 12 Jul 2010 |
|
 Bizcommunity Search |  |  Find your perfect job. |  Open a press office today. |
The end is just the beginning...
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
RetailBlockbuster brands scramble for Africa[Micheal Bleby] The race for Africa's growing consumer wealth is on. The continent will see its population nearly double from 1-billion last year to 2-billion by 2050. Read more >>Choosing to participate in recession thinking [Matheo Galatis] I have studied the market place in recent times; I have spoken to many business owners, entrepreneurs and company executives and have found that during these times, there are people who are spending money and those who are not. Some companies have grown in spite of a recession and others have stagnated and even fallen apart. Many companies have opted to react to the words 'recession,' others have chosen to take advantage of the economic climate and look into what is important. Read more >>SA breweries claim victory in sales during WC [Andries Mahlangu] With four days to go before the end of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, brewing companies in South Africa are claiming victory in liquor sales, while some tavern owners say they have done poorly during the tournament. Read more >>AssociationsEMRC-RaboBank Project Incubator Award entry call BRUSSELS, BELGIUM: The 2010 EMRC-Rabobank Project Incubator Award is open for entries. Delegates attending the AgriBusiness Forum 2010 from 3-6 October in Kampala, Uganda, will be eligible to enter their development project ideas. The US$15,000 grand prize will be awarded to the project proposal that best satisfies the entry criteria with a viable, dynamic project idea. Read more >>Shortlist of South African authors outTwo previous winners, a Springbok rugby captain and three journalists make up the Booksellers' Choice Award 2010 shortlist, as nominated by South African booksellers. Nielsen Book sponsors the award, which aims to highlight the quality of South African writing and encourage new authors. Read more >>Swedes top 2010 Nederburg Auction speaker panelTwo top female directors of the Swedish retail liquor monopoly Systembolaget AB will share the guest speaker platform at the 36th Nederburg Auction of rare Cape wines on Saturday, 4 September 2010. Read more >>Banking & FinanceBrand newsSavanna wins gold at Asian beerfest Savanna, one of South Africa's leading premium cider brands, has won a gold medal in its class, at Singapore's 2010 Beerfest Asia held late last month. It competed against a range of cider offerings produced all over the world. Read more >>Clothing & TextilesTime to stop clothing industry decline According to Renato Palmi, director of The ReDress Consultancy, the South African clothing industry needs to take a stand against fake apparel after another textile company has shed 100 jobs and R50 million's worth of fake clothing was found in Durban. Read more >>Commercial propertyCorporate Social InvestmentGreen leadership: what consumers expect from media[Issa Sikiti da Silva] In an industry prone to sensationalism, hearsay journalism, reporting keener on settling scores than informing, pathetic wages, mass exodus of skills and lack of ongoing training, environmental reporting in Africa is almost non-existent. Some believe African media's indifference towards green issues constitutes an affront to impoverished populations that pin their hopes on newsrooms to hold profit-obsessed businesses to account for hurting the planet. Read more >>CRMDistributionSA vegetarian products launch in India This week, the Durban-based company, Fry's Vegetarian launched its products into India at a top end grocery store in New Delhi called Nature's Basket, with Indian cricket team vice-captain, Yuvraj Singh, as its ambassador and biggest fan. Read more >>Engen appoints Galana as exclusive Madagascar lubricants distributor Engen, the African energy company, has extended its Indian Ocean (IO) coverage with the appointment of leading regional oil company Galana as its lubricants distributor in Madagascar in an effort to use the company's strong brand leverages local knowledge and reach to contest competitive market. Read more >>e-CommerceGiant jersey to go on auction The giant Bafana Bafana jersey was last week unveiled at the Cape Town Stadium to mark the last Football Friday by adidas, an official sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The jersey bears signatures and messages of support from hundreds of thousands fans and was the central tool in the Unite Mzansi Unite (UMU) campaign will be auctioned on eBay. Read more >>ExhibitionsAfrican Congress of Shopping Centres in OctoberThe 14th Annual African Congress of Shopping Centres, hosted by the SA Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC) and sponsored by Growthpoint Properties, will take place at the CTICC from 13-15 October 2010. Read more >>Bottled Water Conference at DrinkTech AfricaThe South African National Bottled Water Association (SANBWA) is holding its first 'Bottled Water Business' Conference, focusing on key issues in this rapidly growing sector, including the operational aspects of bottling water, market conditions, environmental issues and new standards for the industry. It forms part of DrinkTech Africa, which is appearing for the first time on Africa's Big Seven (AB7), the food and beverage trade show on 25-27 July 2010 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand. It showcases all the products, equipment, technologies, raw materials and ingredients available in the beverage industry. For more details go to www.exhibitionsafrica.com.African Fashion Week awards design talent Africa Fashion Week drew to a glamorous close at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on Monday night, 5 July 2010, when the leading lights in the fashion industry were recognized at the second annual African Fashion Awards. Read more >>Green sustainabilityHealth & SafetyChina seizes melamine-tainted milk powder BEIJING, CHINA: Chinese authorities have seized 76 tonnes of milk powder tainted with the same chemical responsible for the deaths of six babies two years ago, state media said on Friday, 9 July 2010. Read more >>HospitalityManufacturingLife after the CupAccording to Coface, which facilitates global business-to-business trade through credit insurance, factoring, ratings and business information and receivables management, the benefits of the 2010 FIFA World Cup will include a short-term cash injection into the economy and a net additional economic impact of 0.54% on the South African GDP. This will be limited to retail-related manufacturing and hospitality with beverages also benefiting. Read more >>PackagingNew multi-million Rand ERP system at Afripack divisionThe Afripack Consumer Flexibles division, which consists of five business units, was bought by Afripack in 2009. After evaluating its enterprise resource planning (ERP) requirements, the group decided to implement a suitably integrated system to achieve its business objectives. It has placed this multi-million Rand deal with Softworx, an EOH company and Infor reseller for the roll-out of Infor ERP Baan IV. Read more >>RegulatoryBetween labelling, advertising food packaging will change According to Irshaad Moidheen, associate in the commercial department at Garlicke & Bousfield Inc, the new regulations relating to the labelling and advertising of foodstuffs (R146 of 2010), when coupled with the Consumer Protection Act, may expose manufacturers to both civil and criminal liability. Read more >>Consumer Protection Act should not affect good governance companies"Companies already complying with the principles of good corporate governance contained in the King Report on Corporate Governance (King III) shouldn't have anything to worry about," says Natasha Bouwman, supervisor at the Institute of Directors of Southern Africa's (IoDSA) Centre for Corporate Governance. She was commenting on the final enactment of the new Consumer Protection Act, due to kick in on 24 October 2010, which has some companies in a flap about potentially huge claims over substandard products. Read more >>ResearchMobile vouchers could prove popularUsing a cross section of Shoprite and Checkers customers in what was reportedly the first mobile voucher study undertaken in South Africa, over 68% of participants said they are very interested in receiving mobile vouchers. The other interesting insight from the research is that consumers do not want spam on their phones; they want vouchers and coupons that are targeted, relevant to them and asked for specifically. Read more >>Retail marketingMaking the most of the massive publicity [Chris Moerdyk: @chrismoerdyk] In the past five weeks, South Africa has received more positive publicity than in all of the 358 years since Jan van Riebeeck set foot on our shores and made the front page of the Rotterdam Reckord. Hopefully, the country's big brands, its media and its politicians will have a long hard look at their marketing strategies and the impact that this new energy will have on them. Read more >>SA's Willowton Oil rebrands Zim products[Dumisani Ndlela] South Africa's Willowton Oil has launched an advertising campaign in Zimbabwe for its rebranded products, which remain popular in the country market because of their superior packaging and low prices. Read more >>RAC Lite hits SA in AugustFollowing the success of Caxton and CTP Publishers & Printers' RAC Lite, a one day version of the American Retail Advertising Conference which the stable brought to South Africa in 2008, marketers and advertisers can look forward to the second edition in August 2010. Read more >>RetailersSupply chainFarmers' chance to sow their stuff The 2010 Young Farmer of the Year competition, which has Toyota South Africa as a partner with Agri South Africa, has announced that this year it will award a Hilux bakkie to the winner of the competition. The competition is the culmination of nine provincial competitions in which farmers aged between 18 and 35 compete. Read more >>Technology
Long-term health of UK pub industry still in doubt LONDON, UK: Restaurants (the restaurant category includes restaurants and catering companies), although recuperating, remain hooked up to the discounts drip though pub company insolvencies (the pub category includes nightclubs and bars) are down a third from the peak of the recession but fears of further Government spending cuts, potential interest rate rises, and a reduction in discretionary spend could slow recovery - causing a further wave of restructuring and insolvency. Read more >>Contactless payments - just hype?Much hyped contactless payments may be a long way off from becoming the norm in the UK despite trials by retailer Boots ahead of a potential roll out at their till points nationwide, finds Datamonitor. Read more >>Samsung goes for 3D TV projection AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS: Now that flat-screen, wide-screen digital TVs have almost become the standard choice of set, the next big innovation in home viewing has to be 3D. Competition in this category is fierce, and with technology advances taking place at breakneck speed, it is important for brands to grab their consumer's attention with increasingly eye-catching launches. Read more >>BuzzCity announces partnership with MediaMind LONDON, UK: BuzzCity, one of the world's leading mobile advertising networks, with over 2500 publishers across the globe, announced today, 12 July 2010, its partnership with MediaMind, a leading provider of campaign management and agency ad-serving solutions. The partnership integrates Buzzcity's Mobile Internet Advertising into MediaMind's Channel Connect for Mobile. Read more >>European green fleet set to thrive[Published by Datamonitor] LONDON, UK: The share of 'green' vehicles in the European car parc will increase from 2.3% in 2009 to 3.2% in 2015, Datamonitor has predicted in a new report*. Read more >>May 2010 US mobile subscriber market share RESTON, US: comScore, Inc yesterday, 8 July 2010, released data from the comScore MobiLens service, reporting key trends in the US mobile phone industry during the three-month average period ending May 2010 compared to the preceding three-month average. The data reveal Google's Android platform continues to snatch smartphone market share. Read more >>Draftfcb launches Institute of Decision Making CHICAGO, US: Draftfcb, one of the world's leading marketing communications agencies, announced on 7 July 2010 further steps to enhance its ability to influence consumer behaviour by launching the Draftfcb Institute of Decision Making. Read more >>Ring of truth - automated phone systems top UK list of financial service frustrations LONDON, UK: It's a complaint with a familiar ring to it, and now Mintel's latest research confirms that automated telephone systems are the nation's number one financial service irritation. Indeed, when asked what annoys them most about their dealings with financial services firms, over half (56%) of Brits rank automated phone systems as the number one cause of frustration. Meanwhile, overseas call centres (53%) and constant attempts to sell additional products (29%) make up the top three complaints regarding the financial services sector. Read more >>Children see more fast food TV ads, fewer sweets and beverage ads - studyChildren saw fewer television advertisements for certain foods, including those for sweets and beverages, in 2007 compared with 2003, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the September print issue of Archives of Paediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. However, children now see more fast-food ads, and racial gaps in exposure to all food advertising have increased. Read more >>Restaurant encourages diners to eat green When trying to communicate information about the environment to consumers, it often pays to relate big picture ideas to every day relevant situations. Carbon footprints have become the new yard-stick by which we measure our impact on the planet, and while many people might not understand the calculations behind the measurement, most people would be generally aware that the smaller the footprint, the better. Read more >>Global mobile advertising industry grows by 61% in Q2 SINGAPORE: BuzzCity, the global mobile media company, on 6 July 2010 released the results of its Global Mobile Advertising Index for Q2 2010, with South Africa in fourth place, sporting an impressive 65% increase in ad banners served, while Kenya reported a massive 243% increase for the period. The Kenya growth, while impressive was the third largest growth percentage after Vietnam, which reported a 273% increase. Meanwhile Ghana showed a massive 654% growth rate, although it was off a low base. Read more >>World Cup victories boost workplace productivity MADRID, SPAIN/JOHANNESBURG, SA: According to a European SMB survey released on 6 July 2010, victory for the Dutch or Spanish in the 2010 FIFA World Cup could be the most desirable for Europe - in purely economic terms! Read more >>Cup sponsors recover from competitor 'ambushes' [Mark St Andrew, creamglobal.com] LONDON, UK/JOHANNESBURG, SA: The official World Cup sponsors have recovered from competitor ambushes, such as Nike's popular football viral, during the first two weeks of the tournament, according to a new report. Read more >>Boot camp prepares university students for the real world LONDON, UK: British university students will be able to prepare for harsh realities of the real world when they enter summer boot camp with UK's top graduate employer. Read more >>More International news...
Retail marketingResearch reveals overwhelming consumer interest in mobile vouchers - MobilitrixIn an independent survey undertaken on behalf of Mobilitrix and Shoprite, over 68% of participants said they are "very interested" in receiving mobile vouchers. The sample of data was taken from a cross section of Shoprite and Checkers customers in the first ever mobile voucher study of its kind undertaken in South Africa. Read more >>Retail servicesElectronic 'pied pipers' not pulling them in, claim pest control agencies - RentokilPlug-in pest control systems seem to be popular because of clever marketing rather than performance. A newspaper advertisement in The Citizen of 5 June and accompanying text hailing a new Australian import as "the new pied piper in town" was greeted with doubtful smiles from the local pest controlling industry. Read more >>
  More
World Travel Awards announces winners amid World Cup festivities [Ilva Pieterse] Various members of the travel industry from all over the world gathered together at the Sandton Convention Centre on 7 July, 2010, to be a part of the 17th annual World Travel Awards (Africa and Indian Ocean) Ceremony. Read more >>Celebrating our heritage [Brian Berkman: contributing editor, travel] Two Cape properties celebrating different parts of our heritage, The Dutch Manor and Constantia Woods, are linked by the passion their owning families have for collecting and restoration. Read more >>Tanz Café aims for the stars [Ilva Pieterse] The new month started with a bang as Tanz Café officially opened its new venue in Fourways on Thursday, 1 July, 2010. Prime Circle helped draw the crowds in - although I don't think much urging was needed. Many loyal Tanz fans (from its rocking Bryanston days) were there as well as new. Read more >>More BizLounge news...
"The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work." - Oprah Winfrey "The point to remember about selling things is that, as well as creating atmosphere and excitement around your products, you've got to know what you're selling." - Stuart Wilde "If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space." - Anonymous "What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent van Gogh "To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business, and your business in your heart." - Thomas Watson, Sr. Print - Print any item in this newsletter.
Email - Email any item in this newsletter. Comment - Comment on any item in this newsletter.  |
Advertisement:
 Advertisement:
|
