RETAILER NEWS

Trading profit for the period under review reflected a pleasing improvement over the same period last year. The consumer remained under pressure, high unemployment levels persisted and food retail competition intensified, which all led to a challenging trading environment. This was partly countered by higher internal inflation of 7.2% for the period. read more

Johannesburg - Holdsport has reported a strong set of maiden results for the year ended February 2012 with core headline earnings per share rising 22.5% to 387.4 cents. read more

New York - Wal-Mart Stores’ profit and sales surpassed expectations as more people shopped at its established US stores and spent more, pushing shares up more than four percent despite ongoing internal and government probes into possible bribery.  read more

After 8 months of construction the wait is finally over. There to unveil the plaque was Executive Mayor, Mpho Khunou, Boitekong Mall opened its doors on 26th April 2012. read more

Johannesburg - Retailer Pick n Pay agreed to change its labelling next year after a complaint over the amount of candy-coated chocolate buttons inside an Easter egg, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said on Tuesday. read more

The increasing internationalisation of Africa’s retail industry — specifically Walmart’s entry to the market — has shaken up SA’s supply chain, forcing local solutions companies to reinvent themselves, Amalgamated Appliance Holdings (Amap) CEO Alan Coward said on Friday. read more

Growth in SA's retail trade sales at constant (2008) prices for March is expected to increase by 6.8% year on year, from a growth of 7.2% in February, according to a survey of leading economists by I-Net Bridge. read more

In a tight-lipped scenario that has developed over the past few days, Business Report has exclusively established that Hugues Witvoet, the chief executive of Edgars Department Stores, has suddenly resigned from the Edcon Group. read more

GS1 South Africa, the local custodian of bar codes to the retail industry, has warned South African retail businesses, suppliers and wholesalers about an unauthorised barcode seller that has recently begun soliciting business, offering prospective clients any bar codes they want, including several which are owned by GS1 Global. read more

Hoofddorp, May 10 – Today, Capi, market leader in electronics retail at airports, has opened a 245 sq. meter shop at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. The shop has been completely refurbished in the new Capi style. read more

SA’s top companies have experienced a battering in their reputations this year, a survey showed, but clothing and food retailer Woolworths emerged with the most robust reputation score, despite a controversy involving the alleged misuse of the intellectual property of a small ginger beer maker earlier in the year. read more

Clicks Group will ramp up its footprint over the next three to five years as it targets the 500-store mark, CEO David Kneale says. read more

British retail sales fell at their fastest rate in more than a year last month and jobs growth slowed, nudging the economy closer to a third quarter of contraction and raising the chance of another cash boost from the central bank. read more

Social grants paid by the state are helping retailers in township shopping centres weather tough economic conditions.  read more

Markets were disappointed by Walmart-controlled Massmart ’s sales update released yesterday, with its shares falling as much as 2,5% to reach their lowest level in almost a month. read more

Sprawling Chatsworth is set to have a new R150 million shopping centre by this time next year. read more

Everyone expected all the learnings to come from Walmart. There was an expectation within the retail industry that Walmart would change how Massmart does business not only within the company itself, but for its suppliers and mostly its customers.  read more

A ground-breaking one-stop border post (OSBP) at Chirundu between Zambia and Zimbabwe has demonstrated how the cost of trading in Southern Africa can be substantially reduced by streamlining border procedures. read more

The latest expansions into Zimbabwe and Swaziland meet the burgeoning demand for ESL systems throughout the rapidly growing African retail market and complement Skydirect's existing operations throughout South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique read more

Johannesburg - Pick n Pay opened its second centralised distribution centre in Cape Town on Wednesday. read more

Johannesburg - Retailer Mr Price Group [JSE:MPC] advised on Wednesday that for the 52 weeks ended 31 March 2012 it expects basic and headline earnings per share to have increased by between 18% and 23% over the prior year, being the 53 weeks ended 2 April 2011.  read more

Nyon, Switzerland, 27 April 2012: UNI Global Union welcomed the signing of an historic first collective agreement at Carrefour Colombia that it says should serve as a new model for labour relations in the country. Along with the gains for Carrefour Colombia the workers, the agreement is notable for the fair and secure organising collective bargaining process that created it.  read more

One of Engen Petroleum Limited’s most popular urban 1-Plus service stations, Engen Oranjezicht in Cape Town, is again open to the public following a four-month makeover.  read more

Local high-end retailer Woolworths came one step closer in its bid to lure what CEO Ian Moir calls "trolley shoppers" away from rival Pick n Pay by opening its first supermarket on Friday.  read more

There's a new refrigerator on the market that allows customers to buy cold products using QR codes and a Mobile App. The Vending Fridge, created by ShelfX, a provider of self-checkout and inventory management solutions, is aimed at hotels, offices, retail stores, gyms, coffee shops, schools, libraries or retail locations where flexible food vending is needed, according to a company press release. read more

Clicks Group, the health-and beauty-focused retailer, will this year expand into Lesotho and spend R95m in the second half on opening new stores and refurbishing existing ones. read more

Freshstop are steamrolling ahead with their 75th store opening in 62 Koedoe Ave,Birchleigh, Kempton Park.  read more

Local retailers should take advantage of Wal-Mart's weaknesses, rather than competing on price, which is one of its greatest edges, Natalie Berg, global research director of retail analyst firm Planet Retail said.  read more

The outcome of government's appeal against the R16.5 billion merger of Wal-Mart and Massmart was positive, says Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel.  read more

Pick n Pay was now "well placed" to fulfil its founder Raymond Ackerman’s dream of free-market petrol prices, thanks to a deal with BP Southern Africa, a company spokeswoman said yesterday.  read more

Walmart Stores shares were down 3.1% in early premarket trading on Monday following an article in the New York Times this weekend alleging that the world’s largest retailer stymied an internal probe into bribery at its Mexican affiliate, Walmart de Mexico. read more

It has already been proven that Massmart-Walmart’s ten week extended price cut promotions offer numerous benefits to customers, including more time to plan for purchases. Adding to this, the promotions provide important insights regarding some of the implications of introducing Walmart's famed Every Day Low Price (EDLP) approach, to Massmart buyers.  read more

Far higher real wholesale sales growth than real retail sales in February may herald a switch from consumer-dependent SA economic growth to a more business-dependent growth.  read more

Five million active users of Pick n Pay’s Smart Shopper card received combined benefits worth R350 million from the retailer during the 12 months to February. While the total cost of these benefits was not carried by Pick n Pay, the non-recurring set-up costs relating to the card appear to have been a major factor in the group’s weaker-than-expected performance for the year. read more

Johannesburg - Growth in South Africa’s retail sales jumped to 7.2% on an annual basis at constant prices in February from a revised 4.2% in January, Statistics South Africa said on Wednesday. read more

The UK’s largest retailer Tesco has announced plans to expand on-line supplier collaboration in an effort to reduce supply chain carbon emissions  read more

UK retailer Marks & Spencer has been hit by stock shortages caused by what the group’s CEO referred to as ‘not perfect buying’ read more

Johannesburg - Online shopping in South Africa is on the rise, with the majority of active internet users saying they do so, according to a survey released on Wednesday. read more

Johannesburg - South Africa’s No2 food retailer, Pick n Pay Stores [JSE:PIK], reported a 15% fall in full-year profit on Wednesday, missing expectations, hit by costs related to its shopper loyalty programme and investments in its supply chain. read more

Hobart's SuperSPAR in Bryanston is using a billboard employing real people to draw attention to the fact that residents in the area have almost unanimously awarded it an excellent service rating across the board.  read more

Investec Property, Tintswalo Property Group and RPP Consortium are pleased to announce that construction on the 27 000m2 Dihlabeng Regional Centre in Bethlehem is well underway and that the centre, which is due to open in April 2013, already has a significant commitment from national tenants such as Checkers, Pick ‘n Pay, Woolworths, Foschini, Truworths, Reggies, Game, Mr Price Group, as well as a number of smaller regional and national tenants. It is important to the success of the development that local traders are also afforded an opportunity to participate in this new venture and leasing will commence shortly.  read more

Though operational results for the second half of Pick n Pay's financial year are expected to show an improvement, the group's fervent investment in its turnaround strategy is likely to have had a negative impact on profit growth for the year.  read more

Ignorance about career opportunities in the wholesale and retail sector deprives the youth of chances in one of the fastest growing sectors.  read more

JSE-listed PBT Group has agreed to buy out SAP specialisation company BI-Blue for an undisclosed amount. read more

During the 3rd annual Climate Change Leadership Awards held in Sandton, PnP was the winner in the Private Sector Retail category. read more

As the advertising world emerges from a torrid financial period characterised by recession and global instability that forced companies to cut marketing budgets, it faces a very different consumer environment.  read more

Walmart has launched a programme to provide training to women working for companies in its global supply chain read more

Government has so far spent about R4.1 million in challenging the Walmart-Massmart merger, Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel said on Tuesday. read more

After a one-year pilot study of Savvy Penny, an in-store digital coupon system that uses Bluetooth technology to offer value and savings to consumers, Milam's Market in Coral Gables, Fla., is rolling out the loyalty solution that delivers two-way interactive promotions directly to the consumer at the point of sale through touchscreens on the store shelf, according to a company press release. read more

Johannesburg - Economist and Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz has been appointed as the government's expert on the Walmart study, the Economic Development Department said on Tuesday.  read more

A ruling by the Competition Appeals Court ordering retailer Massmart to reinstate 503 retrenched workers could cost the company R80-million to R100-million in lost wages. read more

Cape Town – The overarching economic picture in the Western Cape is positive, with some of the strongest consumer spending in the country.  read more

Supermarket chain Tesco is to ditch the traditional blue & white stripes on its own-brand products as part of a major re-launch, it was announced today. read more

Despite all the buzz around showrooming and mobile shopping, retailers will be relieved to know that brick-and-mortar stores are still important for 90 percent of shoppers, according to a study published by the e-tailing group with online local media company Local Corporation. read more

Pick n Pay exceeded the estimated number of Smart Shopper cardholders by 2 million. The food retailer had estimated that the loyalty programme would reach 3 million customers in its first year, but by yesterday the store recorded just over 5 million. read more

Walmart has said it is planning to source an increasing volume of agricultural products locally in the sub-continent.  read more

For global retailers looking to secure long term growth and diversify their source of income, setting up an African strategy is key.  read more

Loblaw's Joe Fresh, Canada's biggest grocer, opened a flagship store last week on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, but instead of meat and produce, it's selling $29-women's dresses and $12-men's shirts, according to Bloomberg.  read more

Taking a taxi to go shopping some distance away from their homes will be a thing of the past for the community of Protea Glen, as a huge new mall with almost all major retailers is to open on 27 September.  read more

Advertising spend jumped 11% to R32.1-billion last year from R28.9-billion the previous year, according to figures released this week by researcher Nielsen. read more

Newcastle Mall regional shopping centre, located in KwaZulu-Natal,was a hive of activity ahead of ahead of its opening on 29 March 2012.  read more

Holdsport (HSP), which runs the Sportsmans Warehouse and Outdoor Warehouse stores, on Friday said that its basic and headline earnings per share (HEPS) are expected to be between 350 cents and 360 cents for the year ended February. read more

Pick n Pay (PIK) on Friday said headline earnings per share (HEPS) and diluted HEPS from continuing and total operations would decrease by between 10% and 20% for the year ended February 29. read more

In a further sign of its international strength, global retail group Alliance Boots opened another store in Thailand this week.  read more

Walmart Stores Inc. plans to lower its grocery prices by $1 billion this year in hopes that customers will be drawn in by the lower prices on food and also make purchases in other areas of the store, according to a published report. The retail giant generated $145 billion in grocery sales last year.  read more

Johannesburg - The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront says trade in the last six months has been exceptionally strong, with retail sales growing by about 18% year-on-year (y/y). read more

Bytes Managed Solutions has a longstanding business relationship with Pick n Pay, and has recently been instrumental in delivering on a major project to enhance the customer experience and boost sales. read more

The joint venture partnership between one of Nigeria’s long standing conglomerates, Chellarams Plc, and Woolworths of South Africa, after a thorough assessment of the Nigerian market, has resulted in the establishment of Woolworths biggest retail outlet in Ikeja, Lagos worth over N200 million. read more

26 March 2012: Engen Petroleum, South Africa’s leading retail forecourt brand , has trumped the competition with yet another first – a loyalty programme tied to the Furry Five soft toy range, which is set to launch in Quickshop convenience stores around the country from 26 March – 16 September 2012. read more

Since Tesco's poster retail experiment in a Korean subway station last June, the idea of using QR codes and NFC tags to let consumers make purchases from virtual stores has exploded. Stockholm Central Station worked recently with e-commerce platform provider Jetshop to test the concept, hoping to discover how the mobile-connected "poster stores" would impact the future of retailing, according to a story on NFC World. read more

Woolworths Australia has been in discussions with local retailer Pick n Pay with a view to buying a stake in the group, according to local sources. read more

The 22nd of March 2012 marks a momentous milestone for fashion and FAIRTRADE in South Africa as PUMA launched its first clothing range made with Fairtrade cotton. The PUMA Wilderness Collection is available in all Due South stores across the country. It is inspired by the landscape and climate of Africa, and is made in Africa using FAIRTRADE cotton.  read more

A wait-and-see approach should be applied to gauge the performance of international clothing labels as more foreign stores were making their way to the South African market, retail analysts said last week.  read more

Shprite Holdings , Africa’s largest food retailer, plans to use a substantial portion of the R8bn it is raising in a sale of stock and convertible bonds to repay debt.  read more

Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana has taken a small South African business to court, accusing it of diluting the luxury brand's name, it was reported on Sunday. read more

Smallholder farming continues to be on the agricultural development agenda as the government seeks to stimulate the agro-processing sector to kick-start its job creation drive. read more

Johannesburg - South African supermarket chain Shoprite Holdings [JSE:SHP] said it will raise up to $1bn by issuing new shares and convertible bonds to strengthen its balance sheet and help fund potential acquisitions. read more

Earlier this week it was announced by Justice Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Luwellyn Landers that the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill will be passed in parliament next month. The news has been met with jubilation from Child Welfare South Africa (CWSA), ECPAT and The Body Shop. The organisations have been actively involved in pressuring the Committee to push this essential piece of legislation which will put a stop to the exploitation of children through forced labour and prostitution brought about by their trafficking.  read more

There would be no changes to building materials retailer Cashbuild ’s approach to growth, new CEO Werner de Jager said on Tuesday, and the company hoped to open nine stores this year. read more

SAN FRANCISCO – March 20, 2012 – Continuing to execute on its global expansion strategy, Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) announced today the opening of its first free-standing stores in South Africa – the largest apparel retail market in Africa – via its franchise channel. Six months after the successful launch of the company’s first stores on the continent, these store openings mark Gap Inc.’s entry into a third country in Africa - after Egypt and Morocco – and its first in sub-Saharan Africa.  read more

Clicks will now offer free funeral cover for its loyalty programme members and will seek to extend its financial services offering to keep customers coming back to its stores, the company said yesterday. read more

Service rather than price will be the battle ground of choice for smart retailers looking to take on global retail giant Wal-Mart, a customer service guru said recently.  read more

Bloemfontein will soon boast an exciting new shopping experience when the first Makro store in the Free State province opens its doors in October 2012. read more

Purple Cow Communications, a leading Internet marketing company in South Africa has been chosen by TFG (The Foschini Group) to monitor, measure and manage the online reputation of the retail giant’s 16 retail brands, namely: @home, @homelivingspace, American Swiss, donna-claire, Duesouth, exact!, Fabiani, Fashion Express, Foschini, Luella, Markham, Matrix, sportscene, Sterns and Totalsports.  read more

The Manufacturing Circle, on Monday welcomed the Competition Appeal Court's approval of the Wal-Mart/Massmart merger, and in particular, the condition regarding a study which is to be compiled on how local small- and medium-sized suppliers will participate in the US giant's global value chain and ensure that benefits from the merger flowed into this sector of the economy. read more

Liberty Group Properties on Wednesday confirmed the sale of Liberty Group Limited's interest in Alberton City Shopping Centre to Growthpoint Properties Limited. read more

Soon the trouble of having to commute to town for basic necessities will be a thing of the past for the Duncan Village community, as a new shopping centre will be opening in their township in a few weeks. read more

One of the most popular reality food shows in the world is finally coming to SA! MasterChef SA will premiere on M-Net at 7.30pm, Tuesday 20 March. It will bring together some of the country’s best amateur cooks to compete for the title of MasterChef South Africa – and they’ll be cooking with Woolworths food. This means foodies at home will have access to the same ingredients as the contestants, so they an cook up a storm at home, too! read more

Tesco Plc (TSCO) said the head of its biggest unit, Richard Brasher, will step down from the board and leave the company in July after the U.K.’s largest supermarket chain saw market share slide to seven-year low. read more

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) shoppers will get an eight-hour head start in buying Apple Inc.’s new iPad.  read more

The first quarter of this year saw improved levels of confidence among retailers, as solid clothing and footwear sales growth bolstered sentiment, the latest Ernst & Young/Bureau for Economic Research survey on Thursday revealed. read more

Growth in SA's retail trade sales at constant (2008) prices for January is expected to ring in at 7.5% year on year (y/y), from a y/y growth of 8.7% in December, according to a survey of leading economists by I-Net Bridge.  read more

Johannesburg - The merger conditions for Massmart Holdings [JSE:MSM] and international retail giant Walmart International (Walmart) could cost the retail groups more than they currently anticipate. Moreover, they have to wait a couple of months for final approval of the conditions of the transaction. read more

The SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers' Union (Saccawu) is not happy with the Competition Appeal Court's “conservative” judgment on a merger between US retail giant Walmart and local company Massmart. read more

HL Motors in Brakpan, officially opened its doors to a spectacular new Freshstop on Thursday, 8 March 2012 with a wonderful fresh offering that was displayed throughout the store. read more

Johannesburg - The Competition Appeal Court will release its judgment today on the review of the Walmart-Massmart merger. read more

Industry analysts are predicting that Walmart will announce its support for Hollywood's UltraViolet digital movie technology at a media event next week in L.A., according to a blog on the L.A. Times site.  read more

Building materials retailer Cashbuild (CSB) said on Wednesday it expected its headline earnings per share to rise between 130% and 140% in the half-year ended December compared with a year earlier. read more

Massmart-Walmart were yesterday advised by the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Namibia that the merger has been approved in Namibia subject to the following three conditions: read more

Supermarket chain Asda has exchanged contracts on a deal which will see it take control of the sourcing division of one of its largest suppliers GAAT, it was announced today. read more