RETAILER NEWS

Consumer confidence in the U.S. climbed for a second week as Americans became less pessimistic about the prospects for the world’s largest economy. read more

Capi, European market leader in electronics retail at airports, has entered into an exclusive partnership with Hugo Boss to sell Hugo Boss’s mobile accessories for smart phones and tablet computers at Capi’s stores in European airports. read more

Planet Retail, the leading global retail analysis company, has strengthened its European division with the appointment of Frank Weibelzahl as Sales Director.  read more

FreshStop Oakdale located in Durban Road Tygervalley Western Cape opened on the 26th Jan 2012 and is “FreshStop at Caltex” number 67. read more

United Retail Group Inc (URGI)., owner of the Avenue plus-size women’s clothing stores, filed for bankruptcy court protection citing leasing costs and announced plans to sell the company. read more

Despite only being asked to remove the "Good Old-Fashioned" slogan from its range of soft drinks, Woolworths has decided to remove the entire product range from its shelves, CEO Ian Moir said yesterday. read more

In a rare case of consumer empathy, retailer Pick n Pay has reportedly boycotted some of its suppliers who did not agree “to drop their prices so that customers can benefit”. read more

Apple Inc. (AAPL) named the chief executive officer of the largest U.K. consumer-electronics retailer to run its stores, ending more than seven months of searching for an executive to oversee international expansion. read more

Johannesburg - Consumer goods distributor Massmart Holdings [JSE:MSM] advised on Tuesday that headline earnings per share (Heps) would be between 10%-18% higher, or 402.4 cents to 431.6c, for the six months to 25 December 2011. Excluding forex, earnings would be between 5% lower to 3% higher, or in a range of 374.4c to 405.9c per share. read more

NEW YORK - Retailers had a lot on their minds during the National Retail Federation's annual conference last week: the weak economy, overseas expansion, Internet sales taxes. But for some executives, one particular image came into focus: the actor Tom Cruise. read more

Johannesburg - Retailer Lewis Group [JSE:LEW] on Friday said merchandise sales for the quarter ended December 31 2011 increased by 5.5% off a high comparative base of 13% last year.  read more

Hennes and Mauritz, Europe's second-largest clothing retailer, continues to struggle to counter the cost of making garments after reporting a fifth consecutive drop in quarterly profit. read more

Georges Plassat, Carrefour (CA) SA’s fourth chief executive officer in eight years, relishes a challenge.  read more

Cape Town – South Africa's major retailers have risen in the rankings of the 250 global companies. Shoprite Holdings [JSE:SHP] still leads the local choir at No 92. This can be seen in Deloitte’s latest annual global retail report, Global Powers of Retailing 2012: Switching Channels.  read more

SA’s largest diversified credit retailer, TFG (The Foschini Group), has bought its longstanding clothing manufacturing supplier, Prestige Clothing, to improve its competitive advantage in a move that has sent positive ripples through the local clothing sector. read more

Pick n Pay has announced that it is currently experiencing a shortage of some products. read more

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) will begin moving greeters into its stores from the lobbies, ending a long tradition of having customers see employees as soon as they enter the building.  read more

Charming Shoppes, a company which runs 1,929 retail stores in 48 US states, has revealed details of a shakeup of its senior procurement staff.  read more

Johannesburg - Steinhoff International Holdings [JSE:SHF], Africa’s biggest furniture maker, aims to increase its stake in JD Group [JSE:JDG] through a share swap deal to gain control of the South African retailer.  read more

South Africa’s Pick ‘n Pay has outlined plans to rebrand TM stores countrywide. This will give an economic boost of about $13 million and create employment, “Our new investment in Zimbabwe will pump $13 million into the economy. read more

UK converter Berkshire Labels has printed over 500,000 ‘peel back’ labels for the British retailer Waitrose’s newly-launched ‘Top Tier’ range of over 40 different English and European cheeses. read more

The Nigerian Chamber of Commerce in South Africa said the turmoil in the north African country had a major impact on the revenue of South African companies operating there. read more

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Buoyed by irrepressible optimism about emerging markets growth, South African stocks have posted a solid comeback since early August, climbing about 18 percent and hitting record highs in the last week. read more

J.C. Penney Co. (JCP) Chief Executive Officer Ron Johnson today laid out his plans to revive the retailer, starting with an overhaul of pricing and store layouts. read more

Johannesburg - Building materials retailer Cashbuild [JSE:CSB] reported on Tuesday that revenue for the second quarter and the half-year to December 2011 increased by 9%, compared to the same period a year ago. read more

Music retailer Musica saw its sales decline 5.2% in the 18 weeks to January as it closed 10 stores and was affected by deflation. read more

Moves by local government authorities in China to relax customs procedures will help global retail companies to streamline their supply chains, logistics experts predict.  read more

Carrefour SA, (CA) the world’s second- largest retailer, said 2011 profit was at the lower end of its reduced forecast range after fourth-quarter sales declined. read more

Johannesburg - The Foschini Group [JSE:TFG] on Wednesday reported sales growth for the December period - from November 27 to December 31 - of 17.3% and same store growth of 11.4%, notwithstanding the high sales growth base in the corresponding prior period of 22.5%. read more

Johannesburg - Growth in South Africa’s retail sales slowed to 6.8% year-on-year (y/y) at constant prices in November from a revised 7.5% in October, Statistics South Africa said on Wednesday.  read more

It's been a rough sled for US retail, but the dollar-store business is growing like crazy. The national chains are drawing higher-income shoppers, reporting record profits and opening new stores on a daily basis. Dollar General, with more than 9,800 locations, is now the nation's largest retailer by store count. Middle-class shopping centers used to shun the discounters, says John Tomlinson, an analyst at ITG Investment Research. Today they're courted as one of the few options for filling vacancies. read more

Johannesburg - Shares in Truworths International [JSE:TRU] fell more than 3% in early trade on Wednesday, after the clothing retailer released a trading update that one fund manager said fell short of estimates.  read more

Johannesburg - A rainbow nation of shoppers poured through the racks of fashion giant Zara's brand new store, its first in South Africa, where the Spanish chain hopes to tap an increasingly diverse middle class. read more

Johannesburg - Pick n Pay Stores [JSE:PIK] on Wednesday said it has entered into a partnership with BankservAfrica that will allow customers to transfer money without the need for a bank account. read more

ZBD Displays, a supplier of epaper display systems, has announced that Cyberport, a Germany-based consumer electronics retailer, has rolled out ZBD’s fully graphic electronic shelf labeling across its stores. read more

Retailer Pick n Pay announced on Tuesday that international retail professional Helmut Hoerz would join the company for a two-year assignment as head of merchandising. read more

Johannesburg - Clothing, footwear and textiles retailer Edcon on Tuesday announced the appointment of Mark Richard Bower as deputy chief executive and chief financial officer (CFO) following the resignation of Stephen Robert Binnie. read more

Woolworths on Tuesday reported an 11,4% rise in sales for the first 26 weeks of the 2012 financial year compared with a year earlier. read more

Clicks Group (CLS) on Tuesday said it increased sales by 8.1% in the 18 weeks to January 1 2012. read more

Johannesburg - Shoprite Holdings [JSE:SHP] said on Monday that for the six months ended December 2011 it grew turnover by 13.2% to some R41.1bn. read more

Growth in SA's retail trade sales at constant (2008) prices for November is expected to lose a bit of momentum and clock in at 7.0% year on year, from a y/y growth of 7.4% in October, according to a survey of leading economists by I-Net Bridge. read more

U.S. retail industry sales growth will shrink to 3.4 percent this year, hampered by the lingering housing slump, a trade group forecast.  read more

Massmart Holdings, controlled by Walmart, fell for the first time in nine trading days after Deutsche Bank cut its recommendation on the stock to sell from hold.  read more

Annual growth in rentals is 5,5% for bigger malls such as Sandton City, 3,4% for smaller malls but rents move down at neighbourhood shopping centres read more

Delhaize Group SA (DELB), the owner of Food Lion supermarkets, plans to cut about 5,000 positions and expects a 2.4 percent drop in revenue as it closes stores in the U.S. and Europe.  read more

Johannesburg - Retail group Massmart Holdings [JSE:MSM] reported on Wednesday that the group's total sales for the 26 weeks to December 2011 had increased to R31.6bn, representing growth of 15.2% over the prior 26-week period, with year-to-date inflation estimated at 1.1%. read more

Mr Price Group has recorded sales growth of 15.9% for the third quarter over the comparable period in the prior year. read more

London - J Sainsbury declared victory in the battle for Christmas sales among Britain's top grocers, as store extensions and its expansion into convenience outlets, online shopping and non-food ranges helped it win share in a tough market.  read more

Small caps starred on the JSE last year, with the AltX 15 showing the best performance of indices with more than one share, with a total return for the year of 42,6%.  read more

South Africans spent about R2,6bn online last year, 30% more than in 2010, research from World Wide Worx shows. read more

A new Food Lover's Market opened on 15 December 2011, in Tokai, Cape Town in a fully renovated Fruit & Veg City store. The first store in the group to adopt this innovative retail design, following international trends, it offers many new food stations for an experiential retail environment. read more

Woolworths is adamant that it will continue selling a range of drinks it is accused of copying from small-scale soft drinks maker Frankie’s, pending an enquiry by the Advertising Standards Authority of SA.  read more

A new soft drink - now at PnP stores in the Western Cape - talks directly to the SA youth market read more

WalMart, which is in the throes of finalising its takeover of Massmart, fired another salvo on the price-cutting front, just in time for the back-to-school rush. read more

As competition intensifies in SA, local retailers have looked offshore for growth and many have also understandably set their eyes on the rest of Africa.  read more

Competition Tribunal chairman Norman Manoim sent Massmart home yesterday without approving its acquisition of Fruitspot and 16 Rhino stores, and asked the retailer and the Competition Commission to tweak conditions to the sales. read more

Food prices continue to soar ahead of Christmas, and there is no stopping the trend. read more

Retail sales rose in November at the slowest pace in five months, indicating American consumers were trying to live within their means heading into the holiday shopping season as wages dropped. read more

Johannesburg - The chief executive of Woolworths Holdings [JSE:WHL] isn't worried about losing market share to Walmart in Africa, as he targets the continent's rising wealth with fashionable clothing and high-end food. read more

South Africa's Woolworths continues its bull run, jumping 2 percent to 40.84 rand. read more

Cape Town - Pick n Pay recently launched its fourth Zambian store. Pick n Pay opened its first store in Lusaka in July 2010; its second store in Ndola in March 2011; and the third in Levy in November 2011. The fourth store, which will be situated in Makeni, is one of five planned for the country over the next four years. read more

Johannesburg - Growth in South Africa’s retail sales slowed to 7.4% year-on-year (y/y) at constant prices in October from a downwardly revised 7.7% in September, Statistics South Africa said on Wednesday.  read more

Massmart has been recognised as one of the best performers in the medium environmental impact category of the JSE’s 2011 Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Index, the results of which were announced yesterday (6 December 2011). According to the results, the group's environmental and climate change practices were recognised as constituting best practice. read more

The Shoprite Group of Companies paid tribute to their suppliers at its 2011 Supplier Awards held in Stellenbosch on Saturday, 26 November. This glamorous ceremony, held annually, provides an opportunity for the Group to recognise suppliers for their unstinting support and collaborative approach toward the company’s business during the past year. read more

The SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers’ Union (Saccawu) was happy that it had been able to save 2 000 jobs at Pick n Pay as a result of an agreement reached with management, Mduduzi Mbongwe, the deputy general secretary of Saccawu, said yesterday. read more

Johannesburg - Striking workers at retailer Clicks Group [JSE:CLS] returned to work on Monday, management said.  read more

Mobile phone applications that allow online shopping on the move could give battered British retailers something to cheer about in what is otherwise set to be one of the toughest Christmas trading periods for years. read more

Harare - Zimbabwe's competition regulator approved Pick n Pay Stores [JSE:PIK] plans to raise its stake in that country’s biggest grocery merchant, a $13m deal that forms part of the South African food retailer’s expansion plans across the continent. read more

Giants like Walmart blocked from India until consensus can be reached, pro-foreign lobby says move will send a "bad signal" to investors read more

[Cape Town 2 December 2011] Plans to list South Africa’s first dedicated convenience-retail property fund on the JSE Securities Exchange are on track for mid-December following the bourse’s approval. read more

Johannesburg - Retailer Pick n Pay Stores [JSE:PIK] said on Thursday it had reached an agreement with the SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (Saccawu) that would result in no forcible retrenchments.  read more

Johannesburg - The SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (Saccawu) said on Thursday that Clicks Group [JSE:CLS] staff had begun a strike. read more

Like the opening of a new superstore in town, the world's largest retailers have been queuing up to get access to the as-yet-closed-off Indian market. But when last week the Indian government announced it would be flinging wide the doors for foreign investment, the Wal-Marts and the Carrefours had plenty to worry about. read more

Jupiter Drawing Room in Cape Town has been notified that as of the end of January, Woolworths will no longer be doing business with them. read more

In an effort to accelerate growth, SA's biggest clothing retailer, Edcon will embark on an aggressive expansion plan, which will see trading space inch up 4% in the fiscal year ahead.  read more

An Australian court overturned a decision by the country's competition watchdog to block wholesale firm Metcash buying stores from South Pick n Pay Stores [JSE:PIK] - a precedent that may make it harder to challenge future deals. read more

Spar Group emerged from a challenging consumer environment with a 10.4% growth in turnover and 3.9% increase in earnings as reported earlier this month in a performance partly boosted by the resilience of its liquor outlet, Tops. read more

Makro’s distribution centre in Midrand, north of Johannesburg, is to undergo a massive refurbishment and development that will see the existing premises expand from approximately 16,000m² to 27 000m². Investec Property, a division of Investec Bank Limited and one of South Africa’s leading property operations has secured the development rights for the property.  read more

Green Cross is making consistent in-roads into neighbouring countries through well placed export orders. read more

New York - US retailers racked up a record $52.4bn in sales over the Thanksgiving weekend, a 16.4% jump from a year ago, as early hours and attractive promotions brought out more shoppers, an industry trade group said on Sunday. read more

Competition Appeal Court Judge President Dennis Davis has said he hopes to announce a decision on Walmart’s purchase of a controlling stake in Massmart by the end of next month. read more

Politically connected empowerment’s usual suspects are missing out on a combined market capitalisation of more than R160 billion as they are shunned by top JSE-listed retailers, which have chosen to rather give stakes to their staff and support struggling black entrepreneurs. read more

New Delhi - India will open the country’s retail industry to foreign supermarkets, a cabinet minister told reporters on Thursday, a much-delayed reform expected to help unclog supply bottlenecks and ease inflation over time. read more

Retailer Pick n Pay has announced the opening of its third Zambian store in Lusaka, further signalling the group's confidence in the Zambian economy.  read more

Johannesburg - Retailer Massmart Holdings [JSE:MSM] reported at its annual general meeting on Wednesday that for the first 21 weeks of the 2011 financial year total sales growth was 15.2% and comparable sales growth 8.8%, with year-to-date sales inflation running at 0.8%.  read more

The opening of Food Lover’s Market took place at Bagatelle Mall of Mauritius in October 2011.  read more

Johannesburg - The SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (Saccawu) on Wednesday said its members at retailer Clicks Group [JSE:CLS] would embark on a protected strike from December 1. read more

Walmart is talking to Gauteng about how the provincial government would use some of the funds set aside in the R16,5bn Walmart- Massmart deal to boost young entrepreneurs and the small business sector. read more

Johannesburg - Grocery retailer Spar Group [JSE:SPP] missed forecasts with a 3.3% rise in full-year profit as tough competition, weak selling prices and fragile consumer demand weighed on its margins. read more

Johannesburg - Furniture retailer Lewis Group [JSE:LEW] reported a 14% rise in first-half profit on Monday, boosted by higher sales which continue to show gradual growth.  read more

Boots, the health and beauty retailer headquartered in the UK, offers the best user experience across its online, mobile and in-store platforms, according to 'The 2011 Multichannel Retail Report', published by Webcredible, a user experience consultant company. read more

about 15.8 percent of Woolworths shareholders voted against the re-election, and automatic appointment to chairman, of the group’s former chief executive, Simon Susman. However, the ordinary resolution was easily carried with 83.9 percent voting in support of Susman’s appointment. read more

Shares in Woolworths fell more than 2% yesterday after the food and fashion retailer reported disappointing sales growth in its clothing unit as well as poor volume growth in its first five months of trading in its full year. read more

Retail sales growth which continues to surprise on the upside is unlikely to alter the interest rate outlook, with rates likely to remain unchanged at 36-year lows until the fourth quarter of 2012 at least, according to economists. read more

Walmart's R16.5 billion acquisition of Massmart has been a transparent process with all the regulatory bodies playing their parts properly, says the International Monetary Fund (IMF).  read more

Growth in retail sales surged unexpectedly in September, signalling that SA’s economic recovery was gathering momentum and quashing lingering expectations that interest rates could fall again read more

Angola, Ghana are next says retailer as sales rise 10,7% read more

Washington - US retail sales rose broadly in October and a gauge of New York state manufacturing showed growth this month for the first time since May, suggesting the economy started the fourth quarter with vigour. read more

Growth in SA’s retail trade sales at constant (2008) prices for September is expected to lose momentum to a decrease of 6.5% year on year (y/y), from a y/y growth of 7.1% in August, according to a survey of leading economists by BusinessLIVE. read more

The South African Plastics Recyclers Organization (SAPRO), with the support of Plastics|SA and various role players, announced the winners of the annual “Best Recycled Product Competition” at a gala awards dinner held at the Midrand Conference Centre in mid-September.. read more