Retail South Africa weekly newsletter - 19 Nov 2012

The winning spirit

Image courtesy of Teerapun / FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

The festive season is coming up hard and fast, so if you're still struggling for ideas on what to buy your loved ones, check out Kalahari.com's annual online shopping survey, as voted for by you, the connected public.

In business this past week, Rainbow Chickens announced its intention to buy a majority sharehold in Foodcorp. The Dipula Income Fund purchased three retail properties to the tune of R268 million. Still in property, the IPD released the first property performance report on Botswana last week.

Indices have confirmed the slowing of retail sales, while wholesale trade is up a meager 0.1%

As we near the end of the year, so come the annual award celebrations of hard work and business excellence. And so, we have the results of the annual e-Commerce Awards; Sunday Times Top 100 Companies; the Pyro Inspirations Awards; as well as the winner of the Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award. Congratulations to all the winners! To everyone else, better luck next year.

Have a wonderful 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!

Private labels are significant players in retail space

[Gareth Pearson] Own brands, store brands, dealer own brands, home brands... call them what you will, private labels are here to stay and not just as in-the-background, budget-friendly brands, aimed at cash-strapped consumers but rather as significant players in the retail space. This growth provides a unique opportunity for South African retailers to connect with their customers as never before. Read more >>

Right to freedom of association supported by WIETA

The Wine and Agricultural Ethical Trade Association's (WIETA) has come out in support of the right to freedom of association and reaffirmed its code principle of a living wage at a special meeting of the board, convened against the backdrop of the protest action. Read more >>

Winners of Sunday Times Top 100 Companies

The winners of the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies awards were announced at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg late last week, with the top award going to Capitec Bank Holdings, as the Top Company of the Year. Capitec won in 2010 and was ranked second last year. Read more >>

First Botswana property performance report released, total return 20.9%

Investment Property Databank (IPD) released the first Botswana property performance report yesterday, 13 November 2012 in Gaborone. It indicated a total return of 20.9%, which represents the ungeared total return to directly held standing property investments from one open market valuation to the next. Read more >>

Dipula Income Fund acquires retail properties worth R268 million

Dipula Income Fund has acquired three retail properties with a combined value of R268 million. The shopping centres are the R169 million Tembisa Mega Mart of 14 007sqm, the R42 million first phase Orange Farm shopping centre of 5600sqm, both in Gauteng, and the R57 million Melki Portfolio in KwaZulu-Natal of 6900sqm. Read more >>

2012 e-Commerce award winners

At the recent South African e-Commerce Awards, which recognise and reward those South African websites that have demonstrated excellence in their use of the internet as a platform for e-Commerce, Groupon won for the second year in succession in the category Best Group Buying site. Yuppiechef walked away with the Best e-Commerce Store title and HomeChoice was named The Public's Favourite e-Commerce Website. Read more >>

Retail Technology Forum could return in 2013

The 2012 Retail Technology Forum, held at the Arabella Hotel in Hermanus recently, was a resounding success, sparking the interest in the forum running again next year. Retailing IT teams and technology service and solution providers from across Southern Africa and beyond came to the event. Read more >>

New winner of Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award

The 2012 winner of The Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award was announced on Friday 9 November at Riebeek Kasteel, as part of the Swartland Revolution, a celebration of fine South African wines and cuisine. Wayve Kolevsohn received the Riedel Glass Trophy and a trip to France with a visit to the House of Bollinger Champagne. Read more >>

Annual Pyro Inspirations Awards winners announced

Following a year of selection of finalists for the Pyro Inspirations Awards, the two winners were announced last week at an event in Sandton. This year's awards highlighted exciting innovations in on-pack design, with finalists being judged on originality, impact and clever use of space. Read more >>

Strikes have affected debt servicing amongst vulnerable consumers

The new MBD Credit Solutions and the Bureau of Market Research's Consumer Financial Vulnerability Index (CFVI) for the third quarter of 2012 indicates that the pressure on South African consumers' cash flow has increased to the level they last experienced during the economic recession in Q2 2009. In a specially commissioned report, the situation of miners is viewed in the wake of the recent strikes. Read more >>

Estate agents need to embrace online technology

[Bertie Oosthuysen] The South African estate agent office can still be seen in most South African suburbs and city centres with property photographs in the window and adverts on rubbish bins. However, consumers are far better served by an estate agent that embraces online technology rather than sticking with the old model of shop fronts and offline advertising. Read more >>

Macy's taps into the Millennial generation

In spring 2012, Macy's department stores and online retailer Macys.com announced its mission to restructure internally and market toward the Millennial generation. According to the retailer, its goal is to attract and retain Millennial customers who are "now America's largest and most diverse age demographic with spending estimated at $65 billion each year," on merchandise similar to what Macy's sells. Read more >>

New global digital publisher created

[Marjorie Scardino] UK: By merging their respective book publishing interests held in Random House and Penguin Books, Bertelsmann and Pearson will create the world's first global consumer publishing company. It will lead - by a long way - in terms of size, geographic diversity and its range of authors and titles. Read more >>

Company news

FMCG

Cadbury Dairy Milk celebrates a year of multiplying joy through Fairtrade - Kraft Foods South Africa

The first Fairtrade-certified Cadbury Dairy Milk slabs appeared on local supermarket shelves in November 2011. One year on, we are excited to celebrate the immense joy and impact that Cadbury Dairy Milk has spread - and multiplied - through its partnership with Fairtrade. Read more >>

Retail marketing

Tens of thousands of people step up to "Be A Hero" in blood drive campaign - Tiger Wheel & Tyre

The results are in from the October "Be A Hero" blood donation campaign run by Tiger Wheel & Tyre and the South African National Blood Service (SANBS). In total, 89,306 generous individuals stuck out their arms and gave of their blood for this worthiest of causes. Read more >>

Efficiency key in spending govt money: Motlanthe

PRETORIA: Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe says institutions such as Parliament, provincial legislatures and councils must play their oversight role to ensure public resources are allocated and used in accordance with policy priorities, and that there is efficient spending and value for money. Read more >>

SA municipalities face operational and financial challenges

Though notable progress has been made with respect to the roll-out of basic services and infrastructural developments across the municipal sector in recent years, resulting in generally stable credit rating outlooks across the entire sector, various operational and financial challenges will continue to persist into the future. Read more >>

Abalone House, you'll hardly want to leave

[Brian Berkman: contributing editor, travel] With its white-washed houses and ubiquitous blue shutters, Paternoster fancies itself part of the Greek Isles. Don't hold this against this charming West Coast seaside village as it punches way about its weight in the restaurants worth eating at and interesting shops at which to spend your money stakes. Read more >>

Sail into the sunset at La Pirogue

[Rod Baker] La Pirogue, named for the traditional Mauritian twin-sailed fishing boat, bills itself as the most authentic Mauritian resort. Its individual chalets are also modelled on the traditional Mauritian thatched house. What it also has is seemingly acres of rolling lawns, and the tranquillity of a Trappist monastery. Read more >>

Land Rover experience and MediClinic Land Rover Experience WC - Cape Town, 21 November
The State of the Nation Front Foot Strategic Consulting - Sandton, 21 November
Investec FEI World Cup Show Jumping Qualifier - Cape Town, 21 November
Book launch: SA Liberation Struggles - Johannesburg, 21 November
CaseWare User Group Conference 2012 - Durban, 21 November
CAN DO! Trekking for Trash Press Conference GGi - Cape Town, 22 November
CAN DO! Media Roundtable GGi Communications - Cape Town, 22 November
Gagasi News stakeholder gala dinner Splendid marketing - Durban, 22 November
Open casting at top photography company Yuri Arcurs Productions - Cape Town, 23 November
Student Expo - your life starts right here Student Expo - Johannesburg, 23 November

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