UK: With the recent slump in the housing market, it seems people are turning to improving their current property rather than moving to a new one. According to the Internet statistic guru Hitwise, online traffic has increased by over 20% in the last 12 months, while traffic to real estate websites has dropped by over 35%. 18 Nov 2008
USA: Sears Holdings is bringing layaway back to its namesake stores next week, nearly two decades after it was scrapped, after seeing a strong response to the pay-as-you-go plan at its Kmart locations. 18 Nov 2008
The Competition Appeal Court yesterday dismissed a bid by five of the largest milk processors to have a case of price-fixing against them thrown out. 18 Nov 2008
Food manufacturer Tiger Brands could be in for a long battle to buy rival AVI, which rejected its R8 billion bid yesterday, saying it did not make commercial sense and was not in the best interests of the company and its shareholders. 18 Nov 2008
Effort in the US is aimed at improving weak brand loyalty among wine drinkers. 18 Nov 2008
Durban-based, Eclectic Exhibits (Eclectic) is on the move again! Having just returned from a successful show at JATA World Travel Fair in Tokyo (over 110 000 people attended), the team heads for London to make what it reckons is a world first. 18 Nov 2008
Justin and David Letschert, the owners of Union-Swiss, have been named the winners of the Emerging Entrepreneur Category at the South African chapter of the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Awards Programme. 17 Nov 2008
Furniture group JD Group has witnessed a 51% decline in diluted headline earnings per share from 609.8 cents to 298.3 cents for the year ended August. 17 Nov 2008
The Group of 20 (G-20) countries are determined to enhance cooperation and work together to restore global growth and achieve reform in the world's financial systems. 17 Nov 2008
Mike Fisher, a founding partner of US investment banking firm Global Wine Partners, believes South Africa, with its excellent wine-growing conditions, the beauty of its winelands and competitive cost structures, is well-placed to advance from its relative obscurity in the US to the point where it becomes better recognised for its quality offerings. 17 Nov 2008
As I watch the world economy spiraling downward, I thank my lucky stars that I happen to work in one of the few industries that is expected to grow despite the downturn. Nonetheless, online retailers are going to face slower growth than we were all predicting even a few weeks ago, and the industry is being forced to completely reevaluate budgets and priorities. 17 Nov 2008
Today's liquidity crunch is a far-reaching conundrum causing the global credit markets to react in an irrational and volatile way. All granters of credit are under immense pressure, as the market continues to point its gnarled finger at the mortgage industry as the chief culprit for the market's disarray. 17 Nov 2008
Three South African food products recently won awards at the first International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST*) Global Food Industry Awards in Shanghai, China. 14 Nov 2008
Retail holding company Tradehold says its headline earnings per share for the six months to 31 August improved slightly to -0.5 pence from -0.7 pence in the year earlier period. 14 Nov 2008
Swiss-based luxury goods group Richemont today reported a 10% rise in sales for the six months ended September to €2.8 billion. 14 Nov 2008
The sixth annual supplychainforesight survey initiated and sponsored by Barloworld Logistics, has been launched to the industry. This year's survey will continue the trend of its successful predecessors by exploring groundbreaking aspects of supply chain and logistics practices in South Africa. 14 Nov 2008
Three Asian electronics firms have agreed to plead guilty and pay US$585 million in fines for conspiring to drive up the prices of LCD screens used in computers, TVs, cellphones and other electronic devices. 14 Nov 2008
Video game publisher Electronic Arts (EA) announced Thursday that it will add to the growing number of fitness games for the Wii with its own entrant, "Sports Active", set for release in Spring 2009. 14 Nov 2008
Freshpak tea, Bona magazine and Jose House of Beauty will be giving five of the magazine's readers the opportunity to change their lives. 14 Nov 2008
Challenged to sell an additional eight million Kit Kats during 2008, Nestlé tasked JWT to conceptualise a promotion to drive repeat purchases of 4-finger and Chunky Kit Kats. 13 Nov 2008
