 20 Sep 2010 |
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Giving credit where it's due...South Africa led the way when it comes to protecting the consumer from lenders, and it also led the way when it comes to protecting the consumer from himself or herself. What is more, the South African financial sector is among the best when it comes to regulation and financial discipline.
So it comes as no surprise when one hears that only now, some time after SA, that far more advanced economies, such as the US and the UK, are looking at legislation to do, in many ways, pretty much what our National Credit Act does. The wake-up call was, of course, the global recession, when companies and individuals went to the wall, but why? Everyone with half a brain cell knows that economies follow cycles and as sure as God made little green apples, high interest rates will follow low. Perhaps we have all learned something and will keep our credit liabilities down and put that idea of the new Ferrari on hold for a year or two. Or will we? Come the next recession, don't die of surprise if we see the same thing happen all over again. Rod Baker, General Manager: Content Please send retail news to: retailnews@bizcommunity.com Responses to this column welcomed in our new online editor's column archive. Top stories
AssociationsSouth African is new chair of Institute of Masters of Wine The London-based Institute of Masters of Wine has appointed Cape Town-born Lynne Sherriff as its new chair. Read more >>Banking & FinanceThe changing face of consumer credit The impact of credit and the over indebtedness of consumers in developed economies has received significant focus globally due to the recent recession led by the credit crisis. Despite the fact that the recession has officially ended, consumer lobby groups and the media have been critical of fees, interest rates and practices applied by lenders. Read more >>Eco-friendly insurance Ibuyeco, underwritten by Dial Direct Insurance, is offering what is reportedly the first eco-friendly insurance policy which enables people to make a practical contribution to help tackle climate change insurance, while insuring their car and home. Read more >>Postbank becomes fully-fledged bank Postbank, currently a division of the South African Post Office, becomes a fully-fledged bank encouraging and attracting savings amongst rural and lower income communities of South Africa, following the National Assembly's approval of the South African Postbank Limited Bill. Read more >>BankservAfrica to process Nedbank cheques BankservAfrica, the automated payment clearing house, will process a component of Nedbank's cheque operations, under a new agreement made between the two companies. Read more >>Brand news'Naughty fantasies' from Cadbury A new Deliciously Dark addition to the Bournville threesome, Caramel Crisp, is a little bit sweet, a little bit bitter and deliciously dark and is being launched with a campaign to appeal to women's naughty fantasies. Read more >>Advertisement:
 Wolfman goes for Magnum To celebrate its first ever golden ice cream on a stick, Magnum has teamed up with the Academy award and Golden Globe winning actor, Benicio Del Toro and Hollywood film director, Bryan Singer, to deliver a 360-degree campaign, including TV and outdoor advertising, PR, on-pack and digital promotions for its new range Magnum Gold?! Read more >>Knorhoek proud of latest Cabernet Knorhoek, a Stellenbosch wine farm known for its Cabernet Sauvignons, is celebrating its 10th year of this particular varietal with the latest release of the 2007 vintage, which is said to show 'remarkable finesse, flavour intensity and great ageing potential'. Read more >>Brand your fleet Clarion Moving Media division, which opened on 1 September 2010, is directed at the vehicle and fleet branding market, underlining the importance of this section of the market to its parent company, Clarion Printed Products. Read more >>Rooibos launches a wheel with taste South African researchers have developed a flavour and mouth-feel wheel with 27 descriptive attributes for rooibos - 20 flavour and seven taste and mouth-feel descriptors. This will be a practical tool to facilitate communication among rooibos producers, processors, grading experts, marketers, flavour houses, importers and consumers. Read more >>Two Oceans get international, local thumbs up The Two Oceans wines offered in the US, consistently earn A+ ratings in Robert Parker's widely read Wine Advocate with the publication even calling for other producers to follow its example of excellence at affordable prices. Read more >>Perdeberg Winery gains international appeal Perdeberg Winery did exceptionally well at the recent International Michelangelo Awards 2010, winning a Double gold for their Rex Equus Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, a Silver for the new Rex Equus 2009 (a blend between Shiraz -30%, Cabernet Franc 30%, Petit Verdot 30%, Malbec 10%) and another Silver for the Pinotage Reserve 2009. Read more >>TVG invests in Africa TVG, the South African-based travel and leisure ownership company, has recently acquired a major stake in the African Vacation Club and The Lake Langano Resort in Ethiopia. Read more >>First-time candidate earns top 10 best employer position Medical technology company Becton Dickinson (BD SA) made it into the coveted top 10 of the South African Best Employers 2010/11 survey. Read more >>Platinum Group is a Best Employer for 2010/11 From hundreds of organisations, The Platinum Group is one of only 55 that were certified as a Best Employer in 2010/11. This means The Platinum Group achieved an international standard in HR and talent management and is therefore recognised as a Best Employer by the CRF Institute. Read more >>Distell 'wins for the country' Of the eight South African white wine Gold medallists on the show this year, five came from the Distell portfolio. They include the Nederburg Winemaker's Reserve Noble Late Harvest 2009, which also won the IWC trophy for top Western Cape botrytised wine; three Fleur du Cap wines : both the 2008 and 2009 vintages of Noble Late Harvest, as well as the brand's Unfiltered Semillon 2009; and the Lomond Pincushion Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2009. Read more >>KWV wine shines at awardsThe Winemakers' Choice Awards, described as the only competition in South Africa to be judged exclusively by winemakers, awards a diamond-shaped award to approximately 10% of entrants to the competition. Read more >>Clothing & TextilesOnline fashion shoot premieres soonLocal online fashion retailer, 36Boutiques.com commissioned South African born, international photographer Kevin Mackintosh to create a 36-hour photographic shoot on the Dwarskersbos and on location in a Cape Town based studio to create a new homepage. Mackintosh partnered with Daryl Macgregor to showcase pieces from South African designers such as Kluk CGDT, David Tlale, Craig Port, Abigail Betz and Stefania Morland. To view the collection, go to www.36boutiques.com and become a member.Davies launches new clothing and textile programme Trade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies on yesterday, 14 September 2010, launched the Clothing and Textile Competitiveness Programme (CTCP) and its core funding mechanism, the Production Incentive (PI), aimed at restructuring South Africa's clothing and textiles sector. Read more >>Commercial propertySAPOA appoints new president Samuel Ogbu, currently CEO of Liberty Group Properties, has been appointed as the new SAPOA (South African Property Owners Association) president. Read more >>Property developer uses CRMBradford McCormack & Associates (BMA), one of the top corporate property service providers in South Africa, has installed Sage CRM from Softline Accpac business partner, AccTech Systems. Read more >>Finding the right home for your BPO operation [Steve Rennie] The announcement by Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, that it would be opening a customer service centre in Cape Town in October has put South Africa firmly on the map as a preferred location for business process outsourcing (BPO). Read more >>Corporate Social InvestmentShout campaign gets Pick n Pay donation As part of its fight against crime, Pick n Pay has donated R100 000 to the Shout campaign. The contribution will be ploughed into key crime prevention, crime fighting and rehabilitation initiatives. Read more >>Standard Bank cycles for kids Standard Bank is once again sponsoring Cycle for Kids, an annual event in which volunteers cycle from Johannesburg to Durban to better the lives of children in need. The event will begin on 13 October, 2010. Read more >>Christmas comes early for TakalaniVillage Walk Shopping Centre management team visited Takalani Home for the Mentally Disabled based in Diepkloof, Soweto on 31 August, 2010. The visit was to surprise the patients with a donation of a foosball table and a R1000 PnP voucher as an early Christmas gift. Read more >>It's a Goodyear - picking up the trash Goodyear tyre company is reportedly the only manufacturer to provide streamed waste collection bins in the Eastern Cape that facilitate recycling and generate funds that are ploughed directly back into needy community projects. Globally, the company aims for 'zero waste to landfill' and 'zero harmful emissions' in its tyre manufacturing processes. Read more >>CRMTracking promisesIn November 2009, Blake, an outsourced contact centre provider offering inbound and outbound contact services on behalf of clients, identified a need for a business intelligence (BI) tool - initially to track statistics in its outbound operations (collections and sales). "To improve efficiencies, we wanted to analyse certain key metrics," says Janet McFarlane, Blake BI executive. Read more >>DistributionGarmin concept store opens in Joburg Garmin Distribution Africa has officially opened its first concept store in South Africa, giving customers the opportunity to view and explore Garmin's extensive range of products at their leisure. Read more >>Exhibitions & EventsSloane's on a mission for SA kids Top UK children's presenter Sid Sloane is on a mission to get South Africa's children eating healthily. Read more >>FNB Whisky Live Festival tickets on sale now Tickets for the 2010 FNB Whisky Live Festival are now on sale and to get yours, simply go to www.whiskylivefestival.co.za and connect to Webtickets. Read more >>Sandton City offers fashion, beauty previewMasterCard Style Week, in partnership with Elle, will take place from 30 September to 3 October 2010 in Sandton City, offering previews of fashion and beauty looks for summer 2010, giveaways, prizes and discounts from participating retailers including Aldo, Fendi, Guess, Lacoste, Lancôme, Levisons, Mango, Marion and Lindie, Nine West and Salvatore Ferragamo. Read more >>Eat, drink and be merry - at GFWS Time for Joburgers to eat, drink and be merry, for the Good Food & Wine Show is back at the Coca-Cola Dome from 23-26 September 2010. Read more >>Green sustainabilityAgency renames to encompass green values MGM Brand Construction & Advertising has renamed itself human.kind to fulfil its new mission statement to become South Africa's first earthly conscious advertising agency; one that doesn't just pay lip service but delivers on its functional promise. Read more >>HospitalityZachary's wins top awards Zachary's Restaurant at Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa, Knysna, received a Diamond Award and a joint award for the best wine list countrywide from the 2010 Diners Club Winelist Awards, earlier this week in Cape Town. Read more >>Informal retailingFood Market celebrates successful yearThe KwaZulu-Natal based, Food Market, situated in Durban North, celebrates its first year of business with a birthday market will be on Saturday 25 September 2010 from 8am to 2pm at the Hellenic Community Centre. During its first year, it has been named Winner of the Outstanding Outlet - Market, East Region from the Eat In SA Produce Awards in association with Wesgro and won a gold award for its stand at the 2010 House and Garden Show. For more information, go to www.thefoodmarket.co.za.ResearchRetail business confidence surgesBusiness confidence among retailers surged by 14 index points - from 38 to 52 - during the third quarter of 2010, a survey by the Bureau for Economic Research (BER) found. Read more >>ROOTS 2010 shows convenience counts The Newspaper Advertising Bureau (NAB) and Caxton / CTP's recently launched urban retail and readership survey, ROOTS 2010 has reinforced what NAB has been sharing for years - that regardless of race, income or LSM, buyers shop close to home. Read more >>Coming soon: TNS study... Consumers' views on private labels A ground breaking study by TNS Research Surveys to understand consumers' attitudes towards private label brands is due out in November 2010. Read more >>2010: Cape Town retailers upbeat The experience of the Soccer World Cup has left retailers in central Cape Town overwhelmingly supportive of future large-scale events, in spite of being almost equally divided on whether the soccer World Cup meant an increase in revenue, or if the event made no difference to their bottom line. Read more >>Retail marketingCap Classique challenge results, sponsorship Speaking at the celebratory awards function announcing the results of the 2010 Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge in Somerset West on 16 September 2010, Joachim Sa, MD of Amorim Cork SA said his company's investment in the event since its inception nine years ago had been "very valuable" and he confirmed its ongoing support and sponsorship of Wine magazine's annual event. Read more >>Tooth brushing activation gets results Zinto Marketing Group targeted various supermarkets with in-store activations as well as several Aquafresh activity stands at malls and strip malls over a three month period, taking the brand directly to the shopper and consumer. This was part of the brand's key phase in its on-going shopper and consumer campaign. Read more >>Women's cycle team gets winning manager Looking for a fresh challenge this year, John Robertson, who conceptualised, established, owned and managed Barloworld, the first team with South African connections to compete at the Tour de France, has taken on the considerable challenge of women's cycling through the formation of Team bizhub. Read more >>RetailersSecurityDatatec acquires Biodata In a strategic acquisition, the international ICT group Datatec has acquired niche South African security specialist company Biodata IT SA. The business will be merged into Westcon SA's security division. Read more >>Kaspersky Lab, Microsoft close new 'zero-day' vulnerability MOSCOW, RUSSIA: Kaspersky Lab has announced that it has co-operated with Microsoft in successfully closing a serious vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. Read more >>TechnologyMWEB Business launches uncapped and bonded VPNIT business connectivity and solutions provider MWEB Business has extended its range of ADSL-based VPN (virtual private network) products to include uncapped VPN and bonded VPN access options that are designed to reduce the cost of VPN connectivity significantly. Read more >>TrainingThe most vexing problem confronting sales [Peter Gilbert] In an increasingly commoditised and transparent global environment, it is becoming harder and harder for companies to maintain their profit margins selling traditional products and services. Well-established businesses are finding that product/service-based differentiation is more costly and difficult to maintain than ever before, and the resulting product differences are increasingly less meaningful. Read more >>
LogisticsIMPERIAL Logistics scores hat-trick at PMR Awards - IMPERIAL Logistics IMPERIAL Logistics received several PMR Awards, with member companies, The Cold Chain and TFD Network Africa having received the Silver Arrow and Bronze Arrow Awards respectively. Read more >>HML Transport Consultants makes IMPERIAL Logistics connection - IMPERIAL LogisticsBroco Transport Consultants, a member of the IMPERIAL Logistics Group, has acquired a majority stake in Western Cape-based transport broker, HM Trust, renowned for its logistics expertise in the commodity and fresh produce sectors. A new company, HML Transport Consultants has been formed. Read more >>
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Used car buying patterns change There has been a major shift in buying patterns in the used car market in South Africa. Whereas auctions have traditionally played a huge role, with many buyers bidding for their dream wheels, more and more motorists are now switching to buying off the retail floor. Read more >>More Motoring news...
A glimpse into the life of Einstein [Michael Britton] David Muller's one-man play, Imagining Einstein, is currently on at the Kalk Bay Theatre. Muller's play is a glimpse into the life of Albert Einstein, arguably the most famous scientist of the last century. It touches on his work and his personal life, covering the period from his early working life in a patents office to his last years as a professor at Princeton. Read more >>Long distance laughs [Patricia Pieterse] I had no idea what to expect from Going the Distance. I hadn't heard very much about it, and while I like both Drew Barrymore and Justin Long, they were both in the very disappointing He's Just Not That Into You. Read more >>Chad Saaiman, Byron Clarke release debut videos [Evan-Lee Courie] Recently I had the privilege to attend the launch of not one, but two music videos. That of Chad Saaiman and Byron Clarke, who were both SAMA-nominated artists in 2009 and 2010 respectively. Saaiman's first single, Thinking About You off his second album The Flight, which is to be released in the near future and Clarke's The Rain from his debut album was launched at Living Room in Cape Town. Read more >>Jackie Chan is the new Miyagi [Zeenat Ebrahim] Martial arts films have always gained my preference and Jackie Chan couldn't have been a better choice for a remake of the renowned 1984-film, The Karate Kid with Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio) and Mr Miyagi (Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita). Read more >>More BizLounge news...
Petersburg Quartet tour to bring more than music to South Africans Local couple Andre and Elzabé du Toit are hosting Russian acapella group Petersburg Quartet in a South African tour from 29 September to 21 October 2010.
"All men by nature desire knowledge." - Aristotle "It is a fine thing to have ability, but the ability to discover ability in others is the true test." - Elbert Hubbard "If we knew what we were doing it wouldn't be research." - Albert Einstein "The real secret to success is enthusiasm." - Walter Chrysler "Bargain... anything a customer thinks a store is losing money on." - Kin Hubbard Print - Print any item in this newsletter.
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