Monika Christmann, a top German oenologist who will address this year's Nederburg Auction in September, recently commented on how a clear South African wine style has evolved over the past decade. She noted the role of Sauvignon Blanc in helping the country to achieve a unique and distinctive identity. 11 Aug 2008
NEWSWATCH: Pepsi Cola is looking to cut down the size of its canned drinks in China from 355ml to 330ml to combat the inflationary pressures of rising aluminium costs - Packaging Digest reports. Meanwhile, Madonna and Guy Ritchie could be in trouble after reports have surfaced of alleged price fixing at their pub in London - Tonight. 11 Aug 2008
What is unified communications (UC) and why do you need it? UC is not unified messaging, and it isn't a unified desktop. But both of these technology solutions help to support a unified communications architecture. In fact, according to Aberdeen, a Harte-Hanks Company, UC is the convergence of such technologies as instant messaging, e-mail, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), presence and e-commerce in or near real-time. 11 Aug 2008
Budget laptops and the iPhone have been getting most of the attention in gadget circles lately, but there's another intriguing trend under way. 11 Aug 2008
African Bank Limited (Abil) launched its BEE public offering this week with special emphasis on creating value for employees of recently acquired furniture retailer Ellerines. 8 Aug 2008
SA home shopping giant HomeChoice says that it has implemented a VoIP solution from Orion Telecom. VoIP technology converts voice calls from analogue to digital to be sent over digital data networks. 8 Aug 2008
The Juliet Cullinan Wine Connoisseur's Awards, established in 2000, evaluates and highlights the leaders of each Cape vintage. The 2008 Awards will be run in association with The Collection by Liz McGrath, which includes the three five star Relais & Chateaux hotels: The Cellars-Hohenort in Constantia, The Marine in Hermanus and The Plettenberg in Plettenberg Bay. 8 Aug 2008
As the economy weathers day after day of choppy economic news, consumers are cutting back on away-from-home consumption of wine, beer and spirits. New research from The Nielsen Company and Bevinco reveals that on-premise sales of alcoholic beverages have been considerably impacted by the declining economy. 8 Aug 2008
Poor people, especially in the rural areas, are finding it difficult to cope with the rocketing high food prices on their thin wages or social grants. 8 Aug 2008
Actress, model, presenter, producer and philanthropist, Connie Ferguson, is making local history by being the first South African woman to launch her own celebrity fragrance, which has been named ‘True Self'. 8 Aug 2008
Finding the right balance between privacy and convenience online is best left to individual consumers; they are more vested than anyone in protecting their personal information. More control will enable them to decide what information they want to share and how they want to share it. 8 Aug 2008
It's no fun shopping alone. That's the theory behind social shopping, a trend that combines social networking with e-commerce. It's a trend that's coming into its own as increasing numbers of online shoppers turn to the sites for fun, companionship, and camaraderie with other shoppers. 8 Aug 2008
USA - The Department of Justice has charged 11 people with the theft of millions of account numbers from a long list of US big box retailers including TJ Maxx, OfficeMax, Barnes & Noble, Boston Market, BJ's Wholesale Club, Forever 21, DSW, Dave & Buster's and Sports Authority. 8 Aug 2008
Todwil Retail Solutions, a privately owned Cape-based retail-marketing company recently acquired Cape Tech Plastics, a specialist injection moulding company, for an undisclosed sum. 7 Aug 2008
Elle New Talent Awards six finalists are set to open the Sanlam SA Fashion Week's Spring/Summer Collections 2008/2009 in Sandton on Wednesday, 27 August 2008. The finalists will showcase six of their designs entered for the Awards under the theme 'New Romance'. 7 Aug 2008
Government is to intensify the support it provides to emerging farmers to increase local production as part of efforts to combat rising food prices and decrease its reliance on imports. 7 Aug 2008
High fashion and elegance will be in evidence when the new Scalini boutique opens its doors in the heart of the trendy Cape Quarter this month. The bespoke new clothing gallery is home to selected luxury European clothing and footwear brands, including Sergio Rossi, Fratelli Rossetti, Eres swimwear and Penny Black by Maxmara, to name a few. 7 Aug 2008
The Absa house price index shows that July saw the lowest house price growth in almost nine years, which was attributed to deteriorating market conditions on the back of rising inflation and interest rates, which adversely affected household finances and the affordability of housing. 7 Aug 2008
The notion of sustainability as it relates to CRM is worth some thought. CRM is used to accelerate the closing of a deal. But when you accelerate a close, especially with some sort of incentive like a discount, what you're really doing is stealing from the future, and that's not sustainable. 7 Aug 2008
NEWSWATCH: Music, DVD and games retailer, Musica, is being fined R170,000 after the Pretoria specialised commercial crimes court, on Wednesday, found the company guilty of contravening the Counterfeit Goods Act - IOL reports. 7 Aug 2008
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