OK Zimbabwe‚ which has been boosted by a portion of a US$5 million convertible loan facility from Investec Africa Frontier Private Equity Fund‚ on Thursday, 22 November 2012, posted a 24.6% rise in interim revenues for the period to end September and declared a $0.20 dividend for the period. 23 Nov 2012
UK high street fashion retailer Topshop opens its first store in Africa today, Thursday 22 November 2012. 22 Nov 2012
Forming part of the upmarket Manda Hill Centre in Lusaka, HiFi Corp opened its first store in Zambia in July 2012. Since then it has welcomed thousands of customers eager to experience its promise of tech shopping made easy. 21 Nov 2012
Retailer Woolworths on Thursday, 16 November, said that sales increased 15.9% for the 20 weeks to 11 November 2012 compared with the same period a year ago. 16 Nov 2012
Sunglass Hut will launch its designer pop-up retail concept on 22 November 2012 in Melrose Arch Johannesburg and on 29 November 2012 at The Quayside at the V&A Waterfront from 10am. Guests will get a first look at trends and fashion from brands such as Ray-Ban, Prada, Persol, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Bvlgari, Burberry and Persol. 16 Nov 2012
Direct response retailer Verimark on Monday reported a headline loss for the six months ended August of 5.2c from the previous period's headline earnings of 7c‚ mainly due to a weaker rand driving up the prices of imported goods‚ along with new product releases taking longer than expected and ongoing delays with its move to a new head office facility. 14 Nov 2012
Own brands, store brands, dealer own brands, home brands... call them what you will, private labels are here to stay and not just as in-the-background, budget-friendly brands, aimed at cash-strapped consumers but rather as significant players in the retail space. This growth provides a unique opportunity for South African retailers to connect with their customers as never before. 13 Nov 2012
Direct marketing retailer HomeChoice, which delisted from the JSE in 2003, has shelved its planned relisting. 9 Nov 2012
Hopes that Pick n Pay's radical restructuring would deliver a meaningful turnaround have been dashed by its interim results to August. 8 Nov 2012
On 1 November 2012, Absa and Edcon announced the implementation of their June 2012 agreement whereby Absa acquired the R8.8 billion of Edcon's private label store card portfolio. This increases Absa's customer base by approximately 2 million to 13 million customers. 5 Nov 2012
Online retailer kalahari.com has gone into partnership with Bargain Books, which will see the country's biggest discount book retailer selling the gobii eReader in its stores nationwide. In the announcement today, 1 November 2012, the companies say the move is set to expand access of eBooks to South Africans. 1 Nov 2012
Retailer Shoprite announced today, 29 October 2012, that its turnover for the first quarter of the 2013 financial year grew by 15.6% compared to the 10.8% increase in the same period in the last financial year. 29 Oct 2012
BP has announced that it will be investing millions of Rands over the next three years in its BP Express upgrade project. Already an innovator with the successful Wild Bean Café (WBC) brand, it will introduce Fresh at non-residential service stations and Pick n Pay Express in residential areas. 26 Oct 2012
Pick n Pay's (PIK) ambitious turnaround strategy‚ due for implementation in 2014‚ will take far longer to materialise‚ leaving room for its competitors to grab market share‚ analysts say‚ Business Day reports. 25 Oct 2012
Edgars Active has just opened two more stores in Sterkspruit and Makhado, which marks the 99th and 100th store opening since August 2011. In celebration of this growth, the chain has announced its 'Be Unstoppable' campaign, which kicks off with a promotion that introduces the Unstoppable ambassadors. 25 Oct 2012
South African food‚ general merchandise and clothing retailer Pick n Pay (PIK) on Wednesday, 24 October, reported a 12.9% drop in diluted headline earnings per share to 35.34 cents for the six months ended August from the 40.59 cents reported in the previous corresponding period last year. 24 Oct 2012
Consumer goods distributor Massmart Holdings (MSM) on Monday, 22 October 2012, said that for the 14 weeks to 30 September‚ total stores' sales increased by 16.6% and comparable stores' sales increased by 7.8%‚ continuing the trends experienced at the close of the last financial period. 23 Oct 2012
Now in its fifth year, The Times Sowetan Retail Awards have selected South Africa's top retailers from extensive consumer research generated by TNS over a 12-month period. The results reveal where South Africans have chosen to buy their everyday and luxury items with a significant shift towards purchasing from wholesale retailers. 22 Oct 2012
The recent announcement by Pick n Pay that Richard Brasher, former Tesco CEO, is to take over in February next year is an interesting show of faith in his ability to reinvent himself. This is not an attempt to criticise or applaud the appointment, but it warrants comment when a CEO, who has exited his position with a bit of a whimper rather than a bang after only one year at the helm, moves halfway around the world to head up an operation in a very different social and economic landscape. 22 Oct 2012
Even though customers bought more small luxury items such as beauty products and vitamins from the Clicks Group this year‚ consumers remained under pressure and continued to seek value‚ CE David Kneale said on Thursday, 18 October 2012. 19 Oct 2012
