RETAIL NEWS ON FASTMOVING

South African businesses have begun preparing for what looks to be another bumper Black Friday trading day, with sales predicted to be up 30 percent from last year, online largest payment service provider PayGate said. read more

Hearing from some of the best speakers in the retail industry, 480 minutes of thought-provoking and relevant insights, amazing networking opportunities and the exchange of ideas. The realisation that the retail sector is rapidly changing and to survive and ensure sustainability, businesses need to evolve – it is no longer a ‘nice to have’ – it’s a necessity – this was the 2019 SACSC Congress. read more

For a taste of CEO Steve Rowe’s ambitions to transform Marks & Spencer Group (M&S), look no further than its newly refurbished shop in London’s Clapham neighbourhood.  read more

Measured in real terms, retail sales increased by 1.1% year-on-year in August, following a 2% jump in July, figures released on Wednesday by Statistics South Africa showed. read more

Ackermans, one of South Africa’s longest-standing value retailers, launched its first technology-driven concept store in Sandton City, Johannesburg. read more

British supermarkets are starting to go “nude”. read more

Latest grocery market share figures from Kantar show total supermarket sales grew by 1.3% year-on-year over the 12 weeks to 6 October with Sainsbury’s continuing its recent run of better performance following investment in cutting prices and improving its offer. read more

South Africa’s top health and beauty retailers, Clicks and Dis-Chem, are both rolling out the Elixinol range of CBD full-spectrum extract products in October.  read more

The wait is over - Checkers Xtra Savings is here! Africa’s largest supermarket group has introduced its latest initiative that shows their loyalty to customers, and not the other way around.  read more

Hyde Park Corner is celebrating its golden anniversary with '50 & Fabulous’ celebrations that include exciting events, lucky draws, prizes, special offers, opportunities to give back, milestone exhibits and a whole lot more in October and November.  read more

There are two sectors on the JSE that have fallen out of favour - Property and Retail.  read more

According to Stats SA, retail figures for December 2018, showed an annual decline of 1.4% instead of the expected 2.1% growth. It seems like brick-and-mortar stores are battling against depleting footfalls and decaying consumer confidence.  read more

Black Friday has grown to be an incredibly important ‘shopping holiday’ for South African retailers with Game and Builders reporting a 24% and 33% sales increase over the period in 2018.  read more

As we head into the final stretch of the year it is time to start gearing up for the added demands of the summer season. From factories and warehouses to retail outlets, the entire retail chain is under added pressure during this seasonal time of high demand. Temporary employment services (TES) can help all areas of the retail sector to cater to this peak with additional and flexi staff exactly when and where they are needed, with the right skills for the job, and none of the administrative headache of hiring permanent or contract staff.  read more

The Shoprite Group’s significant positive impact in the countries and communities in which it operates have seen it subsidise staple products to the value of R141 million, donate surplus food and goods to the value of R60.4 million and serve more than 20 million meals to communities in need in the 2019 financial year.  read more

US sports brand Vans has removed “a small number” of submissions in a sneaker design competition including one apparently giving a shout out to Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, as companies weigh the risks of angering China. read more

Pepco Group, a European discount retailer, has appointed former Tesco executive Trevor Masters as managing director of its largest business PEPCO. read more

Game has unveiled its reinvigorated brand and new positioning, including a new pay-off line, You’ve Got Game. The refresh aims to reconnect customers with this iconic home-grown brand in a highly engaging and relatable way, while more accurately reflecting the business as it is today – says Katherine Madley, brand and customer director. read more

Pharmaceutical health and beauty retailer Clicks rose to its highest level on the JSE after the group revised up its earlier guidance to investors, saying that it now expected double-digit growth in profits for the year to end August.  read more

With Black Friday set to fall on 29 November 2019, a number of South Africans have already begun planning their purchases. read more

Global fashion maestro, David Tlale — feted around the world for his bold and elaborate designs — has teamed up with iconic shoe brand, Crockett & Jones, to produce a must-have collection of stylish and sophisticated formal footwear for young and trendy men.  read more

Shares in Ted Baker shed more than a third of their value on Thursday, after the British fashion retailer’s second profit warning in four months on the back of what new boss Lindsay Page called the worst business conditions in decades. read more

H&M posted its first rise in quarterly pretax profit in more than two years on Thursday as the world's second-biggest fashion retailer said its drive to meet rapid changes in the market was on track. read more

Most shopping still happens in-store rather than online, but it is clear that online shopping is a significant growth engine, so stores need to do more to drive footfall. Respondents to Zebra’s 2019 Shopper Vision Study said the top two factors that get them to spend more time in brick-and-mortar stores are product availability and helpful store associates.  read more

Economic development minister Ebrahim Patel has applauded retailer Massmart’s programme to procure products from small, local suppliers, which has reached the R1bn mark. read more

Consumer data has become a sought-after asset for every kind of business, from financial services to FMCG. For a long time, retailers have been investing millions (and millions) of Rands trying to understand their consumer’s spending habits. All retailers want to be consumer-centric, to create behavioural change in a consumer’s life cycle and to maximise business-efficiency at every point in the value chain. We all want that. read more

Cartoon Network is proud to announce that it is collaborating with global beauty brand Inglot Cosmetics for a new limited-edition collection inspired by the original ambassadors of female empowerment The Powerpuff Girls. read more

Black Friday falls on 29 November 2019 and NetFlorist is offering consumers extraordinary Black Friday deals and Cyber Monday specials. This is an ideal time to buy Christmas gifts, household appliances, back-to-school items and more.  read more

Pick n Pay’s Smart Shopper loyalty programme has been named South Africa’s favourite loyalty programme for yet another year.  read more

Tesco has made the surprise announcement that its Chief Executive Dave Lewis will step down next summer and be succeeded by Ken Murphy, a renowned executive working for Walgreens Boots Alliance. read more

With only a few trading weeks left, brands have only a few weeks left to finalise their plans for Black Friday – which has grown into one of the most important fixtures on South Africa’s annual retail calendar in recent years.  read more

Steinhoff announced on Monday that Pepkor Europe has been renamed to Pepco Group. read more

Despite spearheading an ill-fated foray into Australia, Woolworths CEO Ian Moir pocketed R23m in the past year. This brings his total earnings over the past five years to R191m.  read more

In 2004, when Charmaine and Andre Krugel were asked by community members of the Huntington Trust in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, to help orphans and vulnerable children in the village, they couldn’t say no. read more

Fashion retailer Forever 21 filed for bankruptcy last week, as it joined a growing list of brick-and-mortar players who have succumbed to the onslaught of e-commerce companies such as Amazon.com. read more

Checkers Hyper revealed its state-of-the-art flagship store in Sandton City, complete with chocolatier bar, an open-flame pizza oven, an in-store Kauai and an extensive range of innovative new products. read more

Ahead of Black Friday 2019, Pick n Pay will run its “Black Friday Trial Run” deals tomorrow. These will test the new systems Pick n Pay has put place to make sure customers can take full advantage of its big deals on Black Friday at the end of November.  read more

The Co-op has launched a new smartphone app which it claims is the future of convenience retailing as it gives its members digital access to offers and services for the first time. read more

More than two thirds (68%) of the Shoprite Group’s workforce is under the age of 34, and this together with the Group’s focus on skills development and training illustrates its commitment to addressing the scourge of youth unemployment in South Africa. read more

Retailer Pick n Pay said its total debt had increased to R17bn from R1.6bn for the 53 weeks ended March 3, as a result of accounting changes. read more

Latest figures from Kantar show that growth in the Irish grocery market remained at 2.7% during the 12 weeks to 8 September, aided by shoppers stocking up on back to school essentials and Christmas gifts. read more

The retail sector, with its footprint in both urban and rural areas, has the potential to create more sustainable jobs in South Africa, given the unemployment rate. It is with this in mind that Ackermans, one of the country’s longest-standing retailers, has partnered with footwear importer and distributor, Universal Footwear, to locally design, source and produce its leather sandals. read more

A small rural community is set to supply the Spar Group with South Africa's legendary rooibos tea. read more

The Coca-Cola Company is the leading global manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverages.  read more

By 2021, over 20-million South Africans will shop online. read more

Retail sales for July marginally declined to 2 percent year on year as sales growth continued to reflect a muted demand in South Africa, with consumers’ discretionary income under strain.  read more

Pick n Pay is rolling out its new budget green People n Planet reusable bag nationally after a successful trial with customers earlier this year. The bag is expected to be in all stores by mid-October.  read more

Zara has launched its online sales in SA through its dedicated website zara.com/za. This marks an important milestone in the expansion of Zara’s integrated store and online platform into markets where it already has a store presence. read more

Local sports fans can once again feel part of the upcoming rugby tournament thanks to the launch of Pick n Pay’s new Rugby Super Cards.  read more

The V&A Waterfront’s far-reaching waste management and recycling practices has earned the property a prestigious Green Buildings Council of SA (GBCSA) 5 Star Green Star Existing Building Performance v1 certification (EBP v1) for the popular Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre – the highest rating for any existing shopping centre in South Africa. read more

According to a 2017 Statistic South Africa report, 61% of South African children are raised by only their mothers. This reveals that the majority of South African women have to navigate single-parenthood, as well as being the sole provider for their families.  read more

The international turnover of Rhodes Food Group, which makes Bull Brand corned meat and Bisto gravies, rose 13.4% in the 10 months to end-July, boosted by a weaker rand and exports of fruit snacks to the US. read more

An exceptional customer experience (CX) builds a foundation of loyalty and trust. Similarly, a positive user experience (UX) encourages brand connections with people wanting to come back for more. And yet, local organisations must learn to embrace these more effectively to differentiate themselves from their competitors. read more

Footgear, the South African retailer of branded and non-branded footwear, on Thursday received the green light to purchase the assets and business associated with Edcon Limited’s Edgars Active and High Key brands. read more

With winter’s icy grip on the country, it's hard to believe that summer is around the corner. The onset of warmer days means that it’s almost time to ditch the winter wardrobe and embrace a lighter, brighter one. However, selecting a summer wardrobe can be a daunting experience, as consumers are spoilt for choice and simply don’t have the time to sift through the top trends - particularly when on a budget. read more

Allsale Club is a members-only online shopping business that aims to save consumers money on everything from everyday branded items to luxury items.  read more

A British demand for supermarkets to prepare for a potentially chaotic no-deal Brexit by stockpiling food is stoking anger in the industry, with bosses saying they should not be blamed if people can't find everything they want on the shelves.  read more

Swiss luxury-goods maker Richemont said the head of its fashion and accessories business resigned after one year on the job to join another company. read more

Further strengthening its position in the East African market, the Shoprite Group launched its third supermarket in Kenya and the first outside Nairobi. read more

Rustenburg shoppers can look forward to a brand new shopping centre – Rustenburg Mall – set to introduce its first phase in April 2021. read more

Fashion group Foschini has opened an All Woman concept store in the newly renovated Fourways Mall. read more

Shoprite has once again been named as South Africa’s favourite retailer according to the results of the 2019 Sunday Times/Sowetan Shopper Survey. read more

Libstar wants to increase contribution from its exports to as much as 20% in a move that will mitigate the subdued consumer spending and weak retail environment.  read more

Levi’s has released a Made & Crafted premium collection in South Africa.  read more

Fast-fashion company Zara says store closures in Hong Kong were not related to anti-Beijing protests in the city, after speculation on Chinese social media that the retailer’s employees were supporting the demonstrators. read more

Models of superheroes and villains from Marvel’s Avengers movies helped lift first-half sales at Lego, as the Danish toymaker continued its turnaround drive with investments in China, India, the internet and new stores. read more

The JSE-listed clothing retailer the Foschini Group [JSE:TFG] announced a 14.1% increase in cash sales in its South African operations in the first 21 weeks of 2020, while sales on credit only rose 0.9%. read more

Women prefer shopping online. If you're a woman then this is no surprise at all. According to a report by specialist digital agency Reprise, South Africa’s eCommerce industry, while still in its infancy, is showing strong growth thanks to high mobile penetration, secure payment options and changing spending habits. read more

South Africa’s most loved brands were announced recently at the AskAfrika Icon Brands Survey awards in Johannesburg. Value retailer, Ackermans, was awarded the top honour in the Clothing Retail: Children’s category, for a third time in a row, and was further announced as a Platinum Brand Icon. read more

In its ongoing commitment to phase out single-use plastic shopping bags by 2020, Woolworths has announced its first trial of specially-designed paper bags for fashion, beauty and homeware purchases. read more

HomeChoice International PLC, a leading provider of innovative Retail and Financial Services products, and the largest home-shopping retailer in Southern Africa have partnered with Oracle, to launch a new eCommerce website hosted on Oracle Cloud Commerce (OCC). OCC is a new commerce platform from Oracle, built as a cloud-based software-as-a-service platform from its popular on-prem solutions, ATG and Endeca search.  read more

Acquiring today’s customer is a lot like getting a dog. They provide an endless amount of value and the feel-good sense of confidence that you’re doing a good job. read more

Born from the need to celebrate African children and their natural beauty, husband-and-wife team Thabo and Mpumi Motsabi have just launched a range of dolls available exclusively in Shoprite and Checkers supermarkets throughout South Africa. read more

Dis-Chem Pharmacies says sales grew 13.5% to R9.9bn in the first five months of its 2020 financial year, thanks partly to better wholesale revenues. read more

Retailers and wholesalers on the JSE have been clobbered since their respective 2018 financial results. read more

The first key step towards this vision is widening the packaging-free philosophy to all stores of all the major supermarkets, and, crucially, not giving consumers who might resist change the option to stick with the polluting packaged goods that feel so familiar. read more

In an effort to gear up growth, Shoprite wants to move to smaller stores, closer to where its customers are. read more

JSE-listed supplier of ceramic tiles Italtile said it planned to open more stores in South Africa and abroad, despite the subdued economy, which has constrained consumer spending. read more

Retail is going through change along with the rest of the digital world - but it’s one of those touchy-feely zones, where online does not always size-up to an actual shopping experience.  read more

Australian retailer Coles Group reported a jump in online sales and a special dividend that cheered investors, sending its shares near their biggest one-day gain in two months.  read more

One of South Africa’s longest-standing value retailers, Ackermans, opened its 800th store in Africa’s biggest shopping centre Fourways Mall, in the north of Johannesburg. read more

A tough economic climate has put pressure on Mr Price's fashion retail sales, as customer spending remained constrained, the company said in a trading statement for the first four months of its financial year ended March 28. read more

LiquorShop, the Shoprite Group’s chain of stand-alone liquor outlets, marked a major milestone with the opening of its 500th store at the Philippi Plaza Shopping Centre in Cape Town. read more

Builders Strubens Valley is the latest store in the Builders group to get a grand revamp as South Africa’s leading DIY and buildings material retailer strives to meet the demands of customers who want a seamless, slick integrated shopping experience. read more

Debt-leery investors, spooked by one local corporate car crash after another, have found another share to dump: mighty Shoprite. read more

The Western Cape High Court has prevented Steinhoff and its subsidiary, Pepkor Holdings, from selling or dealing in the shares of shoe retailer Tekkie Town, in a ruling handed down on Tuesday. read more

Total revenue of Walmart for its second quarter (Q2) of Financial Year 2020 (FY20) ending July 31 hit $130.4 billion, up 1.8 percent year on year, while the net sales of Walmart International decreased 1.1 percent year on year to $29.1 billion, the company reported.  read more

Shoprite’s shares fell to their worst level in more than three years after Africa’s largest food retailer reported a 20% drop in earnings and said it saw no immediate prospects of its troublesome non-SA operations returning to profitability. read more

Truworths International reported lower earnings for the year to June 2019 as Truworths posted a steady performance in the weak domestic retail market while the profitability of the Office chain was severely impacted by the depressed United Kingdom (UK) trading conditions. read more

Trendy Italian underwear, clothing and swimwear brand, Yamamay has launched its first South African store at Menlyn Park Shopping Centre in Pretoria.  read more

Shares in Truworths slumped to a nine-year low on Friday morning after the fashion retailer reported a 74% slide in profits amid difficult trading environments in SA and the UK. read more

UnionPay International (UPI) has announced significant progress in the South African retail payments market through their co-operation with Pick n Pay and Absa Bank. Through a tripartite co-operation agreement, Pick n Pay, a major food, clothing, and general merchandise retailer, is now enabled to accept UnionPay cards at all of its till points across its approximately 1,800 stores countrywide.  read more

With lampshades made by Indian women and trays from East Africa, H&M said that it had become the latest retail giant to back businesses with a mission to do good, as pressure mounts to end throwaway consumerism.  read more

In a bid to reduce its carbon footprint, mitigate load shedding and become less reliant on the national grid, the Kit Kat group has completed a solar power installation at its Benoni Cash & Carry store. read more

Botswana-based grocery retailer, Choppies, has announced that it will be exiting the South African market, four years after expanding into the country. read more

Consumer goods group Libstar said it managed solid volume growth for its core product offerings in the six months to end-June, but accounting changes will weigh somewhat on its interim headline earnings per share (Heps) growth.  read more

A rebound in economic growth in the second quarter of the year will likely see SA avert its second recession in two years. read more

With Eskom’s stability looking far from certain, businesses are searching for cheaper and more reliable alternatives to generate electricity.  read more

Iconic American jeweller Tiffany & Co is partnering with Mukesh Ambani’s conglomerate to gain a foothold in the lucrative Indian market. read more

Nestlé plans to introduce its first range of Starbucks-branded products in China, as part of a global tie-up that will help bolster the Swiss company’s proprietary Nespresso capsules in one of its fastest-growing markets. read more