It’s December 13th 2020 and Covid is going through a second wave in South Africa and also in many countries around the globe. It’s important people are cautious and although life goes on its good to make the right choices. So I wanted to do some Xmas shopping and decided to check out what the festive trading times are in operation at Tygervalley mall. Below is what I found on the malls webpage. You can see for Sunday 13th December 2020 the stores will trade until 19h00. Perfect I thought,…
I was walking past a Mr Price Sport today and decided to quickly pop in to buy a pair of shorts for early morning walks on the beach. Within 5 minutes I had selected a pair of shorts and was at the point of sale. “R199” the cashier announced “and “would you like a packet?” “Yes” was my polite reply “Then that will be 20 cents for the plastic bag” This made me immediately think, when did Mr Price start charging its customers for a plastic bag to take away…
Over the past ten years or so a form of arrogance has crept into many of our retail business’s. It is almost as if an attitude has been adopted which says to the customer “You should be grateful to us for providing you with such a great store and amazing product”. In the past most retailers could rent a location in a mall, shopfit the interior, fill with merchandise and the customer would come and buy. Now circumstances have changed and changed significantly. Following the major wake up call brought…
Wow, another non South African retail business leaves our shores. Over the past few years we have seen the departure from our malls, Nine West, Mango, River Island, and Forever 21, just to mention a few. Now Covit19 has arrived to excert more pressure on our retail businesses sending many global retailers out of the country. L C Waikiki have now decided to join the list of international brands to pack up and flee the SA landscape. A fashion retailer who should in reality be a huge success in our…
Its so sad, to walk through a shopping mall in South Africa today. Not only do you get a sense of emptiness with little foot traffic and not much buying taking place, but the amount of closed stores tell you the virus is taking its toll. Job losses, salary cuts, and concern over the future, impacts the buying habits of our population. When you no longer have a steady income, the last thing you are thinking about is buying a new pair of shoes! Unfortunately all retail businesses work on…
Thought I would pay a visit to our local LC Waikiki store in Tygervalley, always worth a look. It was around the 15th of February 2020 in the middle of Capetowns hottest month, reaching temperatures of 34 degrees outside. This business has decided to go against the trend of every other fashion retailer in SA and launch a winter sale. The majority of merchandise at the entrance to the store were heavy flannel shirts, thick warm hoodies, and winter jackets. I am sorry, I just don’t get the logic or…
It is always refreshing when you hear a South African start-up story especially when it is woman-led. Hey Gorgeous is one such company with a franchise store as well as an online presence. The companies owner and cosmetic scientist, Phoebe Williams says much of the inspiration behind the products came from the Bodyshop founder Anita Roddick with her use of natural products. “As I aged I was inspired to utilise products derived from conscious, sustainable ingredients, and as my daughters grew up I also knew I wanted them to be…
It’s not really complicated if you grasp the basic theory of what retail is about. It’s a business of buying product at the best price you can negotiate. Display the merchandise in an environment your client enjoys shopping in and assist them by offering service above what the consumer would expect. Sell the product at the best price you can command in the current economic landscape and produce the maximum profit you can achieve from doing the above. Add to this a business phylophosy of spending as little cash as…
Yesterday I read an article about Edgars in the media and a quote left me in absolute amazement and bewilderment …..”The move is the brainchild of new CEO Grant Pattison…….” This comment was in reference to the decision to close chains Red Square, La Senza, and Boardmans. If this is a brainchild decision that has taken the Edgars group 10 years and five CEOs to realise it’s the only direction to follow, then Edgars have far bigger issues in front of them than closing some stores. Let me give you…
Maybe you have read about the issue in the press recently regarding Apple loading your iPhone battery to slow it down and encourage you to upgrade to a new handset when really all you needed was a replacement battery. The company was so embarrassed when this went public they decided to launch a replacement battery program for its loyal clients. You can read all the Ts and Cs yourself but to make things simple, I have listed the main points you would need to understand if you own an Apple…