| 5 Nov 2012 |
| Retail South Africa |
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Retail, Associations, Banking & finance, Brand news, Cold chain, Commercial property, CRM, CSI, Distribution, e-Commerce, Exhibitions & events, Fashion, clothing & textiles, FMCG, Franchising, Green sustainability, Health & safety, Hospitality, Import/export, Informal retailing, Instore, Logistics, Manufacturing, Merchandising, Packaging, Refrigeration, Regulatory, Research, Retail marketing, Retail services, Retail trends, Retailers, Security, Shipping & transport, Shopfitting, Supply chain, Technology, Training, 2012 Design Indaba
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Cash in, cash out | | Gill Marcus and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela at the launch of the new Nelson Mandela bank notes. |
Just when I think we couldn't be surprised, the Department of Energy decides to offer minimal reprieve to petrol users, whilst hiking the price for diesel drinkers. Diesel will go up by a maximum of 10.2 cents come Wednesday, with petrol dropping by 10 cents a litre. The fluctuations over recent months certainly haven't hampered car sales, however, with purchases of new vehicles up more than 10% year-on-year. And as of tomorrow, we'll have a fresh face looking back at us from our bank notes. That's right, the country's brand new notes sporting Tata Madiba's face go into circulation tomorrow! Be proudly South African and have an amazing week! Shan Radcliffe, Group Head - Retail
PS Responses to this column welcomed in our online ed's column archive. Send all your retail news to retailnews@bizcommunity.com, exclusive opinion pieces to contributors-retail@bizcommunity.com and international news to internationalnews@bizcommunity.com; also take a look at our guide "How to contribute to Bizcommunity, from op-ed pieces to news". Don't forget to follow @Biz_Retail on Twitter and join us on Facebook!
Top stories
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 The price of all grades of petrol is set to decrease on Wednesday but the price of diesel will increase. Read more >>
On 1 November 2012, Absa and Edcon announced the implementation of their June 2012 agreement whereby Absa acquired the R8.8 billion of Edcon's private label store card portfolio. This increases Absa's customer base by approximately 2 million to 13 million customers. Read more >>
 Online retailer kalahari.com has gone into partnership with Bargain Books, which will see the discount book retailer selling the gobii eReader in its stores nationwide. In the announcement today, 1 November 2012, the companies say the move is set to expand access of eBooks to South Africans. Read more >>
 New banknotes bearing the face of former President Nelson Mandela will come into circulation next Tuesday, 6 November 2012, says the Reserve Bank. Read more >>
Associations
 The South African Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC) has appointed Marius Muller as its new president of an organisation that now has over 2000 members across the retail sector in South Africa. Read more >>
Banking & finance
[Gaongalelwe Moatshe] Long-term savings is still a challenge for the majority of South Africans, the latest Finmark Mark's FinScope SA 2012 survey findings show. Read more >>
 Standard Bank has appointed Peter Schlebusch as the chief executive of Personal and Business Banking for Standard Bank Group. Read more >>
Balance sheet size may no longer be enough to fend off rivals or keep retail banking customers on your books, let alone expand revenue. Banks will therefore have to keep innovating, developing new business and delivery models and anticipating customer needs to sustain revenue growth in the face of a raft of financial and non-financial regulations, says global consultancy group Accenture in a new report. Read more >>
 [Gaongalelwe Moatshe] Indebted South African consumers now rely on borrowing from friends and family members to cover their basic needs like food and water, highlighting the financial strain they face amid high fuel and electricity prices, says Dr Sibine Strassburg, information and research specialist at Finmark Trust. Read more >>
Brand news
Consumer goods group AVI says its revenue for the quarter ended September 2012 rose 7.1% from the same period a year ago. Read more >>
Wine Tourism South Africa has announced the winners of the first #KLINK Awards. The nominees were shortlisted by a panel of industry-related professionals across a variety of categories and opened for public to vote via Facebook, Twitter and email. Read more >>
[Sure Kamhunga] John Gnodde‚ the CEO of investment holdings group Brait‚ gives the impression of an investor with all his ducks in a row. Read more >>
JD Group has successfully completed its debut bond issuance for R1 billion. Read more >>
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM: Leading world brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev, maker of Budweiser, Beck's and Stella Artois, reported third-quarter results on Wednesday, 31 October, which fell far short of expectations, hitting the share price. Read more >>
 Engen Flamingo Vlei in Table View, Cape Town, re-opened its doors to the public on 23 October 2012, following a revamp, The forecourt includes a Quickshop and Corner Bakery. The upgrade work on the site formed part of Engen's "Reinvigorate" rollout, which began in 2007 and is set to run until 2018. Read more >>
 The results of the 2012 5 Nations Wine Challenge between Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa were announced in Sydney late last week and, though Australia was the Nation of Show, South Africa scored well with four trophies, 14 double golds and 7 golds. Read more >>
Commercial property
 Vukile Property Fund advised on Thursday, 1 November 2012, that Redefine Properties has reached agreement with Sanlam Life Insurance to acquire the East Rand Mall for a purchase consideration of R2.23 billion‚ subject to the negotiation of formal legal agreements and the receipt of Competition Commission approval. Read more >>
[Evan Pickworth] While local property prices look expensive, insurer Sanlam remains bullish about prospects in the rest of Africa and will be listing a pan-African property fund in Mauritius in January, with a debt market fund following three months later. Read more >>
The art area of Maboneng Precinct, situated on the east side of Johannesburg and bordered by Market, Albrecht, Main and Berea Streets, is now adding office and retail space in several properties. Read more >>
Corporate social investment
CRM
 [John Boe] The most successful companies and the highest paid salespeople place great value on developing lifetime relationships with their customers and actively look for opportunities to render service above and beyond their customers' expectations. Read more >>
e-Commerce
The SME sector, which currently accounts for 40% of South Africa's GDP and 60% of the workplace in formal employment, can reach a larger global customer base through e-commerce but it makes operations more complicated, thus hampering the sector's potential growth. Read more >>
 The Internet-based auction site, SportAuction.co.za, is going public. Sport Auction specialises in the buying and selling of sport memorabilia, equipment and outdoor-living apparatus. Read more >>
 Summit Partners, a growth equity firm that invests in rapidly growing companies, will take a €20 million stake in Zando.co.za, through its German holding company. Read more >>
Exhibitions & events
Obikwa to exhibit at AgriWorks Farmers Expo As part of the AgriWorks Farmers Expo, taking place at Van Der Stel Sport Grounds in Stellenbosch from 8-10 November 2012, Obikwa wines will be hosting a Wine Bar and Lounge offering wine supplies and merchandise including caps, shopper bags and more. Tickets are available at the gate and range in price from R40 and R10 per person. For more information, go to www.agriworks.co.za.
 A 21-year-old Khayelitsha entrepreneur, Sizwe Nzima, is single-handedly on his way to unclog major overcrowding at local public health facilities without costing the state a cent. Nzima's Iyeza Express is a small business that picks up chronic medication from local clinics and delivers them by bicycle to the doorsteps of Khayelitsha residents. Read more >>
Fashion, clothing & textiles
Wool prices increased for a fifth week in a row with the Cape Wools market indicator gaining another 4% to close at a high of R108.63/kg (clean). This is an increase of 24% on the opening sale and up 3.3% on last season's highest level. Read more >>
FMCG
 La Vierge is now releasing its Seduction Pinot Noir 2012, recommended served slightly chilled with tapas snacks, cheese and light meals. Read more >>
NEW YORK - Procter and Gamble, the consumer products company, says its fiscal first quarter profits fell 6.7% as a result of slumping sales and foreign exchange shifts. Read more >>
 Tricorne, Le Bonheur's first new red blend in 24 years, is also the winemaker's first reserve wine and just over 6500 bottles have been produced. The estate has also launched its first vineyard-designated wine. Read more >>
Green sustainability
 The 16 finalist concepts for the Fresh Talent Sustainable Design Competition, run by Shift: Inspiring Sustainable Design, have been announced. Now in its third year, the competition started in September, with a call to young creatives to submit proposals and designs that addressed the issues of sustainability under the brief Small Change, A World of Difference. Read more >>
 Now in its fourth year, the Climate Hero Awards (CHA) sees a number of updates and revisions, as it takes its lead from its predecessor, the Climate Change Leadership Awards. Read more >>
 Fifty years ago, the main motivation behind buying a fridge was to keep food fresh for as long as possible but today consumers are more concerned about space, health standards, energy efficiency and the eco-friendliness of the appliance. Read more >>
Import/export
The managed currency band that the Manufacturing Circle called for in its submission to parliament this week might not be the silver bullet to make SA's trade more competitive. Read more >>
Manufacturing
 The deadline for the professional and student categories in the 2012 Kludi Design Awards, hosted by ON•TAP and Kludi, is 30 November 2012. Entrants are required to design a tap with a proudly South African nature, but the design should still allow for industrial manufacturing and have broad market appeal. Read more >>
TOKYO, JAPAN: Japanese technology giant Canon slashed its annual profit forecast again, blaming the global slowdown and a strong yen, for its quarterly earnings drop of more than a third. Read more >>
Research
 A survey, conducted by global supply chain and retail technology provider RedPrairie, has revealed that retailers in the EMEA region are struggling to identify which technology programmes to implement next. Read more >>
Retail marketing
 To prove that out of home media is a measurable medium, capable of offering detailed stats to clients seeking clear proof of consumer engagement on their media investment, Unlimited subsidiary, TLC, commissioned Tacktech Technologies to conduct a foot counter project. Read more >>
 [Doug Mayne] Current tight market conditions have forced the retail property marketing specialist to be more innovative than ever before to ensure a healthy return on investment for clients. Read more >>
Security
[Carol Simpson] Traditionally, retailers and service providers have managed their own payment systems, accepting the associated resource and skills headaches as part of the territory. However, in-house management of payment switches is not always the best or most profitable route, as they cannot be assured of optimal system performance. Read more >>
Shipping & transport
Integrated freight and logistics service provider Grindrod (GND) on Friday, 26 October 2012, announced a merger between its shipping companies (King & Sons Limitada and Grindrod Ships Agencies) with the largest privately owned shipping and logistics company in South and East Africa‚ JFM Sturrock for a purchase consideration of R143 million. Read more >>
Technology
 The new All-In-One (AIO) PC Series 7 from Samsung includes innovative sense recognition features such as 10-finger multi-touch screen control and hand gesture commands and it comes loaded with Jamie Oliver recipes. Read more >>
Apple introduced the iPad Mini on Tuesday, confident that a smaller version of its tablet computer will trump lower-priced offerings by rivals Amazon, Google and Samsung. Read more >>
 Zik Parrot headphones, designed by Starck, have an intuitive touch panel for the user to skip tracks or change the volume exactly as they would on a touchscreen Smartphone - a first for headphone technology. Read more >>
Online shopping giant Amazon said Wednesday that it will launch a Japanese-language version of its hugely popular Kindle next month as it looks to break into the largely untapped Japanese e-book market. Read more >>
[Neil Garner] For me, in a James Bond film, the gadgets get me every time. However, for the latest 007 instalment, Skyfall, I had a professional interest because James Bond will be using an NFC-enabled mobile. Read more >>
MOSCOW, RUSSIA: Russia has put into force a new law on the Internet that allows the government to block websites with banned content, prompting fears that it will be used to suppress free speech. Read more >>
 LONDON, UK: BBC Radio's Test Match Special programme will broadcast live from venues during England's forthcoming tour of India. Read more >>
 PARIS, FRANCE: French President Francois Hollande called on Monday on Google to come to a deal over an advertising revenue row, warning that if necessary, a bill could be adopted to force Internet search engines to pay for media content. Read more >>
WASHINGTON, US: US daily newspapers gained online readers over the past six months, but not enough to make up for declining print circulation, industry data showed Tuesday. Read more >>
 NEW YORK, US: Google yesterday unveiled a large-format tablet computer to compete against the original iPad as part of a revamped line of its Nexus devices, and touted a new music service for Europe. Read more >>
 SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: Android jobs ricochet back as Apple iOS jobs stagnate; The interactive web continues to fly; eBay jobs return as the marketplace announces changes and a makeover; confidence returns to Facebook jobs as marketers return in the wake of the IPO flop; the transition to the paperless office booms; Internet Marketing rebounds in the wake of Google panic. Read more >>
More International...
Corporate social investment
 With the festive season fast approaching, Bizcommunity.com would like to challenge our readers, clients and partners to think of those less fortunate. Help us raise funds, bedding and toys for our two chosen charities and the company raising the most will be given two free press office releases for the festive season, in the industry of your choice, to promote whatever you like. Read more >>Health & safety
As the warm weather approaches, we can expect flying insects to take to the wing, and if you're planning an outdoors event or organising a get-together in your office, kitchen or at home, they can be a major source of annoyance. Learn how fly control from Rentokil can benefit not only your state of mind, but also your health, and be green at the same time! Read more >>
TFG Giftcard Design Prize Giving
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 The "revolving door for executives" at Telkom may next claim CEO Pinky Moholi, a Telkom veteran who was appointed to the helm last year. Read more >>
 Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande says bankers need to be taught courses such as sociology in order to develop a social consciousness about the effects of lending. Read more >>
 President Jacob Zuma said it was wrong and scientifically not true that the gap between the rich and poor had widened since 1994, and that this amounted to an attack on the democratic government. Read more >>
After years of poor performances in education rankings, SA finally hit rock bottom in an international measure of the quality of maths and science education. Read more >>
 While South Africa's economic activity expanded in the second quarter, economic growth is likely to slow in the coming months, says the Reserve Bank. Read more >>
 There was drama at Telkom's annual general meeting when shareholders‚ presumably led by the majority shareholder‚ the government‚ voted against the re-election and election of independent directors. Read more >>
 State-owned arms manufacturer Denel made an urgent plea yesterday for the government to disburse the R700m allocation it had committed to for use by its ailing subsidiary Denel Aerostructures. Read more >>
In a country where much is made of the lack of service delivery, a surprising element of the Census 2011 results is the story it tells about service delivery in the past decade. Read more >>
 South Africa's population has swelled from 40.5 million in 1996 to 51.7 million in 2011, results of Census 2011 have shown. In the previous Census conducted in 2001, South Africa's population stood at 44.8 million. Read more >>
 [Linda Ensor] The fiscus could not sustain any further prolonged period of uncertainty over the manner in which the R20bn cost of the Gauteng freeway would be funded by the South African National Road Agency (Sanral)‚ Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan said on Friday. Read more >>
More Government news...
 [Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] Chevrolet's eagerly-awaited brute in a suit Trailblazer has arrived in South Africa armed to the teeth to take on the local SUV market and to arm-wrestle Toyota's market leading Fortuner for a slice of the action. Read more >>
 [Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] In spite of the impact of the transport sector's strikes and disruptions on local manufacturing plants local sales of new vehicles for October increased by 10.1% compared to the corresponding months in 2011. Sales were up by 5,519 units to 57,845 compared to the 52,326 units in October last year. Read more >>
 [Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] The exciting new Volvo B40 range has strutted on to the local motoring stage with all the cheek and bravado of a new car that has just recently been unveiled in Europe to the equivalent of a standing ovation by international motoring writers - and with good reason, because this is the most exciting and most impressive Volvo yet to flow from the marriage between the Swedes and their Chinese rescuers. Read more >>
 [Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] The South African Guild of Motoring Journalists has announced the 12 finalists in the running for this year's coveted title of SA Car of the Year. Read more >>
More Motoring news...
 [Rod Baker] Feel like a family getaway with the kids? What a silly question - and if you want a reasonably priced holiday for yourselves as a couple, for your honeymoon, or for the family (and maybe even the family and your honeymoon), checking out Ambre, Mauritius, would be one of your better moves. Read more >>
 [Brian Berkman: contributing editor, travel] By winning the title of South Africa's Best Luxury Country Hotel for the second consecutive year in the 2012 World Luxury Hotel Awards, The Robertson Small Hotel has confirmed itself as a go-to destination. Read more >>
 NEW YORK, US: A day of transatlantic travel chaos loomed on Sunday as airlines cancelled thousands of flights to and from airports up and down the US East Coast ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Sandy. Read more >>
More Travel news...
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- Digital media course Big Fish School of Digital Filmmaking - Johannesburg, 6 November
- Power of 40 DESTINY and DESTINY Man magazine event Ndalo Media - Cape Town, 7 November
- Xtraordinary women in business networking session Xtraordinary Women - Helderberg, Cape Town, 8 November
- Homegrown talent at The Globe Theatre Gold Reef City - Johannesburg, 8 November
- Nia Technique at the Look and Feel Good Expo Nia Technique - Johannesburg, 9 November
- Traffic clothing summer fashion show Younique Concepts - Cape Town, 9 November
- Launch of H.O.G.A flagship store H.O.G.A - Melville, 10 November
- Diwali celebrations at Hirsch's, Fourways Hirsch's Fourways - Fourways, 10 November
- Business English Alusani Skills & Training Network - Johannesburg, 14 November
- Social media for small business - workshop Endor Media & Events - Cape Town, 16 November
Click here to customise your events section
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