Global labour coalition challenges Wal-Mart bid

A global coalition of labour on Monday, 17 January 2011, said in a statement that it attended both the Massmart shareholders meeting on Monday and a worker demonstration outside the meeting. Read more >>

Understanding pricing

[Tim J Smith] Pricing is no longer a purely economic challenge to be addressed through studies of market elasticity. It can't be solved by lowering prices until customers' purchases improve factory utilization rates and it can't be solved by allocating costs and adding mark-ups. Rather, pricing today must be focused on value exchange. Read more >>

NCR urges consumers to borrow responsibly

According to the National Credit Regulator (NCR), South Africans need to consider whether they need to take on loans by reviewing responsible borrowing. Read more >>

New CEO for LG Electronics South Africa

LG Electronics South Africa has appointed a new CEO, J.M Lee, as part of a global restructuring of the international group's operations aimed at boosting sales, driving innovation and reducing costs, the company announced Thursday, 13 January 2011. Lee replaces the previous CEO, Peet van Rooyen. Read more >>

BMW tops luxury sales

Earlier this week, the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) released its annual automobile sales result earlier this which positioned BMW South Africa as the country's top-selling luxury car brand in 2010. Read more >>

Rival food firms plan to expand capacity

[Sure Kamhunga] Rival food companies Tiger Brands and Pioneer Foods plan to spend more than R3,5bn to expand capacity, according to the chairmen of the two firms. Read more >>

New MD for adidas

Effective from 1 January 2011, Winand Krawinkel, became the new MD for adidas South Africa. Before joining adidas, he worked for Sony, as well as the FIFA Marketing AG where he was MD. Read more >>

Wool prices soar to record levels

Wool prices soared to a record high at the first sale after the Christmas recess. A total of 14,189 bales were offered of which 98% was sold. Read more >>

Machanik employees restricted

[Sachia Temkin] About 300 estate agents working for leading estate agent Wendy Machanik Properties cannot receive commission for any transactions concluded this year. Read more >>

Invest in UK property

According to Broll investment broker, David Adams, direct UK commercial property is now a more viable investment option for South African investors, as the new exchange control allowance has been increased to R4 million per year for South Africans. Read more >>

New student design show at Cavendish Square

FEDISA students, who have been creating designer outfits in keeping with this year's theme of 'Larger than Life' for the J&B Met, will have their work showcased in a show featuring top local and international models, co-ordinated and choreographed by one of South Africa's leading fashion show producers, Karen Burt from Planet Productions. Read more >>

Greenpeace ranks 'greenest' electronics

LAS VEGAS, USA: Environmental group Greenpeace handed out grades on Thursday, 6 January 2011, to what it said were the world's "greenest" consumer electronics makers, as the annual gadget industry trade show opened here on Thursday. Read more >>

What are you eating?

[Nivashni Nair] Diners need to know exactly what goes into their meals at restaurants if they are to make healthy choices. Read more >>

Hospitality industry coins it

[Nivashni Nair] As the last of the festive season holiday-makers left Durban and Cape Town, the hospitality industry was left with heavy pockets. Read more >>

Sweet new taste of Cape Town nightlife

Cape Town has its own Sugarhut Club, featuring themed bar areas, laid-back lounges and fusion food, which has opened in the East City Precinct. Taking inspiration from the UK-based franchise of the same name, it comprises a series of individually themed zones open from Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm. Read more >>

South Africa becomes full member of BRIC

Brazil, Russian Federation, India and China (BRIC) has invited South Africa to join them as a full member. This is seen as an affirmation of the country's status as part of the dynamic evolving world economy and it is expected to boost investment and trade opportunities for the country, as it has done for the other four states comprising the informal grouping. Read more >>

Estate agency sector faces widespread probe

[Thabang Mokopanele] A countrywide investigation will probe 5826 estate agencies and 27769 estate agents as the Estate Agency Affairs Board throws its net wider in ensuring that firms and individuals are operating above board. Read more >>

Retail growth forecast of 3.4%

Prof Deon Tustin, executive research director of the Bureau of Market Research (BMR) at Unisa has released a report forecasting a 3.4% real growth rate for formal retail sales in 2011. This will be achieved within an expected economic growth rate of 3.5% in GDP for the economy as a whole. This implies that retail trade sales will amount to R605 796 million in 2011. Read more >>

Fewer retailers in the red: Deloitte

[Zeenat Moorad] The efforts of many companies to cut costs and adjust their inventory levels have paid off, with net profit across the top 250 retailers in the world increasing from 2.4% in 2008 to 3.1% in 2009, according to a report out on Thursday from Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (DTTL). Read more >>

Report highlights wastage in email marketing

The Bulk Email Deliverability Report South Africa 2011, released last month by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and research partners TouchBasePro and Email Connection, indicates that South African marketers are wasting up to 20% of the R500 million spent in 2009 on email and digital direct marketing. Read more >>

[2011 trends] The year of accountability

[Chris Moerdyk: @chrismoerdyk] From a marketing point of view, 2011 is destined to be the year of accountability, both in terms of the efficiency with which budgets are employed and perhaps, too, this year will see advertising agencies and their strategests finding it harder and harder to keep convincing their clients that the 30-second spot is still worthwhile, but that it makes sense to spend more money per minute producing TV commercials than it does to film expensive blockbuster movies such as Avatar. Read more >>

[2011 trends] Growth of real meaning, real-time value

[Mike Abel] My crystal ball is currently in for a service so I've had to rely on tea leaves. Rooibos this year, vs Aussie Ceylon. At a top level, my prediction is the ongoing growth of that which has real meaning. Not just a historic perspective on "meaning" but now including real-time value. Read more >>

[2011 trends] Social media's impact on youth marketing, media

[Bradley Maseko] Social networking and smartphones will play an all-important role in the youth marketing and media trends for 2011, as they have become part of the youth lifestyle and culture. The following trends will make it easy to see why they are and will continue to be a dominant force in the youth market for the year 2011 and beyond. Read more >>

[2011 trends] Brand trends for 2011

[Colleen Funkey] Trends can be likened to ocean waves, as a force of energy moving across the water, building in momentum and size until breaking and becoming one with the ocean, the norm. Much as the ocean, consumer values, attitudes and behaviours are in constant motion and, as marketers, we need to understand and predict these waves in order to respond and adjust so as to ride them and not be crushed because we didn't see them coming. Read more >>

[2011 trends] Self-service will increase as strategic priority during 2011

[Kevin Meltzer] As large customer-carrying organisations such as banks, telecommunications companies, insurers and retailers try to manage their growing client bases and spiralling customer support costs during the year ahead, they will increasingly embracing online self-service as a strategic priority rather than treating it as an emerging technology. This is a trend that we can expect to accelerate sharply during 2011. Read more >>

Guarding against cybercrime

[Fred Mitchell] With the explosion of the Internet has come a silent global epidemic, the underworld of cybercrime, which puts every internet user at risk. This crime covers from annoying spam emails to far more sinister fraud and identity theft matters or cyber terrorism. Because of its indiscriminate nature, it affects young and old computer users, regardless of race, gender, nationality or social standing. According to a recent Norton Cybercrime Report, 65% of adults worldwide have been a victim of some form of cybercrime and only 3% of respondents indicated that they did not expect to be such a victim at some point. Read more >>

Cellphone fraud still rife, despite RICA

South Africa's Regulation of Interception of Communications Act (RICA) is intended to help authorities track down subscribers with SIM cards linked to criminal activity, notes Leon Perlman, chairman of Wireless Application Service Providers' Association of South Africa (WASPA). "However, it provides little or no protection from scammers, who may work around its constraints or even use international numbers to launch their schemes," he says. Read more >>

3D technology at home

Samsung has announced that its monitors and home theatre projector, incorporating its proprietary 3D technology, are available in 23- and 27-inch configurations. Read more >>

Motorola Xoom tablet crowned best CES gadget

LAS VEGAS, USA: Motorola Mobility's Xoom tablet computer powered by new "Honeycomb" software from Google was crowned the best gadget at the giant Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Read more >>

December 2010 US search engine rankings

RESTON, US: comScore, Inc. has released its monthly comScore qSearch analysis of the US search marketplace. Read more >>

[2011 trends] A time of transformation for the software industry

LONDON, UK: Three developing trends are transforming not only the software industry, but also the way the world accesses and leverages technology. The popularity of mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets, the consumerisation of technology and the adoption of cloud computing are global trends forcing software companies to rethink their business model, collaborate more closely than ever before, and focus even more sharply on what their customers want. Read more >>

Bob O'Leary to chair Asian Marketing Effectiveness jury

SHANGHAI, CHINA: The Asian Marketing Effectiveness (AME) Festival, a joint venture between Haymarket and the organisers of Cannes Lions, has announced that Bob O'Leary, head of global marketing for Citi, will lead the jury at the 2011 Festival. Read more >>

Austria's Internet use grows in 2010

VIENNA, AUSTRIA: Currently, 77% of Austrians over the age of 14 years make use of the internet. Amongst the very young groups, in particular, the internet has achieved almost total coverage. 98% of the 14-19-year-olds use the internet and amongst the 20-29-year-olds the figure is 95%. Read more >>

Giulietta has fire and soul

[Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] To light the fire in the soul of any Alfa Romeo fan is easy - just say Giulietta. So all I actually need to say is the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta has arrived in South Africa and it was worth the wait. Go see it and drive it. You will probably fall in love with it. Fini. Read more >>

Happy Christmas for carmakers

[Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] Car companies celebrated a whopping 38.9% increase in new car sales in December compared to sales in December the year before. New passenger car sales alone topped 26 615 vehicles. Read more >>

On cloud 19

[Brian Berkman: contributing editor, travel] There is nothing like the whiff of panic to focus the mind. Happily the Westin Grand on Cape Town's Foreshore is now free from the stink of accusations and any restrictions on Americans visiting have been lifted. (It seems a while back the American Embassy issued a travel advisory to US citizens after a series of thefts from luggage just unloaded from coaches and outside the hotel, or about to be loaded prior to departure - again, outside the hotel). The advisory has now been lifted. Read more >>

World Travel Awards calls for nominations

LONDON, UK: World Travel Awards is issuing a call to those organisations that aspire to be the best of the best in the business to participate in the 2011 World Travel Awards. Claimed to be the highest accolade in travel and tourism, the event is reputed to be 'the Oscars of the travel industry' by the media worldwide for identifying and rewarding excellence. Read more >>

Living it large at the J&B Met

Larger Than Life is the theme of the 34th J&B Met, which will be held at Kenilworth Racecourse on Saturday, 29 January 2011. Expect massive outfits, oversized accessories and gigantic personalities at the well-known fashion event. Read more >>