Can retail save the South African economy?
Growth in consumer spending makes you wonder, 'Can retail save the South African economy?' This was in question at last week's #BeyondRetail2016 event, covering a range of views and kicking off with '
the economist's view' of Dr Azar Jammine of Econometrix.
Leigh Andrews will share more of these over the course of the week.
According to developer Pareto Limited, the
redevelopment of Menlyn Park Shopping Centre was driven by strong demand from retailers seeing robust trade results year-on-year. The centre will reopen on 24 November as the largest mall in Africa, with a total lettable floor space of over 170,000sqm.
Speaking of economic expansion, in a move to expand Grand Parade Investments' food portfolio, the group has begun its rollout of the popular American donut and coffee chain,
Dunkin' Donuts across South Africa. The first store opened in Cape Town on Thursday, ironically coinciding with national nutrition week, one of the health department's efforts to get South Africans to opt for healthier food options, and
as the country weighs a sugar tax.
Andrews followed the tweets of Bloomberg BNA's Sustainable Business Summit 2016 in New York and identified two top insights: that
putting sustainability top-of-mind is good business practice, and that it makes sense to
do business online.
For more on how other businesses are doing good, visit our
#SustainabilityMonth special section.
Jessica Tennant, Retail Editor (@Biz_Retail)
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 and event invitations 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". | |
|
 | Shelley Seid What's hot on the local food scene? What's being served up and what's joining the leftovers? read |
|
|
 | Jessica Tennant A New Earth, a boutique organic and eco-living store based in Beirut, Lebanon, recently announced its opening in Lagos, Nigeria. The expansion is testament to the owners' belief in moving towards a cleaner, healthier, more sustainable way of living. read | |  | Leigh Andrews The #SustainableBiz16 summit just wrapped up in the US last week. I followed the tweets and noted that most of the learnings, while stemming from global corporations, definitely have local relevance... read | |
Read more
|
|
|
 | Edcon, in partnership with the South African Bank of Athens and Blue Label Telecoms, has launched its first ever money transfer service, MoovaMoney... read |
|
 | Pericles Anetos Direct response retailer Verimark returned to profit on flat sales in the six months to end-August, it reported on Wednesday morning... read |
|
 | Ann Crotty SABMiller's 119-year history on the JSE is set to end in something of a whimper as the steadily weakening pound eats into the sale premium expected by South African shareholders... read |
|
 | Matthew Alexander South African mobile commerce provider, iKhokha has won the Innovation Award at the MasterCard Innovation Forum which took place in Budapest, Hungry... read |
|
 | Ann Crotty The British pound's flash crash could not have come at a worse time for South African shareholders who will receive rand payment based on Monday's rand-sterling exchange rate... read |
|
 | Colleen Goko Investors in Pick n Pay sent the company's share price climbing as much as 3% in intraday trade on Friday, on a day when most food retailers made marginal gains, after releasing a trading statement that defied the constrained local consumer environment... read |
|
|
 | Future South African retail development is as much intertwined with the digital world as it is with bricks and mortar: small is the new big and a mix of convenience tenants (gyms, high-end shopping and office space) is in hot demand... read |
|
 | According to Broll Nigeria, retail landlords have had to offer rental concessions in order to retain tenants in Nigeria and falling commodity prices, coupled with the depreciation of the naira, have contributed to the reduction of Nigeria's attractiveness as an investment destination in general... read |
|
|
 | Bogosi Motshegwa Can people buy from you consistently, but not out of loyalty? It is possible that you may be selling services and/or products, business is booming but the majority of the transactions take place grudgingly... read |
|
|
 | Issued by Naija Writers' Coach Successfully attracting and retaining more customers online is mostly a function of the convenience your business offers users... read |
|
 | NEW YORK - Online giant Amazon launched an expanded on-demand music streaming service in the US on Wednesday, taking on the likes of Spotify and Apple Music with a cut-price offer for users of its Echo speakers... read |
|
|
 | With its R2bn redevelopment, Menlyn Park Shopping Centre is adding a number of local and international menswear stores to its offering next month to further cater for the fashion-conscious man... read |
|
 | Ann Crotty Edcon, SA's largest clothing retailer that was saved by a bailout deal with creditors, plans to cut back on buying clothing from China and Bangladesh... read |
|
 | For EU meat companies, the tracing back of their pork production is in-depth, with packaging labels giving consumers the full guide of the pork production process... read |
|
|
 | Consumer-focused investment group, Vasari has completed the acquisition of KWV Group's operational assets for R1.15 billion... read |
|
 | Ann Crotty Within hours of Anheuser Busch InBev formally completing its takeover of SABMiller, the Coca-Cola company said it planned to exercise a change-of-control clause to buy SABMiller's 57% share in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa... read |
|
 | Issued by Clover There's a delicious dairy solution for lactose-intolerant people, thanks to new Clover NoLac Lactose Free Milk... read |
|
 | Issued by Clover Clover Care was specifically developed by food specialists - to help your family get the healthy boost they need. Clover has enriched their Way Better quality milk with nutrients lacking in the South African diet... read |
|
|
 | Marc Hasenfuss Pretax losses at franchising group Taste Holdings widened to R45.5m in the six months to end-August, but the longer-term profit potential of the Starbucks coffee brand has started to percolate through since being launched in April... read |
|
 | Taste Holdings has released its interim results to August 2016, which show the South African-based management group has experienced significant gains in its licensed brand strategy, as the Domino's Pizza business settles down and Starbucks Coffee draws consumer interest... read |
|
 | Robert Laing The costs of establishing Starbucks and Domino's in SA caused Taste Holdings' interim loss to widen. read |
|
 | The launch date for Dunkin' Donuts' first South African restaurant has been brought forward to Thursday, 13 October at midday at the Goodwood precinct in Cape Town... read |
|
|
 | Issued by Rentokil Initial Research from Initial, global hygiene experts, has found that a third of workers use their smartphones in the office bathroom, leading to major concerns over the spread of germs and disease in the office... read |
|
 | Cari Van Wyk Braam Malherbe recently joined Angus McIntosh and Yolanda Guse, who started the petition to get McDonals to commit to a cage-free policy, on the Spier Spier Biodynamic Farm to see how free range chickens live... read |
|
|
 | UPS has announced the expansion of UPS Worldwide Express Plus, its earliest morning package delivery service, into 28 new countries, including UAE, South Africa... read |
|
 | Issued by Bizcommunity.com As the biggest multi-industry site catering to a professional audience in Africa and South Africa, Bizcommunity is delighted to be media partner to the biggest port event in Africa... read |
|
|
 | Ntsakisi Maswanganyi Although manufacturing production rose more than expected in August, its contribution to third-quarter economic growth will be lower than that of the second quarter... read |
|
|
 | Issued by Pyrotec This year marks the 50th anniversary of Pyrotec, a privately owned and managed business established in 1966. read |
|
|
 | The ninth annual The Times/Sowetan Shopper Survey recently announced Shoprite as the overall winner of the Shopper Grand Prix Award, with Pick n Pay and Clicks in second and third place respectively, for the third year running... read |
|
 | In The Times/Sowetan Shopper Survey 2016, Clicks achieved first place in the Health, Beauty and Fragrance Outlets and Pharmaceutical Outlets categories, and third place overall... read |
|
|
 | Bandile Ndzishe The township economy is worth R100bn, while the stokvel industry is estimated to be worth around R70bn. This is according to the Gauteng MEC for economic development, agriculture and rural development, Lebogang Maile... read |
|
|
 | It is safe to say that poor customer service can seriously affect a company's bottom line... read |
|
|
 | Mahindra Comviva, in collaboration with Aite Group, has released a whitepaper tracing the growth and uptake of digital wallet services across the mobile and e-commerce sector... read |
|
|
 | SAN FRANCISCO, USA: Cloud computing rivals VMware and Amazon Web Services on Thursday, 13 October 2016, announced an alliance that will let them play off each other's strengths... read |
|
 | WASHINGTON - Affirm, a startup led by PayPal co-founder Max Levchin, said on Thursday it secured $100m in financing to expand its consumer lending business that aims to disrupt the credit card industry... read |
|
 | SAN FRANCISCO - US online giant Amazon on Thursday announced that it plans to hire 120,000 seasonal workers to help handle an expected crush of holiday shopping... read |
|
 | NEW YORK - Coca-Cola and Pepsi, the two major US soda giants, have given millions of dollars to health organisations while quietly fighting anti-obesity measures such as taxes on soft drinks, a new study shows... read |
|
 | MATHURA - Passengers on India's vast railway network have long complained of the terrible meals on offer to sustain them on long journeys, but a slew of new services bringing fast food to their seats is changing the way they dine... read |
|
 | SAN FRANCISCO - Online retail giant Amazon plans to expand its grocery business with shops that let people quickly pick up milk, vegetables or other perishable foods, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday... read |
|
 | BRUSSELS - The world's biggest brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev confirmed the sale of major businesses in Africa, Europe and Asia on Tuesday, as it completed the mega-takeover of rival SABMiller... read |
|
| More International |
|
|
 | 78% of businesses believe digital startups will pose a threat to their organisation, either now or in the future, according to new research... read |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Josiah Gilbert Holland "There is no royal road to anything. One thing at a time, all things in succession. That which grows fast, withers as rapidly. That which grows slowly, endures." Christopher Columbus "You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore." Mahatma Gandhi "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." Simone de Beauvoir "Change your life today. Don't gamble on the future, act now, without delay." John Gardner "We are all faced with a series of great opportunities - brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems." |
More quotes Submit a Quote |
|
Twitter
