Consumer durables group Amalgamated Appliance Holdings (Amap) on Monday, 9 March 2009, reported revenue down a third as consumers reined in spending, especially on durable items. 11 Mar 2009
USA: It certainly meets the Tom Clancy High-Tech Battlefield Seal of Approval, but it also hopes to take advantage of new stimulus-package spending that should result in new construction projects nationwide. These are the potential markets Dell is targeting with its new XFR E6400 Latitude rugged laptop computer. 11 Mar 2009
The much anticipated R1bn Melrose Arch Shopping centre, the newest dimension to the Melrose Arch precinct, will open its doors on 26 March 2009. 11 Mar 2009
In a major coup for the Department of Trade and Industry' s industrial development drive, US consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble will be establishing capacity in SA for the manufacture of disposable nappies. 10 Mar 2009
Why is it that in the remotest villages in the poorest parts of Africa one can readily buy a cold can of Coke, while the local population lacks access to clean water? Why, in those same villages, is there unlikely to be a reliable supply of insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets, despite their low cost and widely understood value in dramatically reducing malaria infections and deaths? 10 Mar 2009
Fashion meets function with the new sequined Electra range from Fitflop. 10 Mar 2009
NEWSWATCH: Rumour has it that South African fast food chain, Nando's, has garnered interest from international restaurant operator, Yum Brands, the US owner of KFC. 10 Mar 2009
African states must introduce water tight laws against piracy if they want to effectively combat the threat to the continent's coast. Speaking at the third Sea Power for Africa Symposium currently underway in Cape Town, Paul Musili Wambua, a Kenyan researcher, said there was a need for regional cooperation and tough legislation to be put in place to effectively prosecute pirates. 10 Mar 2009
Who really knows where the packaging industry — or the entire economy, for that matter — is headed these days? Usually, an established industry tradeshow gives you a pretty good indication of the industry's direction. However, that wasn't necessarily the case when I visited the recent WestPack show in California. 10 Mar 2009
Consumer watchdog, the National Credit Regulator (NCR) as part of the Consumer Protection Forum, which comprises of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), nine Provincial Consumer Affairs Directorates, Financial Services Board (FSB), the Council for Medical Aid Schemes, Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) and other regulators, has embarked on a campaign to educate consumers about their rights, where to get recourse, and what steps to take in order to enforce these rights as part of celebrating Consumer Rights Month during March. 10 Mar 2009
One of the things that fascinates me is how large companies, when given an "in your face" example from a competitor, more often than not ignore it. 10 Mar 2009
USA: What began 60 years ago as a humble television store in this sleepy southern capital of Richmond, Virginia, ended Sunday as Circuit City closed its doors for good - its 567 remaining US stores to be left broom clean and vacant. 10 Mar 2009
In spite of the conditions facing the retail sector, manufacturing and retail company Rex Trueform grew its bottom line as a result of its upmarket retail chain Queenspark. 10 Mar 2009
Anticipating further cost-of-living increases, South Africans are likely to spend less this year on items such as holiday trips, entertainment, dining out, and various luxury goods. 9 Mar 2009
Enterprises are jumping on the cloud computing bandwagon, and that's usually a good thing. Not every application and function belongs in the cloud, however. Enterprises need to centralise their strategies on cloud computing so everyone is on the same page. 9 Mar 2009
Journyx, a company that provides Web-based time-tracking and project management applications, also offers its customers a back door into customer service. That is, its application lets users track what a customer costs. That is a number that is often surprisingly miscalculated or not calculated at all, said CEO Curt Finch. 9 Mar 2009
In this age of hype and hysteria, nearly every IT product peddled comes with the dire warning "if you do not buy, you die." On a few occasions, however, that claim proves true in the biggest, most unmistakable ways. 9 Mar 2009
South African commodity organisations, input suppliers, manufactures and retailers need to partner with government to develop practical solutions to address high food prices, says Agriculture and Land affairs Minister Lulu Xingwala. 9 Mar 2009
BEAVERTON, USA: Nike announced that Jeanne P. Jackson, 57, a member of its Board of Directors since 2001, has been named to the newly created role of President of Direct to Consumer for the company, effective immediately. Jackson will drive Nike, Inc.'s global retail efforts which include Nike-owned retail stores worldwide, its affiliate retail stores and its digital commerce organisation. She will report to Nike, Inc. President and CEO, Mark Parker. 9 Mar 2009
International renowned designers who wish to survive are not hiding behind a fashion utopia. They may still hold over-elaborate fashion shows but they know the bottom line to survival is sales. Selling not to an elite clientele but selling to the mass. Italian couturier Roberto Cavlli said, "It's not a time for romance." Giorgio Armani said the fashion world had been "too euphoric". 9 Mar 2009
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