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Some five years ago, and much to my horror, I noticed the '80s creeping back into the stores via the acid greens and bright fuchsia. I found myself in retro fashion hell and realised that any new additions to my wardrobe were going to be few and far between. Look, I've never exactly been accused of being 'trendy' or 'fashion forward' - in reality the only thing that probably keeps me from being arrested by the fashion police is the fact that I can at least colour-coordinate, and even then there are days that I look like a throwback from the Angolan war. There is one thing I do remember, however: the '80s fashion era has been sniffed at and regarded as a decade of fashion faux pas. But every year for the last five, I've noticed more and more '80s creeping back onto our mannequins. Footless leggings, stove-pipe... er, sorry - skinny jeans, oversized and bat-wing T-shirts with cinched hemlines, lace fingerless gloves... and I find myself asking "Why, oh, why?". That is, until I picked up a copy of Fashion Babylon and learned about the 20-year rule, which is clearly being applied. Still, retro rules or not, I can't help but cringe when I see the words 'leopard-print in acid pink and orange' coming out of this year's CT Fashion Week, but feel marginally relieved upon realising it's just an underwear line and grateful that my retinas are not going to be seared with that animal imprint. But it doesn't stop there. Please could someone tell me what is with the extra wings of fabric that are being added to neatly cut dresses to give them excess weight in the pelvic area? Like woman actually want bigger hips and... * ahem*... derrieres? (I thought JLo was so last season.) Or is this just supposed to neatly hide them... like the harem pants circa MC Hammer is hiding fat thighs? And if that's the case, and it works for you, then who am I to call the authorities? Fortunately, it's just a phase and I, for one, am looking forward to getting past it. Quickly. That said, I'd be keen to see the resurgence of the newspaper-print T-shirt, but am much more interested in seeing the next break-out of bell-bottoms... They work so much better with my legs. Happy fashioning, folks! Shan Radcliffe, Retail editor retailnews@bizcommunity.comResponses to this column welcomed in our new online editor's column archive. Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net. Top stories
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[Titus Kaloki] A bid by East African Breweries Limited (EABL) to end its partnership with competitor, South African Breweries Miller (SABMiller), and join another brewer was put on hold by a UK court. In a ruling passed last week, Diageo - majority shareholder in EABL with a 50% stake - and SABMiller were ordered to begin an arbitration process. Read more >> There were various surprises at the Sunday Times Top Brands Awards for 2009, last night, Thursday, 20 August 2009, at Lexus Fourways, Johannesburg, which this year included categories for social and digital networks and new brand categories such as sunglasses, watches and fashion. Read more >> Wines of South Africa (WOSA) has launched the book Ithemba, which is being distributed to members of the international wine trade and portrays the effects of racial transformation in the wine industry. Read more >> Taste exceptional wines, meet top South African winemakers and bid on rare and exclusive collector's wines in a Silent Auction at the 2009 Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG) Auction Showcase, to be held on Thursday, 20 August 2009 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). Read more >>South Africa's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the second quarter of 2009 contracted by 3% indicating that the economy was still in recession. Read more >>Associations
Makro staff returned to work today, Wednesday, 19 August 2009, following a wage settlement dispute declared earlier by the South Africa Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers' Union (Saccawu). Read more >>Banking & Finance
 South Africa's Accounting Practices Board has approved details of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which were published by the International Accounting Standards Board earlier this year. Read more >>[Nthambeleni Gabara] The Land Bank has presented a turnaround strategy which is hoped will reverse its financial woes. Read more >> Brand news
British American Tobacco Plc announced on Wednesday, 19 August 2009, that Richard Burrows has been appointed a non-executive director from 1 September. Read more >> International brand, Perfect Fit, which has now launched in South Africa, uses insights into pet behaviour to formulate products to fit cats' nutritional requirements through different ages and stages. This new brand was developed in close cooperation with Waltham, a world leader in pet care and nutrition, and embraces the concept that each cat has specific dietary needs according to their age and lifestyle. Read more >> Global sports brand adidas, which is also the official technical partner for FIFA and the 2010 FIFA World Cup, is celebrating its 60-year anniversary this year. Read more >>Alcohol producer and distributor Distell is spearheading a viticultural initiative in Tanzania expected to enable wine farmers in the Dodoma highlands to double their crops within three to five years — and may yet be developing a feasible model for rolling out vineyard productions across sub-Saharan Africa. Read more >>Super-Brands, the holding and brand distribution company for Canterbury in South Africa, is now in negotiations to transfer its rights with Canterbury New Zealand to JD Sports, following the acquisition of the global rights to the Canterbury brand by UK sportswear fashion chain JD Fashion (JD). Read more >>Corporate Social Investment
 The Carling community champion has been announced as Selwyn Green, a caterer from Strandfontein in the Western Cape after the public gave him more than 600 votes for his community work. Read more >>The Core Group recently gave R300 000 to a local charity, The Tomorrow Trust. The money was raised by the sale of iPods by selected retailers during December 2008. Read more >>Distribution
After a partnership agreement with the Global Brands Group, Esquire Technologies is the official distributor of computer accessories carrying the FIFA brand for the forthcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup. Read more >>e-Commerce
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 Leopard-print in acid pink and orange show African fashion with a twist, flinging curio-like interpretation off the ramp as local designers seek to show their diverse talent and find global appeal. Read more >>Grand Designs Live is a home renovation exhibition that claims to cover it all. Built on the success of the award-winning UK consumer event, it will take place at the Coca-Cola Dome, Johannesburg, 21-23 May 2010. Read more >> [Jacquie Myburgh] Welcome to fashion week season. This afternoon, 20 August 2009, Arise Cape Town Fashion Week kicks off at the Mother City's convention centre; in a few weeks' time, Sanlam SA Fashion Week presents their 2010 Autumn/Winter collections in Sandton — and, somewhere in between, Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape have now jumped on the bandwagon and will be launching their own fashion weeks too. Read more >>Green & Organic
The road ahead for the pest-control industry in the 21st century was the theme of a recent SAPCA (South African Pest Control Association) Pestbiz convention held in Cape Town. Better education and a more integrated approach were two of the solutions offered. Read more >> The second Green Building Council Convention is to be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 21-23 October 2009 and will offer insights into why green buildings make sense in a global downturn. Read more >>Hospitality
[Andrew Gillingham] KFC dominates the Fast Foods Category and is far more popular than its rivals, says Neil Higgs, director of innovation and development at TNS Research Surveys, referring to the recently announced results of the Sunday Times Top Brands Awards. Read more >> The outlook for the South African hospitality industry remains positive and considerably brighter when viewed against the backdrop of somewhat sobering global trends, says Joop Demes, CEO of Pam Golding Hospitality, a specialised hospitality division within the Pam Golding Property group. Read more >>Import/Export
[Mathabo le Roux] SA will eliminate a slew of import tariffs on machinery, capital equipment and chemicals to reduce input costs for producers and retail costs for consumers. Read more >> Logistics
 The current economic crisis is proving difficult for many small and medium-sized transporters. Cargo Carriers is actively looking to acquire companies such as transportation businesses under cash stress, but who hold healthy contracts, and transporters who are unable to fund growth plans they have or capital replacement they require. Read more >>Textainer Group, in which South African group Trencor has a 62.3% stake, on Tuesday, 18 August 2009, announced that 650 40-foot High Cube reefers have been committed to a long-term lease with Hanjin Shipping with delivery starting in September 2009. Read more >>Merchandising
 Dentyne chewing gum will setting up specially designed Dentyne boutiques at major shopping malls nationally, from mid-August to November 2009. The aim is to educate consumers about the functional benefits of chewing Dentyne and to encourage consumers to make oral care a priority. Read more >>Regulatory
[Sasha Planting] Two weeks into Francois Kuttel's tenure as CEO of fishing company Oceana, the minister of water & environmental affairs issued the long awaited policy on the transfer of commercial fishing rights. This could not have come at a better time for the ambitious Kuttel, who is looking for opportunities to grow the business. Read more >> [Brendan Boyle] Forty-five companies in the clothing and textile sector are being investigated or prosecuted for job-sapping customs fraud, Ebrahim Patel, the minister of economic planning, told Parliament yesterday, 20 August 2009, in a report on the country's response to the global economic crisis. Read more >> [Lesley Stones] Cellphone calls could be slashed by a massive R1 a minute almost immediately if the industry regulator agrees with fresh legal opinion declaring that the fees can be forced down with no need for further market research. Read more >> Research
Research released today, Monday 24 August 2009, by trade union Solidarity revealed that South Africa's three largest supermarket groups, Spar, Pick n Pay and Shoprite/Checkers had not dropped their food prices in the past three months. Read more >>Retail marketing
 Procter & Gamble this week selected PODatGREY as its shopper-marketing agency in South Africa after a four-way pitch. Read more >> [Ann Druce] I hate it when my car needs a service. It's always a hassle. Do I do without a car for a day, or do I hire one? And funny how the only time I manage to get a loan car from the dealership is when it has really let me down. And a standard service hardly qualifies, does it? Read more >>Retail services
The advent of least-cost routing (LCR) and VOIP (Voice over IP) brought significantly reduced connectivity costs for multi-branch retail stores that need to connect each store not only to their customers and suppliers but also to their head office and other branches. However, it brought with it problems as well... Read more >> U-Bag is launching its new shopping delivery service with only a few weeks left to the start of the Joburg Shopping Festival, which runs 1-30 September 2009. The service is specially tailored for the event to make life easier for visitors to Johannesburg. Read more >>Retailers
[Adele Shevel] Gross profit margins at Edcon, one of the country's largest retailers, weakened over the quarter ending 27 June 2009 because of higher markdowns, a late winter and higher cost prices due to a weaker rand at the time of purchasing winter merchandise. Read more >>  The Durban author Peter Harris has won the Booksellers' Choice Award 2009 with his book In A Different Time, together with a cheque for R10 000. Read more >>[Thabang Mokopanele] One of SA's biggest asset managers and investors in commercial property, Stanlib, has questioned the viability of 10 major shopping centres in Gauteng. Read more >>  Some 21 700m² have been added to the established initial phase of The Grove (previously known as Riverside Lifestyle Centre) in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, expanding it to 36 400m² and bringing with it some household name retailers. Read more >>The 13th African Congress of Shopping Centres is expected to generate lively debate as shopping centres and retailers tackle the challenges of the current market. The congress is sponsored by Growthpoint Properties and will take place at the Sandton Convention Centre, from Wednesday, 16 to Friday, 18 September 2009. Read more >>Shopfitting
 The recently reopened Morningside Shopping Centre, Sandton, has a strong architectural focus on contemporary clean lines, keynote style and minimalistic elegance. Read more >>Supply chain
The SAPICS (The Association for Operations Management of Southern Africa) Summer Conferences will take place in October 2009 in Durban and Cape Town, and are aimed at helping supply chain and operations professionals to thrive in these tough economic times. Read more >>Technology
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Since the advent of mobile marketing, the world has seen a dramatic increase in unethical practices by ‘reckless' companies looking to make a profit by all means, even if it means ‘violating people's privacy'. One expert from the US has slammed such companies, saying that their careless practices can backfire to the detriment of all. Read more >> [Issa Sikiti da Silva] Mobile advertising is proving to be an excellent tool of marketing as research shows that it has strong brand recall, is a place for activity, is needs-driven and reaches a huge number of consumers, compared to traditional media, according to Brett St Clair of AdMob. Read more >> [Issa Sikiti da Silva] From the year 2005, when cellphone banking had little international interest, was uncertain and disputed and therefore not used, the service has massively grown by 2009 to become one of the largest electronic channels in South Africa, with more than 3000 new FNB customers registering every day to make use of the service. Read more >>  Nokia South Africa has partnered with News24.com to deliver the first local widget specifically for the Nokia N97, thus delivering on its promise of bringing local content to users. "This gives South Africans another convenient channel to access News24's content and, by bringing the Internet to users who may not have PC access, offers us an exciting new market segment,” said Jannie Momberg, News24 editor, yesterday, Tuesday, 18 August 2009. Read more >>Google announced yesterday, Monday 17 August 2009, the removal of the “beta” label from its new interface for AdWords, its advertising program that enables businesses of all sizes to find customers online. Read more >>Training
 Twenty KwaZulu-Natal businesswomen are partaking in a joint initiative between eThekwini Municipality and Deloitte called the 2009 KwaZulu-Natal Succeed Programme, which will give them the training they need for success. Read more >>Catch a Wake-up! is the theme for the fifth Tony Koenderman's Brainstorm to be held in Cape Town on Monday, 9 November 2009, and in Johannesburg on Wednesday 11 November. A one-day conference on new marketing, it features online marketing guru, Fernanda Romano, with her topic Hit the re-set button. Maximise your marketing impact in a changing world. Read more >> [Siphiwe Nyathi] Agricultural bodies have welcomed a commitment by the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Administration to address a critical skills shortage in the farming sector. Read more >> Brand news
 Häagen-Dazs is holding a promotion at selected retailers whereby if you purchase two of your favourite Häagen-Dazs flavours in a tub you will receive a stylish Häagen-Dazs branded ice-cream scoop for free. Read more >> Cadbury Lunch Bar, official sponsor of SA's Got Talent, the local version of the worldwide Got Talent reality TV show, is launching a new TV sponsorship and on-pack promotion. Read more >>Instore media
 Trade Centre, the FMCG company owned by Metcash Africa, has become the first wholesaler to use electronic shelf labeling (ESL). It has reduced costs and gained a rapid and accurate ability to update prices since it rolled out a Pricer ESL system from XON group company Skydirect. Read more >>Retail marketing
The Ultra Liquor Group, buoyed by positive feedback from recent dipstick research on in-store advertising, has installed 149 screens in 30 stores countrywide. Read more >>Retail services
Bookings are open for the Cape Town leg of the Organisational Communications course which will be held in September and October. Run by Quo Vadis Communications, the course has been specifically tailored to meet the needs of both the corporate and civil society sectors. Read more >>
CSI Managers Forum GreaterGood South Africa - Cape Town (25th), Jhb (26th), Dbn (28th), 25 August
"Reputation is an idle and most false imposition; oft got without merit, and lost without deserving." - William Shakespeare"I never tell one client that I cannot attend his sales convention because I have a previous engagement with another client; successful polygamy depends upon pretending to each spouse that she is the only pebble on your beach." - David Ogilvy"Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely." - Auguste Rodin"It takes a lot of imagination to be realistic, because reality is so much more than we imagine." - Alpha Dog Lo"Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise." - Ted Turner
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