Moving money for the masses

There a quite a number of interesting news bits this week. Shoprite has announced an innovative banking facility that enables their customers to transfer funds through its network of stores - a fantastic facility if you consider the value it will add to Shoprite's customer base, many of whom don't have bank accounts and work away from home.

David Kneale's back-to-basics approach has made a positive impact at the New Clicks group, with most divisions delivering a strong performance over the past six months.

In a report out of the US , Wal-Mart is re-designing their advertising strategy. The marketing spend under review is estimated to be USD578 million so there are bound to be some marketing/media executives on tender hooks. It will be interesting to see what they come up with and how it will impact on much talked about Wal-Mart company image overhaul.

Craig Ballantyne
craig@fastmoving.co.za

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editor@fastmoving.co.za

NEWSBYTES

Shoprite to compete with banks with cheaper money transfer
Last week Shoprite announced that it would offer money transfer services to enable its shoppers to send funds from one supermarket to another across the country. This could take some of the major banks' core business because of the lower service charges the retailer is offering.
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Clicks performance improves
On Thursday New Clicks reported an 11.6% rise in net profits to R138.7m off a 14.3% hike in revenue up to R5.2bn. Most divisions reported significantly better results in the six months to February.
Read more.

Consumers cheated with bread
Bakeries in especially the Western Cape, Gauteng and Free State have been issued with warnings after a reported 23% of bread tested was found to be "too light".
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Less than 2 weeks left to nominate Woman of the Year
South Africans intending to pay tribute to the nation's outstanding women achievers have less than two weeks left in which to make their nominations for this year's prestigious Shoprite Checkers / SABC 2 Woman of the Year Award. Nominations should reach the organisers by Friday, 12 May 2006.
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SA Business and Revenue Service Work Together to Globalise Trade Standards
The South African Revenue Service (SARS), in collaboration with the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) is working with the World Customs Organisation (WCO) to establish international minimum standards.
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GEM Report: Education and the entrepreneur
With the release of the 2005 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, the role that education plays in aiding entrepreneurial initiatives has come under the spotlight. With the findings indicating that the level of entrepreneurship in SA has decreased since the previous year's study.
Read more.

GLOBAL NEWS
Coke recalled in Japan
The Japan subsidiary of the Coca-Cola Co of the United States said on Monday last week that it will recall about 830 000 bottles of soft drinks sold in Japan after confirming that a small amount of iron powder had been contained in some drinks.
Read more.

Wal-Mart reviews media accounts
According to reports in the US advertising press, Wal-Mart Stores is reviewing its advertising strategy as part of a larger overhaul of the company's marketing image. The business under review is worth about USD578 million - www.planetretail.net