 2 Aug 2010 |
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Three cheers
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
RetailFamous Brands acquires Giramundo Quick service restaurant (QSR) franchise group Famous Brands today, Monday 2 August 2010, announced that after a decade-long search, it has finally secured its entry into the mainstream chicken category, with the acquisition of a peri peri flame grilled chicken offering Giramundo. The transaction is effective 1 August. Read more >>Mr Advertiser, can you reach me? [Yvonne Johnston] I am a marketer's dream, an "ideal" and much sought-after target market - I am educated, with a high disposable income. But the advertisers keep missing me. Perhaps they'd want to read on... Read more >>Raise a glass in memory of Graham Beck Graham Beck, a pioneering South African wine producer, social philanthropist and the owner of Graham Beck Wines, passed in the early hours of Tuesday morning, 27 July 2010, in London after a battle with lung cancer. He was 80 years old. Read more >>AssociationsSouth African brandies are gold The International Wine & Spirits Challenge (IWSC) 'Spirit' award winners were announced in London last week, with South Africa doing exceptionally well in the 'Brandy' class, sweeping up eight of the 10 Best in Class Gold medals. Read more >>Banking & FinanceBrand newsClothing & Textiles'Retailers to blame' for closing of Seardel unit[Bekezela Phakathi] The South African clothing industry has been dealt another heavy blow by the news that clothing manufacturer Seardel Group is planning to close down its Intimate Apparel division in Cape Town due in part to what unions have said was "the refusal by Woolworths to improve the prices it paid" for merchandise. Read more >>More job losses in garment industry spark calls for trade blocks [Renato Palmi] A further 800 garment makers from Seardel may soon be retrenched because the company says it cannot compete with cheap imports, the erosion of the industry due to unscrupulous business operations that under invoice and bring in illegal apparel as well as its inability to produce due to the technical complexity of bra manufacturing. Read more >>Commercial propertyMusgrave Centre gets renovation, parking system Anchored by Pick n Pay and Woolworths, Musgrave Centre in Berea, Durban, last received an updated look in 1994 but it is now beginning a R140 million revamp, starting in the ex-Stuttafords area this month. Completion is planned for winter of 2011. Read more >>Corporate Social InvestmentExhibitionsRefresh, revive, renew at AFI The premier fashion show, African Fashion International (AFI) Cape Town Fashion Week will showcase its spring/summer ready-to-wear collections at the CTICC under the theme is 'Refresh, Revive, Renew' from 12-14 August 2010. Read more >>Soweto Festival becomes expo, gets new sponsor The Wholesale and Retail Sector Education and Training Authority (W&R SETA) has taken up the platinum sponsorship and naming rights to the Soweto Festival, replacing the City of Johannesburg whose three-year sponsorship ended in 2009. The event, to be known as the Soweto Festival Expo, will run from 23-26 September 2010 at the University of Johannesburg, Soweto Campus. Read more >>FranchisingFranchising for petrol stations The National Empowerment Fund (NEF) has made R50 million available in affordable loans to suitable BEE candidates who will be identified within a period of two years. Engen, in turn, will provide the financial surety and the business support necessary for the new members of its retail service station network to thrive. This joint initiative was launched yesterday, 27 July 2010 and is aimed at increasing black entrepreneurial ownership of Engen service stations. Read more >>HospitalityImport/ExportNew customs system to improve service, securityThe South African Revenue Service (SARS) will from October begin using a new and modernised programme when dealing with customs. Read more >>Intervention on rand will strike at poor[Gareth Ackerman] It may well be that intervention against strength in the rand could in the short-term boost South Africa's export sector, but this benefit would be considerably outweighed by its effect on inflation - which will only bring further disadvantage to the poor. Read more >>SA has potential to up exports to JapanSouth Africa has the potential to increase exports to Japan, the July TradeProbe of the National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC) reported today, Wednesday 28 July 2010. Read more >>ManufacturingPPI rises to 9.4% in JuneThe Producer Price Index (PPI) rose to 9.4% in June 2010, 2.6% higher than the 6.8% recorded in May, according to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). Read more >>PackagingBacksberg teams up with Pnp for local PET launch Last week Pick n Pay announced that it was the first retailer to offer wines in Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottles, joining forces with Backsberg for the launch of Tread Lightly Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc, which will be available exclusively at selected Pick n Pay stores in the Western Cape. New oxygen barrier technology makes it possible to achieve a significantly longer shelf life, making PET ideal for wine products. Read more >>Bad outlook for water good for bottling industryWhilst the future of our water supply may be bleak in light of increasing consumption, the outlook for the bottled water industry is very positive. This is according to Dr Anthony Turton, who delivered the keynote address at the South African National Bottled Water Association's 'Bottled Water Business' Conference yesterday, 27 July 2010, as part of Africa's Big Seven Food and Beverage Trade Show (AB7) at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand. Read more >>Nampak Denver receives ISO certification The Nampak Cartons & Labels Gauteng (Denver) plant joins other plants in the group in receiving the ISO 22000 food safety certification, establishing the company as one of South Africa's cleanest and therefore safest producers of lithographic and gravure printed folding cartons for the Food packaging market. Read more >>RegulatoryWHO proposals will hit tobacco industry hard[Shannon Sherry] The World Health Organisation's plan to ban ingredients used in making blended cigarettes has been greeted by howls of outrage from the tobacco industry. Read more >>SAA faces probe over cargo price-fixing [Julius Baumann] South African Airways (SAA) and seven foreign airlines could face penalties equivalent to 10% of their local revenue after the Competition Commission referred a case of collusion and price-fixing in the air cargo market to the Competition Tribunal yesterday, 29 July 2010. Read more >>Local consumer law has widespread ramificationsSouth Africa's new Consumer Protection Act has worldwide implications. Read more >>ResearchMobile internet shopping growing A new global survey from KPMG has found that despite major concerns over privacy and data security, people around the world are rapidly adopting the mobile internet as an easy and convenient method of carrying out everyday transactions including banking and shopping. Read more >>Power of OOH underestimatedPrimedia Unlimited and TNS Research Surveys earlier this week released the research results of message recall on out of home (OOH) advertising in two major shopping centres. Read more >>Retail marketingBootlegger at RAC Lite 2010 A new speaker has been confirmed for the RAC Lite 2010, being held on 24 August 2010 at Johannesburg's Theatre on the Track and 26 August at Lord Charles in Somerset West, Cape Town. Read more >>Power of on-pack promotion [Stephen Beattie] Research conducted by Fix-A-Form International in the UK shows that 60% of all buying decisions are made in store, influenced by the appearance of the product, gifts, discounts or competitions, which are all promoted on-pack. Read more >>RetailersSupply chainTechnologyRedesigning the web so consumers benefit [Herman Manson: @marklives] Broadly speaking, consumers find the online experience disappointing - embarrassingly so, according to Andy Budd, a founding partner and MD of UK-based user experience agency Clearleft. In fact, we only take the treatment we receive online as we do because we have come to expect so little, says Budd, who'll be a speaker at the Tech4Africa conference being held in Johannesburg, 12-13 August 2010. Read more >>
Consumer confidence in the UK drops again LONDON, UK: The GfK NOP Consumer Confidence Index dropped by three points in July to -22. This is the fifth month in a row that we have seen the overall confidence level drop. July saw decreases for confidence in their personal financial situation over the next 12 months, confidence in the "general economy" over the last 12 months and confidence in the "general economy" in the next 12 months. Read more >>Cabbie-oke shakes up the image SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: Some established brands occasionally need to shake up their image to ensure that the younger generation continue the buying habits of their parents. Read more >>German food retail industry in price war NUREMBERG, GERMANY: Only a few product groups in the German food retail industry are subject to a genuine price war. This is the finding of a joint survey conducted by GfK Panel Services and SAP Germany. Read more >>Consumers use online banking - but not to pay bills CHICAGO, US: Mintel Comperemedia, a service that provides direct marketing competitive intelligence, found that 45% of adults with access to the Internet have bypassed their banks' online bill payment service and go directly to the biller's website instead. Read more >>More International news...
Brand newsTea made easy with Pillsbury Scone Mix - General Mills The popularity of having tea and scones in the afternoon has spread throughout the world, and even in South Africa establishments offer 'Afternoon Tea' or the fancier 'High Tea' to their guests. Pillsbury Scone Mix offers bakers convenience and easy preparation in the production of scrumptious and fluffy scones. Read more >>ExhibitionsBaby City all set to bring magic to The Baby Expo Durban again - The Baby Expo - MamaMagic For the fourth year running Baby City has signed up as the headline sponsor for this year's The Baby Expo MamaMagic at the Durban ICC 27-29 August. With 1100m² of retail store space at the show, an even greater growth than last year is expected, according to MD for Baby City, Michel Aronoff. Read more >>Retail marketingDelight your audience with a TollReach Spring FRESH! activation - TollReach From 23 September around 300 000 vehicles are expected to travel towards holiday destinations across the country for a much needed break. TollReach can provide you with the opportunity to put your brand in their hands, while they have the time to interact with your message and have the funds to respond to your communication. Read more >>
Spark to light up the market [Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] General Motors South Africa has turned up the competition heat in the small city car market with the addition of two full-house versions of its popular Chevrolet Spark. Read more >>New Corolla has class and style [Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] Being a superstitious gambler and a firm believer in Lady Luck and all her omens I will in future choose only one make of car for my next trip to a larney private game lodge - and that would just have to be one of the newly face-lifted Toyota Corolla models. Read more >>More Motoring news...
Goths, obsessed fans and dangerous dancing in aKing's latest music vid [Ruth Cooper] It was with some trepidation that I watched aKing's latest music video "Against All Odds", as a previous unfavourable music video review of mine got me in a fair amount of trouble from disgruntled directors and fans. Luckily, this time, aKing seem to back on form and have created a quirky and fun video that seems a much better reflection of the band. Read more >>Laugh a minute [Gwen Watkins] The Nando's Jozi Comedy Festival opened last night, Monday 26 July 2010, at the Teatro in Montecasino and audiences left holding their sides from a two-hour comedy workout that spared no one in its biting satirical moments. From the moment, Jonathon Arons of the US opened with his trombone act, the audience knew it was at the 'United Nations of Comedy'. Read more >>Shirley Adams goes the distance [Zeenat Ebrahim] Shirley Adams is a local production directed by Oliver Hermanus starring Denise Newman as the lead. The film won the best feature film award at the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAS) held at the State Theatre in Pretoria on 20 Feburary. Hermanus also picked up the best director award and his lead actress Denise Newman the best actress award. Read more >>More BizLounge news...
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