An upbeat affair

Based on what was said at the Pick 'n Pay interim results presentation this morning, there are some exciting developments that will come to fruition in the second half of the year. These include the franchising rollout at Franklins, opening of two 2nd generation Hypermarkets in November (I look forward to seeing those), SAP implementation at a rate of almost 3 stores per week, and the integration of Fruit & Veg City into the group (providing the deal is approved by the competition commission). In addition to this there is a great deal of activity at the bottom end of the market with Boxer and Score set to open 10 new stores and Score aiming to convert a further 28 stores to the Nambawane format. Wage negotiations have been constant for two years at an average increase of 8.5% in year one and slightly less in year two. It seems the unions are also committed to improving customer interaction and service levels, which most will agree need some improving. The retail environment is bound to become tougher with interest rates and inflation rising to dampen consumer spending, but Pick 'n Pay is a well organised cash business that can perform very well in a high inflation environment, hence the upbeat excitement. One thing is for sure though - Sean Summers has an unbelievable amount to do in the next six months before he puts on his slippers and lights up a Cigar. Craig Ballantyne craig@fastmoving.co.za Please feel free to make comments or raise new issues by emailing the editor editor@fastmoving.co.za NEWSBYTES Pick 'n Pay earnings up 15.5% Pick 'n Pay has announced a solid set of results for the six months to 31 August 2006. Turnover grew 10.3% to R18.6-billion, while trading profit increased 23.1% to R456.2-million. Headline earnings at R291.6-million were up 14.1% and headline earnings per share up 15.5% to 63.86 cents. The interim dividend increased 15.9% to 27 cents for Pick 'n Pay Stores Limited and by 15.9% to 13.17 cents for Pick 'n Pay Holdings Limited. Looking ahead, Summers said the Group was confident it would be able to achieve real growth in headline earnings per share for the year. Read more. Shoprite to open two new supermarkets in Angola Shoprite aims to open two new supermarkets in Angola this year to take advantage of the commodities boom in that country. Shoprite said a second Shoprite supermarket would be added to Luanda and a new store would open in the southern city of Lobito. At present, apart from one Shoprite, the company has seven smaller Usave formats in the capital. Read more. Cashbuild profits up Cashbuild on Tuesday said its revenue was up by 21 percent in the first quarter of its 2007 financial year compared with the same quarter last year. New stores opened since 1 July 2005 contributed 12 percent of the increase, whilst existing stores increased by 9 percent. Read more. Retailers and banks rally after a moderate interest rate hike Retailers and banks rallied on Friday in relief that the Reserve Bank hiked interest rates by only 0.5 percentage points, but a stronger rand hurt firms with overseas interests. Investors had worried that the central bank would hike rates by a full percentage point on Thursday, but they jumped in when the bank took a more moderate approach. Read more. Farm workers to become farm owners After generations of tilling vineyards, wine farm workers on three farms in the Franschhoek area will get ownership of one of the farms through an innovative empowerment deal. The properties include the adjoining Solms-Delta, Lübeck and newly-acquired Deltameer, which form a 76 hectare estate home to more than 200 people in 22 worker families. Read more. INTERNATIONAL NEWS The SME Revolution starts in Dubai and CGC Western economies realised decades ago that small and medium enterprises are really the main drivers of the economy. While big businesses are necessary to preserve and maintain structure within the economy, surely they have considerable problems of their own. Mega corporations of the earlier era have increasingly lost their edge to smaller, nimbler organisations, which have spouted all over the Western landscape. The Middle East is now a new turning point for SME's to begin a grassroots revolution. Read more. Wal-Mart must pay $79m for missed breaks Jurors in Philadelphia have awarded Wal-Mart workers $78.5 million (R590 million) for missed rest breaks and hours worked beyond regular shifts. The verdict is Wal-Mart's second multimillion-dollar loss in 10 months in employee group lawsuits over wages. Read more. FAST MOVING JOBS New vacancies from Syndicate Personnel Marketing BRAND MANAGER - TCT R350K - R400K CONSUMER INSIGHT MANAGER - TCT R 400K - R 450K Sales REGIONAL SALES MANAGER / KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER - JHB - R 350K NATIONAL KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER - Jhb - R450K TCTC TRADE MARKETING MANAGER Read more. Vacancy at FastMoving.co.za Customer liaison and office administration We are looking to appoint an organised and efficient individual to join our team in Montague Gardens, Cape Town. The ideal candidates must be organised, well spoken, computer literate, web savvy and eager to learn. Send CV to editor@fastmoving.co.za RESEARCH AND DATA Globalisation of grocery retailing accelerates as International Giants explore emerging markets According to Planet Retail, increasing retail concentration remains a defining trend around the world and is showing no sign of abating. According to the latest report from Planet Retail, Global Retail Concentration 2006, large international and regional grocers are acquiring market share across the world at a remarkable rate with the top 100 retailers already capturing 45% of the world's modern grocery distribution. Read more. SME Survey 2006: Finance and skills the enabler, ICT and BEE take a back seat Small to medium businesses in South Africa view the availability and accessibility of finance as important factors which will enable them to compete effectively in this country, while the availability of information and communications technology is less important. Notably, black economic empowerment, while a factor, is not yet perceived to be an enabling factor. Read more. Strategic planning vital to communication The importance of strategic planning to ensure optimal communication was one of the issues stressed at the 13th annual conference of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) held last week in Gauteng. Todd Hattori, communication manager for the Washington State Department of Information Services in the USA and incoming chair of IABC International, said that such planning was vital if communicators were to achieve their objectives. Read more. FEATURED BRAND Appletiser Appletiser - 100% Pure Pleasure in every bottle! Read more. BRAND NEW NEW! New Aquafresh - don't just Whiten, Shine! 10 years after the successful creation of the whitening segment, Aquafresh is still ahead of the game. A unique product has been developed that meets the changing consumer needs and brings new news to the Whitening Segment - introducing the new Aquafresh White & Shine. Read more. NEW! Pretzola revitalises pack size Pretzola has introduced a new 150g bag to replace the current 175g bag. The move to the new pack size increases the options for the consumer - it realistically allows them to enjoy a bag of Pretzola on their own or to be able to share it with friends and family. Additionally it allows us to offer a more competitive price point on the product. Read more.			FEATURED CLIENTS Introducing the new "O so sexy" line-up of breakfast cereals and bars! ACTIVE CLIENTS SAB to launch Sarita - a new apple flavoured alcoholic drink. G.U.M makes brushing fun with Garfield II! Introducing the all new Huggies® range! JOBS ENDORSED BY FEATURED EVENTS
BRAND ACTIVITY R2million prizes to be won in Africa's biggest bridal pageant! The Sowetan Bridal Couple of the Year 2007 launched in September and the first finalists were published in the Sowetan on Thursday 28 September. Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Mojapelo, Mr. & Mrs. Buthelezi, Mr. & Mrs. Dube and Mr. & Mrs. Phalane. The readers can also win by choosing their favourite couple. Read more. 'The Plant Pink Garden' in aid of breast cancer awareness October is the most important month in the gardening calendar and also happens to be Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In this light, SEAGRO together with the CANCER ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA has embarked on a venture to highlight the plight of women. We call it 'The Plant Pink Garden'… Read more. Star Schools students graduate with flying colours National Brands Limited recently hosted a graduation ceremony for the Grade 12 learners who attend its Star Schools supplementary education programme for disadvantaged high school pupils. 120 matric students graduated from the programme at concurrent ceremonies held at the Indlela Trade Testing Centre in Tembisa, and the University of Westville in Durban on 7 October 2006. Read more. Original Rooibos Jam Company to exhibit at Good Food & Wine Show The Original Rooibos Company will be exhibiting their wares at The Good Food & Wine Show to be held at Gallagher Estate in November this year. Visit their stand and try their delicious spreads: Rooibos, Honeybush and Rooibos Jalapeno Chilli. Click here for more information about The Original Rooibos Jam Company.
ADVERTISING Primall ensures Doritos Fusion dominates malls To ensure maximum exposure with their Doritos Fusion launch, Simba commissioned Primedia Unlimited subsidiary, Primall, to create an exciting 360-degree campaign so that consumers interacted with the brand in as many ways as possible. The catchy payoff line, 'Unlike the perfect man, the perfect chip does exist' turned heads at shopping centres around the country. Read more. Tiger Brands returns to Primedia Outdoor The success of Primedia Outdoor's Doom advertisements for Tiger Brands has seen the branded food and healthcare company return to the definitive outdoor advertiser for the third consecutive year. Dipstick research on previous two Doom campaigns revealed that consumers had a high recall of the message communicated. This high impact guided Tiger Brands to reuse the existing creative message. Read more.
WINE, BEER & SPIRITS New Southern Lights Wines a ray of light Bonnievale Cellar has demonstrated its allegiance to sea rescue organisations worldwide with the release of two exciting new wines, the Southern Lights Sauvignon Blanc 2006 and Southern Lights Shiraz 2005. This innovative concept was developed as the first wine range in support of the courageous efforts of global sea rescue institutions - men and women who put their lives on the line to save those in peril. Read more. Drink pink Rosé is the wine on everybody's lips from Linden to London. Try the debut Theuniskraal Rosé 2006, a seductively rose-hued, fragrant wine that tastes somewhere between off-dry and semi-sweet. With an alcohol content of just above 10%, it's the perfect quaffing wine this summer. And best of all, it's available countrywide for around R25 a bottle. Read more. Two Oceans in the pink with Shiraz Rosé Two Oceans has just launched a Shiraz Rosé, a coral-coloured wine with cinnamon spice, berry and melon fragrances, a crisp, strawberry palate and refreshing acidity. The wine is expected to retail around R24 a 750 ml bottle and extends the Two Oceans local offering that already includes a Sauvignon blanc and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Read more. High Five and Double Gold for Graham Beck One of South Africa's finest Cap Classique exponents, Graham Beck Wines, celebrated their 15th anniversary of winemaking and the coming of the Christmas season in fine style when five of cellarmaster Pieter Ferreira's carefully crafted méthode cap classique sparkling wines were recently awarded four stars in the annual WINE magazine Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge (October issue). Read more. FEATURED RETAIL SERVICES BMI Foodpack BMI Foodpack's dedicated team is committed to service excellence and aims to provide consumer and business market research to clients. Read more. The Alternative Consultancy The Alternative Consultancy was established in 1988 to bridge the communications and marketing gap between leading manufacturers of fast moving consumer goods and black consumers and traders. Read more. RETAIL SUPPORT SAP Africa brings IT excellence to local market SAP Africa has started rolling out a global IT Excellence solution portfolio focused on helping Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and their information technology (IT) departments drive more value out of their SAP assets and at the same time decrease total cost of ownership. Read more. Datalogic Heron G handheld reader for POS barcode scanning ProScan Systems, a leading distributor of supply chain, automated data collection and mobile computing solutions, extended its range of handheld readers earlier this year with the addition of the Datalogic Heron G CCD gun for instinctive reading in desk applications. Read more. GS1 launches EPCglobal South Africa EPCglobal is a global industry network which promotes the implementation of uniform Electronic Product Codes (EPC) which identify and locate items in a supply chain, allowing immediate, automatic and accurate information exchange. In 2005, GS1 South Africa, a division of CGCSA, launched EPCglobal South Africa to assist in implementing the EPC Network and related technologies. Read more. EVENTS Robertson Wine on the river Festival 20 - 22 October 2006 - Robertson The Festival will offer visitors a comprehensive showcase of the Valley's wines from 40 wine farms. Read more. Brandkey's Global Market Insights 2006 25 October 2006 - Cape Town For insights into FMCG marketing in the Middle East and an overview of the low-income market in South Africa. Read more. RMB WineX Gauteng 24 - 27 October 2006 - Sandton Convention Centre RMB WineX 2006 represents the entire spectrum of Cape wine producers showcasing every wine route in the country. 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Jordan Open Day 18 November 2006 - Jordan Winery Following on the success of their first Open Day in 2004, Gary and Kathy Jordan, along with the rest of their team at Jordan Winery in Stellenbosch, will again be hosting this popular event on 18 November 2006. Read more. Franschhoek Nedbank Cap Classique and Champagne Festival 9 -10 December 2006 - Franschhoek Celebrate the 'Magic of Bubbles' in Franschhoek when the finest of South Africa's Cap Classique and French Champagne will bubble over in the country's gourmet capital. Read more.