| 1 Jul 2013 |
| Retail | 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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Here comes the sun An office park in Cape Town is installing the largest solar PV system in Southern Africa. Once completed, the entire operation will generate around 1.9 gigawatt (1.9 million kilowatt) hours per year, or enough energy to power 1,000 average sized houses. On the e-commerce front, sales have spiked for Mandela memorabilia. Internet auction site bidorbuy has reported a surge in demand for Nelson Mandela memorabilia since the former president was admitted to hospital last month. How do you like your wines? Here's your chance to enjoy them at their best at the Michael Fridjhon Wine Experience. The event offers absolute benchmarks in the world of wine. Finally, some good news on the job creation front... a new customer care centre in Cape Town has generated more jobs and will employ 680 people by the end of 2013. Have you created or updated your MyBiz Profile on Bizcommunity yet? If not, what are you waiting for... We've extended the deadline right up to 15 July so that you will still be able to put yourself in the running to win a fantastic GoPro camera and accessories worth over R6,000!. Go on... get to it! Rod Baker, Content Director (@Biz_Retail)
PS Don't forget to check out the latest cartoon by Rico in our new weekly Cartoons showcase!
Comment online in our ed's column archive. Go mobile with apps and m.bizcommunity.com. Engage with us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+. Subscribe to YouTube and via RSS. Send all your retail news to retailnews@bizcommunity.com, exclusive opinion pieces to contributors-retail@bizcommunity.com and international news to internationalnews@bizcommunity.com. Read "How to contribute to Biz, from op-ed pieces to news".Weekly top stories
 | The petrol price is expected to increase by 84 cents a litre, the Department of Energy said on Friday. Read more >> |
 | There is little doubt that the merger in December 2010 of Momentum and Metropolitan to form MMI will be the last large life assurance merger in SA. Read more >> |
 | Vertex Sales and Marketing, based in Somerset West, has secured the licensing rights as the sole distributor in southern Africa for Wagner SprayTech products. Read more >> |
 | Adidas has launched its new generation of the adizero f50 Messi football boots, enabling fans to get even closer to their hero. The next iteration features the new, bright Turbo/Blast Purple/White, inspired by the way the Argentine plays, lighting up every pitch he graces. Read more >> |
 | Iliad Africa, which focuses on the sourcing, distributing, wholesaling and retailing of general and specialised building materials, has rebranded its general building materials (GBM) division into one brand - Buco. Read more >> |
Steinhoff International (SHF) said on Wednesday, 26 June 2013, that agreements had been concluded‚ which if implemented‚ and subject to certain conditions precedent‚ would result in Steinhoff Europe or its nominee acquiring the entire issued share capital of the kika and Leiner groups of companies. Read more >>
 | [Nick Hedley] SABMiller will continue to develop and differentiate its beer and soft drinks brand portfolios, with a focus on developing markets for growth, new CEO Alan Clark said in the global brewing giant's annual report, released yesterday, 24 June 2013. Read more >> |
 | The Black River Office Park in Observatory, Cape Town is in the process of installing the largest roof-mounted solar photovoltaic system in Southern Africa. Once completed, the entire operation will generate around 1.9 gigawatt (1.9 million kilowatt) hours per year, or enough energy to power 1000 average sized houses. Read more >> |
 | The commercial and industrial property sector has won a key battle against illegal land uses in the Northern Province city of Polokwane, through the persistent intervention of the South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA) and its legal department. Read more >> |
 | Port Elizabeth will have a new ice rink when the R1.7-billion Bay West Mall opens in March 2015. The last time the city had a permanent ice rink was in the 1990s, with the Jadene Ice Rink at the old tramways building near the harbour entrance. Read more >> |
 | [Nick Hedley] London- and JSE-listed Capital & Counties Properties (Capco) said on Wednesday (26 June) that its joint venture with London-listed Great Portland Estates had sold its last remaining asset, Park Crescent West to PCW Property Holdings for £105m Read more >> |
 | From 1 August 2013, Anton Raubenheimer will join Synergy Income Fund as its financial director, replacing Uys Meyer, one of the founders of the fund, who remains on the board as a non-executive director. Read more >> |
 | Sandton City Office Tower is to receive a significant facelift to its façade, which will result in the exterior of the building being revived in line with current development in the broader Sandton complex. A new glass façade will ensure it remains relevant in the prestigious Sandton Central node. In addition to the refurbishment of the façade, routine maintenance work will be conducted. The project is expected to be completed in approximately 18 months. Read more >> |
[Issued by Private Property] One Africa Media (OAM), previously named Private Property Holdings, has secured a US$25-million round of investment from Australian-listed jobs portal SEEK, for the expansion of its operations across Africa. Read more >> visit press office >>
[Issued by Private Property] Private Property's new iPad app, designed in conjunction with the company's all-new website, became South Africa's number one free app in terms of downloads - within a week of its release. Read more >> visit press office >>
 | ABI (Amalgamated Beverage Industries) will invest over R1 million over the next two years with the Unlimited Child, a Hillcrest based non-profit organisation, which will directly impact the lives of over 1000 children in more than 20 crèches in KwaZulu-Natal. Read more >> |
 | Global BPO Merchants, part of the Dimension Data group, has opened its new customer care centre in Cape Town to cater for growth and to service the UK's second largest retailer, Asda. The centre will employ 680 people by the end of 2013, with 250 new jobs for the Asda account. Read more >> |
 | [Monica Laganparsad] Internet auction site bidorbuy has reported a surge in demand for Nelson Mandela memorabilia since the former president was admitted to hospital last month. Read more >> |
 | [Bekezela Phakathi] Although the number of South Africans accessing the Internet to shop online has decreased slightly in the past year‚ the majority of locals who shop online are "highly satisfied" with their overall experience‚ the latest MasterCard Online Shopping Survey released on Thursday (27 June) has revealed. Read more >> |
 | The annual Telkom Business Michael Fridjhon Wine Experience will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Rosebank, Johannesburg on 31 August - 1 September 2013. Read more >> |
 | The 6th annual Innovation Summit will take place 27-29 August 2013 at the IDC in Sandton under the theme 'Innovation goes Viral - Catch it for Growth'. Read more >> |
The SAITEX/AB7 show, which opens on Sunday 30 June 2103 at the Gallagher Convention Centre, has already surpassed its previous record for pre-show business meetings and profiles. Read more >>
 | [Ramone Pickover] The world's premier trade show for computer and video games and related products, E3 Convention, lived up to its expectations with critics labelling it, 'the best E3 in recent history'. Read more >> |
 | Mark Faithfull, editor, co-founder and joint owner of the UK's Retail Property Analyst, a weekly online newsletter for the global retail property community, will speak on worldwide trends at the SA Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC) annual congress. Read more >> |
PARIS, FRANCE: Asian designers on Thursday, 27 June 2013, took to the catwalks at Paris fashion week with the sharp lines of South Korea's Wooyoungmi's scorched desert-inspired collection vying for attention with young Japanese designer Yusuke Takahashi's colourful exploration of traditional dyeing techniques for Issey Miyake. Read more >>
Former president Nelson Mandela's signature shirts have been flying off the shelves since he was hospitalised. Read more >>
 | McNab's has launched a high-energy bar, named ZolaBar. It contains 20% protein, energy rich peanuts, Ghanaian vanilla and Kalahari rock salt and is free from artificial colorants, flavours, preservatives and stabilisers. Read more >> |
 | Chocolate is still tops, but blueberry is falling as a flavour in baked goods, according to the latest report by Mintel. Read more >> |
 | Caturra Coffee has come up with a solution to serve a perfect cup of filter coffee to the masses, reducing time, costs and maintenance for hotels and caterers wishing to serve filter coffee. Read more >> |
 | Organisers of Johannesburg's Night Bus - a fixed-route transport network touted as a "bar-hopper's dream" - on Tuesday (25 June) revealed the first two stops it will make on its party route. Read more >> |
Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Elizabeth Thabethe says South Africa and Ghana are committed to fast-tracking the implementation of the Economic and Technical Co-operation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was signed in 2011. Read more >>
 | Morningside Shopping Centre, Sandton, offers a new Saturday Artisan Market, where local crafters and artisans offer their handmade goods and quality food from 9.30am to 4pm. Read more >> |
 | Logistics costs as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) are slowly coming down but this masks what transport and logistics companies actually pay, says the CSIR's 2012 State of Logistics survey. Read more >> |
 | The annual percentage change in the producer price index (PPI) for final manufactured goods was 4.9% in May compared to 5.4% year on year in April‚ Statistics SA figures showed on Thursday, 27 June 2013. Read more >> |
 | [Amanda Visser] Apollo Tyres SA has expressed concern about the anti-dumping investigation Brazilian authorities have launched against imports of new tyres for buses and trucks from SA and several other countries, including Japan and Russia. Read more >> |
 | [Issued by Pyrotec] Pyrotec PackMark, the brand within Pyrotec that supplies world-class coding and labelling equipment, has just released its Markem-Imaje SmartLase C150 and C350 Laser Coders. Read more >> visit press office >> |
 | [Issued by Pyrotec] The Lion Match Company, a uniquely South African company home to a number of well-known brands, needed to clear excess stock of its Loving Touch shave gel - and it needed to do it in a hurry. Read more >> visit press office >> |
 | WASHINGTON, USA: Global sales of Internet devices including PCs, tablets and mobile phones is showing steady growth in 2013, amid a shift to more mobile gadgets, a survey showed Monday, 24 June 2013. Read more >> |
 | Shoppercentric, a leading shopper research agency in the UK, has launched its report, 'The Role of the Smartphone in the Shopper's World', which examines an area of interest to retailers and brands, since smartphone ownership has passed the 50% mark in the UK. Read more >> |
 | [Issued by POPAI South Africa] The POPAI Awards 2013, sponsored by ZaPOP is now open for entries. The awards for the display industry in South Africa is looking to build on the successes of the last two years and recognise excellence in POP in an extended range of 18 categories. Read more >> |
[Issued by iKineo] iKineo, an integrated direct response and engagement marketing agency, has made a bold statement in immersive retail for the premium multi-brand menswear store, Loom. Read more >> visit press office >>
 | [Issued by Foshizi] Lebo Motshegoa, MD for Foshizi, a mass market research and insights agency, recently participated as a guest speaker in the two-day Township Shopper Marketing Summit for the third time, sharing with delegates the 'building blocks of black society'. Read more >> visit press office >> |
 | [Stephanie Houslay] Today's branding and marketing landscape is far more fragmented, fiercely contested, complex and competitive than ever before. Consider how brands from a myriad of industries and sectors are now competing for the consumer's attention in an increasingly cluttered landscape. Read more >> |
 | [Aki Kalliatakis] A shakeout in some retail, trading and service sectors is on its way in the second half of the year with business looking to pick up in the coming months. Following the shutdown or exit of undercapitalised competitors, survivors are planning to grow market share as they take up the slack left by casualties of the tough economy. Read more >> |
 | [Drew van Vuuren] In 2012, the government announced plans to adopt a new identification (ID) system, which would replace the existing green ID booklet with a smart electronic ID card. I personally welcome the move to a more secure form of ID, in hope that it will help to combat the high levels of fraud, which now reportedly costs our economy on average R1 billion per year. Read more >> |
 | The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) has been working with retailers and industry to promote the abolishment of gestation crates in South Africa by 2016. Now Woolworths has pledged to support the abolishment of these narrow metal crates with bare floors, currently used for pregnant sows in the intensive pork farming industry. Read more >> |
 | [Rihana Hoosain] There have been rapid advancements in technology over the past few years with constant new developments. We have seen the launch of Apple's smart TV, Microsoft's Windows 8, the Blackberry 10, Samsung Galaxy S4 and a myriad quirky digital apps. Read more >> |
Sony Mobile has introduced two new smartphones, the Xperia Z Ultra and Xperia C, both available in South Africa from September 2013. Read more >>
 | [Issued by FGX Studios] Much has been said on the topic of User Interface and the engagement of visitors with your front-facing marketing assets. At the front end of this surge is retail, always striving to better entice and entertain the masses. Read more >> visit press office >> |
 | BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - Tourists within Europe can use their smartphones without fear of an outrageous bill waiting at home as this year's summer holidays start. The European Union is cutting maximum mobile data roaming rates by 36% this week. Read more >> |
DHAKA, BANGLADESH: A Bangladeshi court has sentenced nine junior opposition politicians to life in prison for murdering a newspaper journalist who had published a series of reports on corruption, a prosecutor said Friday. Read more >>
 | OTTAWA, CANADA: Canadian smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry last week posted an unexpected first quarter loss after disappointing sales of its new phones. The company's share price fell by 20%. Read more >> |
 | Euronews renews its agreement with the Sky digital satellite platform for the United Kingdom and for Ireland until 2016, and connects to more than 10.7 million homes. Read more >> |
 | RANGOON, MYANMAR: Myanmar has granted licenses to Norway's Telenor and Qatar's Ooredoo to build and operate the country's first foreign-owned mobile phone networks. Read more >> |
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA: Kim Nam-Hee pulls no punches as she warns a classroom of wide-eyed South Korean 10-year-olds that they stand on the edge of an addiction that will turn them all into "mindless slaves". Read more >>
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA: South Korea's SK Telecom announced on Wednesday the launch of a new generation mobile network. Read more >>
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: The Australian arm of Rupert Murdoch's media empire, News Limited, will relaunch under the News Corp brand as part of a global revamp, its CEO said on Wednesday. Read more >>
 | BRUSSELS, BELGIUM: Google's competitors on Tuesday warned the European Commission that a set of proposals put forward by the US Internet giant to meet EU antitrust rules constituted "self-advertising" and would do nothing to create a level playing field for searches. Read more >> |
 | PARIS, FRANCE: British hospitals use red trays in a programme to combat malnutrition, but may have chosen the worst possible colour, according to a study's findings released on Wednesday (26 June) linking the colour of tableware to food enjoyment. Read more >> |
 | WASHINGTON, USA: Smartphone users have seen an explosion of malicious software or malware in the past year, dominated by schemes targeting Google's Android operating system, a survey published on Wednesday (26 June) showed. Read more >> |
 | PARIS, FRANCE: Tired of checking your smartphone every few minutes for new emails, likes or retweets? Do you spend more time looking at your device than chatting to your date? Are you close to a digital burn-out? Read more >> |
 | SAN FRANCISCO, USA: Microsoft said on Monday (24 June) it would offer an advertising-free version of its Bing search engine for schools, which also includes extra privacy and filtering of adult content. Read more >> |
 | WASHINGTON, USA: Manufacturers of generic drugs cannot be sued for adverse side effects caused by products that they did not themselves design, the US Supreme Court ruled on Monday (24 June). Read more >> |
 | KANSAS CITY, US / JOHANNESBURG, SA: David Sable, Global CEO of Y&R and Jon Cook, President and CEO of VML, and Jason Xenopoulos, CEO of NATIVE, have announced the launch of NATIVE VML, subject to regulatory approval. Read more >> |
 | SAO PAULO, BRAZIL: comScore, Inc, a leader in measuring the digital world, has released the latest insights on the display advertising market in Brazil based on data from its comScore Ad Metrix service. Read more >> |
 | PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC: Television audience measurement in the Czech Republic attracts interest among professionals at home and abroad. Read more >> |
 | PARIS, FRANCE: Making sure a glass of wine is everything it promises on the label was once a relatively simple process: hold against the light, tilt and observe the shade, swirl a little and give it a good sniff. Read more >> |
More International
Celebrity and influential parents celebrate the launch of new Huggies® Gold Boys & Girls
More
Loom opens shop in Cape Town
More
 | US President Barack Obama used the official dinner hosted in his honour on Saturday to make a moving toast to former President Nelson Mandela. Read more >> |
 | President Jacob Zuma says US President Barack Obama's visit to the country will go down in history as a turning point in relations between the United States and South Africa. Read more >> |
 | Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu says former President Nelson Mandela is continuing to unite the nation of South Africa, in spite of being in hospital. Read more >> |
The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) has welcomed the announcement by the Competition Commission that a settlement has been reached following admission of guilt by 15 of the companies accused of collusion in the construction industry. Read more >>
The upcoming visit to South Africa by United States President Barack Obama will further affirm relations between Pretoria and Washington, particularly in the area of trade and the fight against the HIV/Aids pandemic. Read more >>
 | South Africa, with its vast renewable energy resources such as solar power, has the potential to become one of the world's fastest growing economic hubs, according to Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe. Read more >> |
 | [Helmo Preuss] The number of tourist arrivals rose by 13.9% year-on-year (y/y) in March to 815‚075‚ with the number of overseas tourists increasing by 14.0% y/y to 249‚009‚ Statistics SA (Stats SA) said on Monday (24 June). Read more >> |
More Government news
 | [Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] One of the strangest developments in South African motoring is the trending away from station wagons in favour of SUV's which are perceived to be more stylish and fashionable - and this when station wagons remain hugely popular in places such as Australia, Europe and America. Read more >> |
 | [Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] The first thought that came into my mind when I saw (and heard!) the new Jaguar XJ V6 was mirrored by what the famous old crooner Frank Sinatra said when he saw the new Jaguar E-Type being unveiled at the New York car show in 1961: "I want that car. And I want it now." Read more >> |
 | [Rod Baker] Not so long ago, reaching our smaller destinations by air was not as easy as it is now... Now we have Airlink, which has the mission to link the smaller towns, the regional centres and hubs throughout South and southern Africa, in the process making getting around a pleasure that doesn't eat into your holiday time. Read more >> |
 | [Rod Baker] Lion Sands Tinga Lodge is right on the Sabie River, so you can enjoy game up close and comfortable or... read on... perhaps too up close... (All images: Rod Baker) Read more >> |
Dynamic salesperson required with retail, fashion accessories and bag sales experience of +-two years. Must have own transport and be sales driven. Read more >>
 By attending one these sessions, you will be engaged on how marketers can drive value in organisations. Read more >> Essential strategic planning skills for client service and creative. A strategic eye-opener that supports existing agency planning, adding a richer perspective to strategy. Not to be missed. Read more >>  ENGEN Pitch & PolishGreenQueen Communications - 6 Jul 2013 to 31 Aug 2013 Port Elizabeth,Wentworth,Kimberley,Athlone,Vereeniging,Bloemfontein,Phalaborwa,eMalahleni,All
Jimmy Johnson "The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra. (via The Quote Garden)"
Antonio Porchia "Almost always it is the fear of being ourselves that brings us to the mirror. (via The Quote Garden)"
Colin Powell "There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. (via The Quotations Page)"
William Feather "The petty economies of the rich are just as amazing as the silly extravagances of the poor. (via The Quotations Page)"
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