 18 May 2009 |
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Shan Radcliffe, Retail editor retailnews@bizcommunity.com Responses to this column welcomed in our new online editor's column archive. Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net. Top stories
RetailGrowthpoint sets sights on Aussie OrchardGrowthpoint Properties Limited today, 18 May 2009, announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire a controlling interest in Australia's Orchard Industrial Property Fund (OIF). Read more >>Factoring in the costs [Sasha Planting] Little wonder that the retail cost of potatoes, cabbages, lettuces, onions, tomatoes and sweetcorn has rocketed. Between July 2007 and November 2008, the cost of fertilising a field increased from R5713/ha to R19312/ha. Since then the cost of fertiliser has decreased by 70%, but fresh-produce costs have been slow in coming down. Read more >>Court rules in favour of Vodacom[Sashni Pather] Vodacom will list on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange this morning, 18 May 2009, after Cosatu and the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) lost an 11th-hour court battle to halt the move. Read more >>Management interests rule in rejected bid for AVI[Rob Rose] Tiger Brands failed bid for AVI cost R32 million - 3% of its earnings. Read more >>Richemont posts lower earningsSwiss based luxury goods group Richemont on Thursday, 14 May 2009, reported a 22% decline in diluted earnings per share from continuing operations of €1.337 for the year ended March 2009 from €1.710 a year ago. Read more >>Food shares remain a good buy in recessionary timesDespite concerns that the ratail sector is not likely to have a good year ahead as the economy continues to contract, food retailers continue to be defensive stockes. Absa Investments analyst Chris Gilmour says food retailers are recession resistant as, unlike clothing and furniture which are discretionary items, a food purchase cannot be put off for a few months. Read more >>Retail trade figures down 5.3%Retail trade figures for the month of March decreased by 5.3% compared to 4.4% in February, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) reported on Wednesday, 13 May 2009. Read more >>Morningside Shopping Centre gets R300m revamp The R300m redevelopment of the Morningside Shopping Centre by property specialists Flanagan & Gerard and Grapnel Property Investments is under way, with the official opening set for next month. Read more >>Get your fashion fix online [Keitumetse Segoai] A new online fashion magazine has been launched to cater for today's woman and her fashion and style needs. Read more >>AssociationsCosatu slams Icasa on Vodacom decisionThe Congress of South African Trade Unions said on Thursday, 14 May 2009, it has noted 'with disgust' the decision by the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa), despite Cosatu's arguments, not to intervene to postpone the process of Telkom selling off shares in Vodacom for R22.5 billion. Read more >>SACTWU welcomes Patel's appointmentThe Southern African Clothing and Textile Worker's Union (SACTWU) has welcomed the appointment of its General Secretary, to the country's new Cabinet. Read more >>Banking & FinanceLiberty Holdings sales production upFinancial services and insurance group Liberty Holdings said on Friday that its core businesses are performing well despite the difficult market conditions. Read more >>Inflation to come down - SA Reserve Bank[Neo Semono] South Africa's inflation will come down as growth prospects fluctuate, the South African Reserve Bank has reported in its Monetary Policy Review (MPR) for May. Read more >>Investec launches improved cash deposit serviceInvestec Bank is looking to capture a larger slice of the cash deposit market in South Africa with the launch of a revitalised cash deposit offering catering for individuals and privately owned businesses. Read more >>Brand newsWeaker demand hits SABMiller [Nicola Mawson] Global brewing giant SABMiller held its dividend in the year to March at US$0.58 despite global input cost pressures and foreign exchange movements. Read more >>P&G launches Pampers Magic in Nairobi NAIROBI: Pampers recently released a new product they claim is a much thinner but highly absorbent version of the brand, aiming to provide dryness for a longer period. Pampers Magic, coined to support its "magical" absorption of faecal releases by babies, is a Procter & Gamble (P&G) brand. Read more >>SA wine estate wins one award for every entry Perdeberg Winery trotted off with a total of 10 awards - one for every wine it entered - at the 2009 Decanter World Wine Awards, held in London on 12 May. Read more >>Introducing 'No Time to Cook' chef's solutions McCain has launched its Chef's Solutions range - a gourmet vegetable selection to make life easier with a conveniently sliced and diced range of frozen ingredients. Read more >>Ferrero rated 'Most Reputable Company in the World' in 2009 survey Ferrero, the global confectionery business which has just embarked on major expansion in South Africa, has been voted the 'Most Reputable Company in the World' in the 2009 Global Reputation Pulse conducted annually by the Reputation Institute. Read more >>Corporate Social InvestmentCSI initiative supplies building blocks for success Through its CSI education programme, Rainbow Chicken together with Star Schools is providing underprivileged learners with the opportunity to receive extra tuition in mathematics, science and English. Read more >>DistributionCountry Bird interested in Sovereign FoodsChicken producer Sovereign Foods, which is trading under cautionary, has another suitor in the form of SA's third-largest poultry producer, Country Bird. Read more >>Astral Foods reports lower earningsSouth African food group Astral Foods on Wednesday, 13 May 2009, reported diluted headline earnings per share of 405 cents for the six months ended March, down 41% from 686 cents a year ago. Read more >>e-CommerceBringing a human touch to e-store browsing [John P. Mello Jr.] As he developed the idea for IMshopping.com, Prashant Nedungadi saw two trends happening in front of him. First, merchants were fleeing big sites like eBay due to sinking conversion rates. Secondly, e-tail customers were spending more time online before they closed purchases. His answer: human assistance. "Human assistance turns out to be a huge catalyst for people to make a decision," he said. Read more >>ExhibitionsFashion weaker for MTN's exit[Taschica Pillay] Organisers of Durban Fashion Week have had to postpone the event after its key sponsor, MTN, pulled out. Read more >>HospitalityTaste revenue skyrockets by 303% Specialist restaurant and retail brands group Taste Holdings on Wednesday, 13 May 2009, reported that its headline earnings per share for the year ended 28 February 2009 were at 10.2 cents, up from the 7.9 cents reported the previous year. Read more >>Top 13 win Rossouw's star restaurant rating South African restaurateurs gathered in the Cape Winelands for the inaugural Rossouw's Restaurants Awards held at Rust en Vrede Restaurant on 4 May 2009. At this landmark event, the Three Star certificate was awarded to only 13 of the 500 restaurants rated for the 2009 Rossouw's Restaurants guide. Read more >>Import/ExportTrade conditions slump to lowest level everTrade conditions slumped in April to their lowest level ever, according to the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (Sacci) monthly Trade Conditions Survey released today. The Trade Activity Index (TAI), which measures current trade conditions, fell to 32 in April from a low of 38 in March. Read more >>Informal retailingThreat to historic market[Nivashni Nair] The fight to keep one of Durban's oldest markets, held in a listed building, in which Indian indentured labourers began selling fruit and vegetables in 1910, is heading to court this week. Read more >>Instore mediaDigiPos extends product line with new partnershipPoint-of-sale solutions provider DigiPoS has extended the portfolio of products with the announcement of a new partnership with international printer manufacturer Star Micronics. Read more >>LogisticsValue Group headline earnings up 90% Logistics provider Value Group last week reported a 90% increase in headline earnings per share from 25.8c to 48.9c for the year ended February. Read more >>ManufacturingSeardel reports loss in earningsClothing and textile manufacturer Seardel on Friday, 15 May 2009, reported that its diluted headline loss per share for the nine-month period ended 31 March 2009 was at 45.6 cents, compared with a loss of 110.8 cents per share reported for the year ended 30 June 2008. Read more >>Shrinking factory output points to rates cut[Mariam Isa] Factory output continued to dive at an alarming rate in March, confirming the economy's second-biggest sector is still shrinking and backing the case for another hefty cut in interest rates this month. Read more >>PackagingHow to spur innovation in recyclingUSA: At the SPC's annual spring meeting last month, it was evident that the discussion of sustainable packaging has expanded its focus to the post-consumer side of the supply chain. The first day of the meeting focused on end-of-life issues, reflecting the coalition's evolution from an emphasis on packaging design toward a greater recognition that the current US recycling system and lack of sorting technology is a barrier to the effective recovery of many types of packaging materials and to developing more sustainable packaging systems. Read more >>RegulatoryL'Oreal fails in bid to sue eBay PARIS: A Paris court dismissed on Wednesday, 13 May 2009, an attempt by French cosmetics giant L'Oreal to sue US online auctioneer eBay for €3.5 million (US$4.8 million) for selling counterfeit goods. Read more >>Mobile operators to explain complaints[Sashni Pather and Werner Swart] The country's three main cellphone network operators have been called to a meeting today, 13 May 2009, to explain the endless dropped calls, busy network signals and delayed messages that have infuriated subscribers in recent weeks. Read more >>ResearchTrends in packaging design - surveyA recent survey of brand owners conducted by EskoArtwork, Adobe, and the International Packaging Institute (IPI) revealed a number of important trends in packaging design, many of which are driven by changes in materials, computer technologies, and consumer expectations. Read more >>SA consumer research reveals recessionary buying patternsResearchers investigating the impact of the current economic crisis on local consumer behaviour have found that 60% of South Africans are worried about the future and their fear is fuelling a considerable change in their buying habits. Read more >>New vehicle sales confidence downThe South African new vehicle market confidence dipped further in the second quarter of 2009, the latest WesBank Vehicle sales Confidence Indictor revealed on Wednesday, 13 May 2009. Read more >>Retail marketingBranding of bubblies: sparkling marketing trends [Silvana Bottega] In the last few years we have seen an influx of imported champagnes into South Africa and consumers can now buy blue-blood bubbles, by the rightful name of “champagne”, for close to the price of a local cap classique made in the same ‘methode champenoise'. This is due to two simple factors: our local cap classiques are getting more expensive and imported champagnes - at least some of them - are now quite affordable. Read more >>Nestlé SA to conduct media agency review Nestlé South Africa will conduct a review of media agencies to look for a possible new South African partner, it was announced yesterday, Wednesday, 13 May 2009, a result of the need to enable Nestlé to deal with the complexity of a rapidly changing SA media landscape with challenging industry dynamics. Read more >>Retail servicesA shopping revolution [Lauren Cohen] Shopping excursions in the future will be simpler and faster, with cellphones doubling as wallets and the price of goods on the shelf changing by the hour. Read more >>New system to streamline HMV promotions and supplier dealsEqos, web-based procurement and supply management solutions provider, yesterday, 11 May 2009, announced that UK entertainment specialist, HMV, has selected its Deal and Terms Management solution to streamline commercial negotiations with its music, DVD/visual product and games suppliers. Read more >>RetailersMassmart total sales up 11.8% to R36.7bn South African wholesaler Massmart said on Tuesday, 12 May 2009, that for the 44 weeks to 3 May total sales increased 11.8% to R36.7 billion over the prior period, and comparable store sales grew 9.7%. Inflation for the period is estimated at 11.8%. Read more >>Benetton net profit slumpsMILAN: Italian clothing group Benetton said on Monday, 11 May 2009, its first quarter net profit slumped more than 37% as sales were hit by the global downturn and a strong euro crimped exports. Read more >>SecurityFraud soars as result of global crisis[Sanchia Temkin] Fraud in companies globally is at the second-highest level for the 21 years in which KPMG has been conducting studies, and it can be attributed to the financial crisis. Read more >>Six ways to protect your business from fraud [Charles Pittaway] When times are tough and the unscrupulous get desperate, it's a safe bet that fraud attempts are going to increase. At Netcash we see at least two a month. Fortunately, we have the systems to detect these fraud attempts before they do any damage - but many businesses, especially SMMEs that may not have all the right checks and balances in place, fall victim. Read more >>Retailers: know your 2010 risksPromising to be even better than last year and packed with information relevant to the retail market, the 2009 Retail Risk conference will be held in Cape Town on 21 May 2009 and in Johannesburg on 28 May. Read more >>Supply chainEngen wins deal to supply Kenya Airways Engen, an African energy multinational, recently won a tender for the year-long supply of aviation fuel to Kenya Airways, at the Democratic Republic of Congo's Lubumbashi airport. Read more >>TechnologyPanasonic suffers first loss in six yearsTOKYO: Japan's Panasonic Corp. announced on Friday, 15 May 2009, its first annual loss in six years and warned its bottom line would remain in the red this year because of weak sales of televisions, cameras and other goods. Read more >>Shrinking gaming revenue[Richard Adhikari] Video game sales in the month of April were down year-over-year in all categories, according to NPD. Sales comparisons, however, can often be distorted by the emergence of a hit game. For example, with the arrival of "Grand Theft Auto IV," April 2008 was the biggest April in the history of the market. Last month saw the release of no such smash hits, and sales didn't measure up. Read more >>Battered Sony reports worst fiscal year since '95[Yuri Kageyama] Electronics giant Sony has suffered its first annual net loss in 14 years. It joins a list of several other Japanese mega-corporations announcing big losses and bleak outlooks. Management has disclosed few specifics about any sort of turnaround plan, though CEO Howard Stringer has indicated his team intends to take advantage of Sony's sprawling empire to differentiate it from its many rivals. Read more >>Social networking to consumer electronics rescue[Jack M. Germain] It seemed like a simple enough idea when FixYa.com CEO and founder Yaniv Bensadon sought a solution for consumers caught in the maze of tech support that encompassed nearly every piece of consumer electronics equipment and household appliance on the market. Read more >>Vocal GPS guide now in African languages Navigation solutions provider, TomTom, has introduced additional voices in traditional African languages for spoken driving instructions on its devices. These are: Zulu, Sotho and Fanagalo. To date, only spoken instructions in English and Afrikaans were available, representing roughly 20% of the South African population. With the additional languages, this percentage increases up to over 63%. “Adding Zulu, Sotho and Fanagalo to our already cosmopolitan language offering, is testament to TomTom's goal to bring navigation to all walks of life,” says Joost Jetten, regional manager for TomTom South Africa. “[These] are very prominent languages in South Africa and we strive to offer maximum safety and comfort while driving and therefore we want to give every TomTom user the opportunity to drive with their mother tongue.”TrainingCelebrating five new Cape Wine Masters Five new graduates were awarded Diplomas as Cape Wine Masters, marking the 25th anniversary since the first South African CWMs qualified, at a graduation ceremony hosted by KWV in its Cathedral Cellar in Paarl, on Friday 8 May 2009. This brings the number of successful examinations to 71, and the Institute membership to 64 (including three honorary members). Read more >>Burger chain wants McPhDsLONDON: US fast food giant McDonald's is hoping to offer PhDs, after receiving approval to award its own nationally recognised qualifications in Britain, the company's "chief people officer" said recently. Read more >>
Brand newsSolving your pet's skin condition - we have the solution - Vondis Holistic Pet NutritionVondis has just launched a natural range of remedies to deal with common pet ailments that we find nowadays. Read more >>Announcing the best thing since sliced bread - I&JI&J's HomeStyle Sandwich Burger will test your idea of what a burger is because the patty is square, and especially made for sandwiches. Read more >>TechnologyB&B Partner, the most efficient and effective way to run your B&B! - HRK AfricaB&B Partner has been developed by HRK as a reaction to the need for a basic, uncomplicated IT system in the B&B industry. Read more >>
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