 14 Dec 2009 |
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Farewell to the Noughties As we come to the end of this Noughtie decade, I can almost hear the collective sigh of relief from a country that has pulled through a long year of highs and lows... We've stared a recession in the face and, although some are still feeling the economic rift, we are on the rocky road to recovery. But before we rush head-long into the new year - one that is marked with high hopes as the final countdown to the 2010 FIFA World Cup really begins - let's take a little time to reflect on the past 12 months: What were your favourite www.bizcommunity.com reads and galleries, and what articles stirred discussion? Top three 'most read' retail articles 2009:
The three 'most viewed' galleries:
Top three articles to draw the most comment:
This is our last newsletter for 2009, with our first 2010 editions to go out on 11 January 2010. Until then, to all our subscribers, clients, contributors, business partners and visitors, may you all have a safe and enjoyable year-end - whether you're going on holiday, taking some quiet time out at home or making up the bones of your office skeleton crew. Spread a little cheer and add your own message to our Festive Tribute 2009 page! Until next year, have a fabulous one. Shan Radcliffe, Retail editor Please send retail news to: retailnews@bizcommunity.com Responses to this column welcomed in our new online editor's column archive. Top stories
RetailNoble Nederburg at the Cup Nederburg's cellarmaster, Razvan Macici, has developed a special edition collection of three South African wines for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa for local and international sales following the signature of agreement with FIFA. The wines are a Cabernet Sauvignon, a dry rosé and a Sauvignon Blanc. Read more >>Advertisement:  When is a shop not a shop?Furniture and appliance retailers may look like shops, but they're really banks and short-term insurers in disguise. Read more >>Danone buys Clover stake of joint venture [Kgomotso Mathe] Dairy company Clover SA yesterday, 10 December 2009, said it would sell its 45% stake in Clover Danone - a local joint venture with French dairy producer Groupe Danone - to the multinational company for just more than R1bn. Read more >>P&G celebrates 15 years in SA [Issa Sikiti da Silva] US firm Procter & Gamble (P&G) is this year celebrating 15 years of its existence in South Africa, and has pledged its commitment to the social upliftment and sustainability of Africa's communities. Read more >>No quick recovery from recession - BUSAWhile South Africa has technically ended its economic recession with an economic growth of 0.9% in the last quarter of 2009, business experts have cautioned that it was probably too early to celebrate. Read more >>Star readers vote for Jack's Paint The Star reader's choice has selected Jack's Paint & Hardware as the best paint store for the 5th year, proof of the brand's dedication to customer service. Read more >>Robertson gets international wine tourism award The Great Wine Capitals Global Network added Robertson Wine Valley (RWV) to its network at a gala dinner awards ceremony held in late November 2009 in Bordeaux. Tourism specialists, dignitaries and producers attended the event from wine-growing regions in Europe, North America, Latin America, South Africa and New Zealand. Read more >>Massmart war talk 'sinister'The Competition Tribunal this week labelled remarks by Massmart chairman Mark Lamberti as "sinister", says Business Report. Read more >>AssociationsStrike planned against Pick n PayTrade union Saccawu on Monday, 7 December 2009, said that it had obtained the right to embark on a protected industrial strike against Pick n Pay. Read more >>Banking & FinanceR1.7bn gift for creditorsDebt counselors have helped retailers and banks recoup just over R1.7bn, saving them money they would need to spend on debt collectors. Read more >>Standard Bank wins trade finance award LONDON, UK: Standard Bank has been awarded Best Trade Finance Bank in sub-Saharan Africa for the second successive year by GTR Magazine in its annual readers' poll on the world's leading financial institutions. Read more >>Brand newsJameson backs the horses Pernod Ricard's Jameson Gold Reserve will be sponsorsing the style lounge and hospitality section at Kurland, in Plettenberg Bay, on 29 December 2009, where South Africa and England will thrash it out on the polo playing fields. Read more >>Cadbury rejects Kraft takeover bid LONDON, UK: British confectionary group Cadbury today, Monday 14 December 2009, rejected a takeover bid from US giant Kraft Foods, describing the offer as insufficient. Read more >>Chivas, worldwide distiller of the year The International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC), which took place late last month at the City of London Guildhall, saw Chivas Brothers win the trophy for Worldwide Distiller of the Year. Read more >>Hello Kitty turns 35 Hello Kitty, who first hit the world in 1974, will be celebrating her birthday in South Africa alongside another icon, the teddy bear, at Build-A-Bear Workshop outlets in malls across the country. Read more >>Oh my Werda! Single serving salads [ActivRetail] Werda has launched its To Go range, offering single serving salads with added benefits as they are ready-to-eat, cholesterol free and fat free. The product does not need refrigeration, which is perfect when for work. They are great for vegetarians and three of the variants are low in GI. Consumers simply snip and open the variant of their choice. Read more >>Five Roses releases Select African Blend Five Roses, which has been blending premium teas for over 140 years, has entrusted the task to only six Tea Masters. The sixth and current Tea Master, Dinesh Wijeyawardana from Sri Lanka, has created the Select African Blend specifically for South African tea drinkers, who prefer strong, robust tea. Read more >>New pleasure in summer wine The 2009 Sauvignon Blanc released from the Plaisir de Merle cellar is now available. Read more >>SABMiller in R7.3bn SAB BEE deal Global brewing giant SABMiller Plc on Tuesday, 8 December 2009, announced the detailed terms of its proposed broad-based black economic empowerment transaction in South Africa. Read more >>Clothing & TextilesMarc and Michael at Miss WorldThe best that South African fashion has to offer will be on show at this year's Miss World pageant on Saturday 12 December 2009 and will include the design house, Marc and Michael along with five others. Read more >>A world record to suit SA The Kit Group plans to unveil the largest work suit at Johannesburg Stadium in March 2010, to be adjudicated and verified by the Guinness World Records organisation. The company, a leading South African uniform solutions specialist, has put the wheels in motion to begin manufacturing the largest work suit in an attempt to break the current world record. Read more >>Condom dress designs flavour of the month [Harriet McLea] Fashion design student Kutloano Molokomme had to wash 30 000 strawberry flavoured condoms in his bath to “prepare the fabric” for his entry in a condom-dress design competition. Read more >>Commercial propertyResearch indicates high potential for Durban waterfrontThe Durban Point Waterfront is well positioned to sustain a 44 000m2 entertainment and lifestyle shopping centre, according to a recent, in-depth market study by market research specialists, Demacon. Durban Point Development Company, to inform strategic planning and investment for the proposed development of the retail zone, commissioned the research. Read more >>Corporate Social InvestmentUwe Koetter in building project, craft assistanceCape Town's well-known jewellery designer, Uwe Koetter Jewellers recently had their marketing team put their backs and hearts into helping to build homes for informal settlement families. Read more >>Give for Life earns funds for charity, donor Give for Life, an innovative initiative that harnesses business principles for charity, provides a unique fundraising solution where participants earn returns for their efforts while charities still reap the maximum benefits. Homemaker Marie Botha has earned over R115 626.82 for charity and an income of R58 000 for herself, after just a year of owning her Give for Life business. Read more >>Osiris gives Christmas dreams to kids “It is appropriate that at this time of year, a time of giving, that we thank Osiris Trading, an e-commerce marketing company, who helped more than 60 kids from the oncology and renal wards at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, experience the joy and excitement of Christmas,” says Sian Gutstadt, national marketing and advertising co-ordinator at the Reach for a Dream Foundation. Read more >>CRMRevitalise your professional brand for the New Year [Kate Elphick] Have you ego-Googled yourself recently? For those of you who are wondering what an “ego-Google” is, it is when you do a Google search for yourself, and it is an essential part of the management of your professional (and personal) brand. Of course there are a lot of other search engines out there and it won't do any harm to “ego-bing” etc. yourself. Read more >>e-CommerceLast Citi Golf goes for R300 000 The third last Volkswagen Citi Mk1 off the production line was officially handed over to its highest bidder, Dolf Jonker, for R300 100 late last week. Read more >>E-commerce grows in South Africa“South Africa is still around four years behind the rest of the world in terms of online transacting and we'll probably never completely close this gap but we will continue to follow quite steadily,” says Pete Flynn, MD of White Wall Web. He says that the growth in the number of users who understand and trust the Internet equates to a target market that is happy to transact online. Read more >>ExhibitionsAutomechanika back in SA in 2011To avoid the recession aftermath and a clash with 2010 soccer, Automechanika South Africa will take place from 9-12 March 2011 at MTN Expo Centre, Nasrec, Johannesburg. This follows the successful inaugural 2009 show, which saw Johannesburg became the 13th city in 12 countries in the world to stage an Automechanika automotive aftermarket trade fair. Read more >>Green sustainabilityPick n Pay gets greener refrigeration technologyPick n Pay has embarked on a project to replace outdated harmful ozone-depleting HCFC-based refrigeration with energy-efficient German refrigeration technology. Read more >>Hospitality2010 establishments to register online Establishments to be used during the 2010 FIFA World Cup will need to register the details of their accommodation booking and listings at www.rooms4u.travel. Read more >>Online Cup accommodation launchedThe FIFA website launched an online accommodation service, yesterday Monday 7 December 2009 for fans looking for South African bookings. In total, MATCH has secured 1 725 190 room nights for next year and 43% of the entire inventory (741 832 room nights) in the 1007 properties is reserved for the public. Read more >>moyo on the Bay According to Adriaan Fourie, national sales manager of moyo, moyo blouberg is one of four restaurants opening in the coming months, in its quest to be the leading African dining and experience brand. Read more >>Import/ExportFree trade can boost SA - Zuma [Michael Hamlyn] Quota and tariff free access into the European Union by Illovo Sugar (ILV) is expected to double its exports to Europe over the next 4-5 years. Read more >>Instore mediaIf you go down to the shops today, you're sure of a big surprise [Duncan McLeod] If you go to the Broadacres SuperSpar in Johannesburg's far north, you'll notice something out of the ordinary on the shelves. In the place of the usual paper price labels and barcodes are electronic tags displaying the prices of the products on sale. Read more >>LogisticsTransnet denies newspaper reportGeoff Everingham, acting chairman of Transnet Limited, has issued a media statement concerning what it terms ‘a damaging and misleading article printed last Friday (27 November 2009) by a business insert into the Independent Newspaper Group, entitled 'Transnet accused of R5.4bn cover-up' . Read more >>ManufacturingManufacturing still too weak[Evan Pickworth] The improvement in manufacturing production in October is encouraging from a growth perspective, but underlying trends reveal that the internal growth dynamic may still be too weak to drive the sector forward. Read more >>China, World Bank in drive for African factoriesLONDON, UK: China and the World Bank are in talks on setting up low-cost factories in new industrial zones in Africa to help nations achieve higher economic growth, bank president Robert Zoellick said late last week. Read more >>RegulatoryApple hits back against Nokia in patent rowNEW YORK, USA: Apple, maker of the iconic iPhone, has hit back in a legal row with Nokia and countersued the Finnish telecoms giant, alleging it had breached 13 Apple patents. Read more >>Procter & Gamble loses court case[Chantelle Benjamin] After more than a year of legal wrangling, the Advertising Standards Authority Final Appeals Committee found that adverts for Alberto-Culver's TRESemme hair products were not misleading, ordering Procter & Gamble to pay half of Alberto-Culver's legal costs. Read more >>Task team to solve debt review challengesThe Task Team on Debt Counselling has been set up by the National Credit Regulator (NCR) to provide solutions to the bottlenecks in the debt review process. Read more >>ResearchRetail, readership survey out in March 2010 Roots 2010 will be launched in Cape Town on 9 March, Durban on 10 March and Johannesburg on 11 March 2010. It is the in-depth urban retail and readership consumer research survey undertaken by Newspaper Advertising Bureau (NAB). Read more >>Retail marketingCheckers, BBC partner on food adsA partnership between BBC Lifestyle and Checkers will be running for a period of 10 weeks, it was announced yesterday Wednesday 9 December 2009. Checkers will sponsor the programme's Full on Food stand, which features enticing new gastronomic series from popular chefs including Gordon Ramsay, Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver and Heston Blumenthal. Read more >>Checkers selects ninety9cents as supplier of the year Checkers' National Supplier of the Year in the Service Provider category has been won by ad agency, ninety9cents, beating three other nominees. Read more >>RetailersRetailers face a festive challenge[Taralyn Bro] Retailers have taken stock of how South African consumers are feeling the strain and have filled shelves with a mix of luxury and budget items heading into the festive season. Read more >>Baby boom, toys still on track for December sales Redgwoods expects sales to grow by 10% in real terms this festive season. A highly competitive pricing model and a strong customer centric focus, and new stores opened last year are expected to spur the growth in sales of one of South Africa's biggest toy and baby products retailers. Read more >>British supermarket Tesco says sales riseLONDON, UK: Britain's biggest retailer Tesco said on Tuesday, 8 December 2009, that group sales rose by almost 9% in its third quarter as consumer confidence improved globally. Read more >>Supply chainInnovation needed in downturnAccording to Craig Parker, divisional director - supply chain management of Barloworld Logistics, the most damaging aspect of the downturn for global supply chains has been the steep and rapid decline in demand for products and services. The immediate response has been cost cutting and improving the efficiency of supply chain operations. Read more >>TechnologyPanasonic completes Sanyo takeoverTOKYO, JAPAN: Japan's Panasonic Corp. on Wednesday, 9 December 2009, successfully completed its takeover bid for smaller struggling consumer electronics rival Sanyo Electric Co., a source said. Read more >>Talk up a storm with your BlackBerry The second generation of RIM's (Research in Motion) innovative and award-winning touch-screen smartphone, the BlackBerry Storm2 smartphone, was launched for South African customers earlier this week and is available from MTN and Vodacom countrywide. Read more >>TrainingThirty-four graduate from Raymond Ackerman AcademyRaymond Ackerman, founder and patron of the Raymond Ackerman Academy of Entrepreneurial Development, addressed the latest group of 34 students and handed out graduation certificates at the UCT Graduate School of Business on Monday 7 December 2009. Read more >>
Brand newsPillsbury Plain Crème cake TubeSet batter offers you extra value at the same great price! - General Mills Increase your profits even further by purchasing Pillsbury® TubeSet™ Batter, the innovative batter delivery solution that is saving bakers time and money across South Africa. Now, for a limited time only, Pillsbury is offering extra value at the same great price when you purchase the Pillsbury® Plain Crème Cake TubeSet™ Batter. Read more >>Pillsbury Bakeries and Foodservice division launches Bake-Off Competition for foodservice industry - General Mills Pillsbury® Bakeries and Foodservice Division is pleased to announce a Bake-Off® Competition for professionals working in the food service industry. Read more >>Pillsbury offers 20% more cake and muffin mix at the same great price! - General Mills It's always a similar story. You make your family a delicious batch of rich and moist Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Muffins or a light and fluffy Pillsbury French Vanilla Moist Supreme™ cake, and before you know it, every morsel is eaten up - leaving your family wanting more. Read more >>Romantic Parisian style Valentine's soiree at Häagen-Dazs will have couples saying “Oh La La” - General Mills Paris is the city of love, where lovers share moments of passion in romantic Parisian cafés, indulging in sumptuous desserts that awaken feelings of affection and desire. Paris itself is an aphrodisiac, where old lovers fall in love all over again and new love is discovered. Read more >>One of world's most beloved tea time treats now available in the Pillsbury TubeSet product range - General Mills Pillsbury Bakeries and Foodservice has announced that one of the world's most beloved tea time treats - the carrot cake - is now part of the convenient Pillsbury TubeSet product range, the innovative batter delivery system. Read more >>Old El Paso taco shells, now even healthier - General Mills Sunflower oil is one of nature's healthiest ingredients and is valued by cooks for its light taste and cooking performance. Now this great vegetable oil can be found in the Old El Paso taco shell. Read more >>General Mills South Africa wins Confectionary Supplier Award from Shell Africa - General Mills General Mills South Africa has been named Confectionary Supplier of the Year by Shell Africa. The award recognises General Mills for its overall excellence in the supply of confectionary goods to Shell Africa. Read more >>FranchisingTiger Wheel & Tyre steals the show in 2009 - Tiger Wheel & TyreRecently Tiger Wheel & Tyre took top honours in the Tyre Dealership Category in the ‘Best of the Best Reader's Choice Awards' as voted for by the readers of The Star and The Pretoria News. Read more >>
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The Void that is WAR RETAIL [Kelly-ann Peters] No, not an actual War but with track titles like Vox Populi (A Call to Arms) (English translation: Voice of the People), Search and Destroy and, well, This Is War the third album from 30 Seconds to Mars might as well be a war. The title This is War was no doubt inspired by the ridiculous US$30 million lawsuit filed against the L.A rockers by their record label Virgin/EMI records. When Jeremy met Greg...at Sunshine Saturdays RETAIL [Sindy Peters] No, this isn't some cheesy love story from the late 80s, it's a tale of two of South Africa's top lead musicians - Greg Carlin and Jeremy de Tolly. Both were present at the launch of Sunshine Saturdays on 12 December 2009 at Wynberg Boys High School (WBHS), Cape Town playing on stage with their respective bands - Zebra & Giraffe and The Dirty Skirts. Sterling EQ launches new music video RETAIL Instrumental supergroup STERLING EQ launched their debut music video, "NOVA - the Movie" at a high profile media preview at Fashion TV Cape Town on Wednesday 2 December 2009. The response from the audience was overwhelming, with regular bursts of applause throughout the screening, and a unanimous demand for repeat screenings. The video enjoyed its first appearance on national television during a comprehensive “behind the scenes” insert on MNET's All Access last week. A Killer concert? RETAIL [Ruth Cooper] Unfortunately Sunday night's Killers concert at the Val Di Vie Polo Estate in Franshoek was greatly marred by bad organisation and ridiculous traffic issues and after having a look at some post reviews on other sites it seems that there are quite a few disappointed and angry people out there. Quite understandable considering that R269 - R526 needed to be forked out on a ticket , a good few km's needed to be walked to get to the venue, many who on arrival found the band to have started, drink queues to be almost as daunting as the traffic queues, or were told that no alcohol would be served during the performance (if lucky enough to score entrance to the VIP bar). Desmond and the Tutus say “Thanks for Everything suckers!” RETAIL [Ruth Cooper] Quirky, happy go lucky rockers Desmond and the Tutus have been steadily building up a fan base by “tricking people into liking them” since there birth in 2005. Decidedly unserious this foursome is bringing a breath of fresh air and silliness to the often quite take-itself-very-seriously-SA rock scene. Their upbeat infectious rock-kwela-pop-tunes will have you giggling and tapping your foot in no time if not rolling on the floor in stitches and bouncing off the walls. Jesse Clegg rocks out at Kirstenbosch RETAIL [Alan Hughes] Sunday found me back at Kirstenbosch gardens to enjoy another of Old Mutual's Summer Sunset Concerts. This time it was the Jesse Clegg's turn to entertain us. It was a hot sunny afternoon, with the usual crowds of picnickers punctuated with sun umbrellas. New Moon continues second weekend success RETAIL [Sindy Peters] One of the most anticipated movies of 2009, New Moon - the second installment of the Twilight saga, based on the books written by Stephanie Meyer - continued in it's second weekend of release to sell out at cinemas nationwide. It's not exactly a fantastic movie as it runs in the same vein as it's prequel, Twilight, and yet fans of the book just can't seem to get enough.
"About 70% of customers' buying decisions are based on positive human interactions with sales staff. The bottom line is that people buy from people, not companies." - Lee J. Colan "This may seem simple, but you need to give customers what they want, not what you think they want. And, if you do this, people will keep coming back." - John Ilhan "Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose." - Charles Eames "If we could sell our experiences for what they cost us, we'd all be millionaires." - Abigail Van Buren "Once you get people laughing, they're listening and you can tell them almost anything." - Herbert Gardner Print - Print any item in this newsletter. Email - Email any item in this newsletter. Comment - Comment on any item in this newsletter.  | Advertisement:
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