 participants, including seven newcomers. Read more >>
[Mariam Isa] Debt summonses soared in February while wholesale trade plunged a record 8.9%, adding to the raft of dismal economic data seen so far this year. Read more >>
 Golden Acre was ostensibly the first shopping centre to be built in the middle of a South African city, having opened on its prime Adderley Street site in 1979. Now this busy centre - an integral link between the CBD and the city's transport system - has been expanded, just in time for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Read more >>
[Neo Semono] Retail trade figures for the month of February decreased by 4.5%, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) reported on Wednesday, 15 April 2009. Read more >>
 [Nicola Mawson] Food and furniture retailer the Shoprite Group has been rapped on the knuckles by nongovernmental organisation Bench Marks Foundation for running outlets that do not give back to the local economy. Read more >>
International specialist banking group, Investec, boosted ticket sales for the FIFA Confederations Cup when it purchased 50,000 tickets for the tournament. Read more >>
Associations
 The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers' Union (Sactwu) on Tuesday, 14 April 2009, expressed its outrage at the announcement that manufacturer Seardel would close some of its divisions. Read more >>
Banking & Finance
The first Nedbank Analyst Forum for 2009 kicked off at the SAS Offices in Houghton last week. Speaking at the event were Hanli Roux from the Nedbank Retail Credit lab, Dr. Tjaart van der Walt from the National Debt Mediation Association (NDMA) and Heidi Hancke from KPMG. Read more >>
Brand news
[Louise Nordstrom] Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson on Friday posted a 293 million euro (US$387 million) net loss in the first quarter on falling sales and said it would slash an additional 2,000 jobs to cut costs. Read more >>
PARIS: French cosmetics giant L'Oreal said on Thursday, 16 April 2009, its chief executive, Jean-Paul Agon, had given up his stock options for 2009. Read more >>
 [Nicola Mawson] Ice-cream maker Milkworx said Wednesday it would move ahead with plans to issue shares to raise R4,7m as part of restructuring. Read more >>
 Global brewing giant SABMiller Plc said on Thursday, 16 April 2009, that for the 12 months to end March 2009, lager volumes were 2% ahead of the prior year and level on an organic basis, with a 1% decline in the fourth quarter. Read more >>
Yum Yum Crunchy now in miniNola, a division of Foodcorp, has introduced Yum Yum Crunchy peanut butter in a new 250g bottle. The smaller version is ideal for individuals or smaller households and joins Yum Yum Smooth, which is already available in a 250g size. The range of peanut butter contains no trans fatty acids and is a good source of protein power and fibre. The range of six variants including Smooth, Crunchy, Choc Chip, Ultra Creamy, Caramel Crunch and No Sugar Added is currently available in a 400g bottle. The 250g Crunchy version will be available from April 2009 at all leading retailers at a recommended selling price of R9.65.
 [ActivRetail] Nestlé recently introduced two of its international breakfast cereals, Cheerios and Milo, in South Africa. Read more >>
Corporate Social Investment
 Cape Union Mart's latest CSI (corporate social investment) campaign is encouraging the public to spread a little warmth this winter by donating old jackets at any of the brand's stores. These donations will then be distributed to the needy in those specific regions. Read more >>
 The 2009 Jet Community Awards Programme is open for entries from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland. The annual Jet Community Awards aims to reward individuals or organisations who build and empower vulnerable individuals in their local communities. Read more >>
Distribution
PARIS: The French dairy giant Danone and India's Wadia group have ended their partnership, Danone said on Tuesday, 14 April 2009, a move that also ends a dispute over the distribution of Tiger cookies by Danone outside India. Read more >>
e-Commerce
US online auction giant eBay has bought a controlling stake in South Korea's biggest online marketplace Gmarket in a deal worth up to US$1.2-billion, the two companies announced on Thursday 16 April 2009. Read more >>
 [Nicola Mawson] Online shopping portal Digital Mall aims to increase turnover fivefold in the next two years as mobile shopping becomes a reality in SA and on the continent. Read more >>
Hospitality
 [Shanthini Naidoo] Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has added chisa nyama to his recipe book after visiting Guguletu's famous Mzoli's Place restaurant. Read more >>
Import/Export
NAIROBI: East Africa will come safely through the global financial crisis to record at least 5% growth this year, the highest on the continent, the African Development Bank has announced. Read more >>
Meanwhile, smart companies go for trimmer processes, straight-through visibility. Read more >>
Informal retailing
 [Santham Pillay] The fragrant aromas, mouthwatering sights and vibe of Chatsworth's famous Bangladesh market has hit the world wide web in an effort to attract more visitors. Read more >>
Logistics
[Artwell Dlamini] The collapse in spot shipping rates, which have tested decade-low levels, has failed to tip Grindrod into the red, say analysts, who expect the depressed shipping market to lower its earnings. Read more >>
 The economy the world over has been in a state of chaos, and the effects are being felt far and wide, including the air cargo and express freight industries. While shipping volumes around the world are significantly lower than they have been in previous years, opportunities still exist for operators in the industry. The upcoming Air Cargo and Express Freight Conference, hosted by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILTSA) will explore some of these opportunities, whilst equipping delegates with the knowledge they need to survive the temporary downturn. Read more >>
Manufacturing
[Adele Shevel] A rescue package has been drawn up to try to stem job losses and closure of factories in the South African clothing and textile industry. Read more >>
[Matthew Hill] While the global crisis leaves scores of companies threadbare, the local T-shirt printing industry is being stretched to capacity. Election campaigning and the accompanying orders have led to booming business. Read more >>
[Artwell Dlamini] The Department of Trade and Industry said yesterday, 15 April 2009, it was still in consultation over what specific measures to take to rescue the ailing motor industry, which is facing a deepening crisis. Read more >>
[Sasha Planting] For the beer purists at SABMiller, brewing a lager with anything less than 100% barley malt fills them with horror. Read more >>
Packaging
New SBI market research report "Sustainable ('Green') Packaging Market for Food and Beverage Worldwide, 2nd Edition" examines the many gains that have been made in the food and beverage sustainable packaging markets since SBI reported on it in 2006. Read more >>
Regulatory
 The music industry cheered as a Swedish court on Friday, 17 April 2009, found the four proprietors of The Pirate Bay guilty of copyright law violation. Read more >>
HONG KONG: The former Hong Kong managing director of fast food giant McDonald's was convicted of taking US$320,000 in kickbacks from a supplier, the city's anti-corruption body said. Read more >>
BRUSSELS: The Mediterranean tuna fishing season will be 15 days shorter this year with quotas and fleets also cut, EU sources said Wednesday, 15 April 2009; but environmentalists complained it was too little, too late. Read more >>
Research
A recent study into the supply chain and logistics industry in South Africa, Supply Chain Intelligence Report (SCIR) 2009, has revealed that while companies in South Africa generally operate with low levels of collaboration, companies based in Cape Town appear to collaborate more than companies located elsewhere in South Africa. Read more >>
Retail marketing
[Nicola Mawson] Retailers can take advantage of the recession by offering value for money, and bundling feel-good items that are still cost effective. Read more >>
[Bruce A. McGraw] It seems that even the best-laid strategic plans of SMBs and enterprises often go awry - or end up collecting dust in a binder. That doesn't mean the strategic planning process isn't worth it. Rather, it's just outdated. What's needed is a "strategic management" style of approach. Read more >>
Retail services
Traditional contact centre infrastructure vendors face few greenfield opportunities in the large enterprise market in mature geographies. Read more >>
Retailers
Carrefour reports drop in first quarter sales - I-Net Bridge - AFPPARIS: French retailer Carrefour on Thursday, 16 April 2009, reported a 2.8% decline in first quarter sales to €22.71 billion (US$30 billion) against last year, a fall it blamed on a weak performance in Europe. Sales in Europe, excluding France, were down 5.9% from first quarter 2008 while those in France fell 5.1%. Carrefour, the world's second largest retail outlet, does 60% of its business in Europe. Sales in Asia, including newly opened stores, rose 14.7%. But taking account of a comparable number of stores between the first quarter of 2008 and 2009 turnover in Asia fell 6.7%. Only in Latin America did sales from a comparable number of stores show an improvement, 5.1%, in the first quarter, according to Carrefour.
 Tumi, the international brand of travel and lifestyle accessories, is joining the social networking scene with the launch of its personal Facebook page. Read more >>
FRANKFURT: The Woolworth department store chain has been placed under administration in Germany, a Frankfurt court said on Tuesday, three months after the group's last British store shut down. Read more >>
Security
[Jordan Robertson] Online scammers who sell stolen credit card numbers, bank account data or other information haven't felt much pain from the economic problems facing the rest of the world, according to new research. One factor is a steady supply of raw materials - phishers have targeted the growing number of people looking for mortgage and credit fixes with specially crafted scams to steal their info. Read more >>
Supply chain
[Sam Hungwe] Zimbabwe's collapsing economy obliterated traditional product brands, but an economic resurgence appears nowhere closer to bringing them back on the shelves. Read more >>
[Chester Makana] Land Affairs Minister Lulu Xingwana says the approach used to rehabilitate Tshivhase Tea Estate in Limpopo will be replicated at other tea plantations in the other provinces. Read more >>
Technology
WASHINGTON: US videogame sales fell 17% in March as the industry failed to escape the economic slowdown, according to figures released by the market research firm NPD Group. Read more >>
HELSINKI: Nokia, the world's leading mobile phone maker, on Thursday, 16 April 2009, reported a 90% drop in its first quarter net profit to €122-million amid falling sales and lower prices for its handsets. Chief executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said Nokia's sales from January to March were dented as retailers held back on ordering new handsets. Its market share of 37% was down from 39% in the same quarter a year ago, but was stable from the fourth quarter. Nokia said it expected its market share to rise in the second quarter. After the results were released, Nokia shares surged 9.5% to €11.05 on the Helsinki stock exchange, which was 4.05% higher.
 [Agam Shah] PC shipments declined less than expected in the first quarter, propped up by consumers' continuing interest in low-cost netbooks, IDC says. Read more >>
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Associations
SAPICS (The Association for Operations Management of Southern Africa) has joined forced with CIPS (the UK-based Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply) to offer African supply chain and operations professionals a world-class educational event, the SAPICS/CIPS Conference, to be held in Windhoek, Namibia, in May this year. Read more >>
Brand news
 Albert Marais likes adventure and couldn't resist taking his youngest son, Hendrik, on a Vuka Adventure. He and his mates all owned Vukas and they wanted to put them to the test. Read more >>
Corporate Social Investment
 Vuka, in association with Outward Bound, sent 14 young women on a five-day self-empowerment course over the December holidays. Read more >>
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