While it was the initial intention decades ago, when Clicks was established, for it to be a traditional US-styled drugstore – selling prescription medicines, soda pops and just about any non-health and beauty products that consumers would buy – this move was thwarted by the government.
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Legal confrontation gives way to dialogue
January 28, 2009
By Tom Robbins
Cape Town: Health minister Barbara Hogan is moving rapidly to undo the unfortunate legacy of her predecessor, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. This week she agreed to talk with struggling independent pharmacists rather than fight them in court.
Warning of increases despite cut in fuel costs forces CEO into action
Photo: INLSA January 27, 2009 Edition 1
Murray Williams
Supermarket giant Pick n Pay has called an urgent summit with its suppliers in a bid to cut food and grocery costs – some of which continue to rise.
As increasing numbers of cash-strapped shoppers struggle to make ends meet, Pick n Pay chief executive Nick Badminton yesterday said consumers were looking for some respite since the dramatic drop in the fuel price, which usually affects prices across the board.
Filed under: International News
Retail sales rose 1.6 percent on the month on a seasonally adjusted basis, said the statistics office.
Officials said that the information should be treated with caution as they reassessed their method of accounting for seasonal swings.
The officials advised people to focus on the unadjusted data, which showed a 1.8 percent increase last month from a year earlier.
Filed under: International News
Wal-Mart Stores boss Lee Scott said earlier this month that this year’s first half would be “extraordinarily challenging”. He said: “Some people are giving up eating out; some people are giving up movies; some people are giving up other things like shopping. Those are fundamental changes that will continue.” The world’s biggest retailer said fourth-quarter profit would miss its forecast and predicted revenue this month would be little changed. Circuit City Stores, once the biggest US electronics retailer, said this month it would close all of its 567 US stores. Consumers are losing confidence. A report from the Conference Board tomorrow is projected to show consumer confidence this month held near a record low.
Filed under: International News
By Dhara Ranasinghe in Singapore
Shopping is a national obsession in Singapore, yet this Lunar New Year retailers are struggling to get the city’s insatiable shoppers to part with their cash as a cloud of economic gloom hangs over Asia.
Filed under: International News
But instead of this Afrikaner selling bricks and mortar in squatter camps and former homelands, an Irishman by the name of Pat Goldrick is keeping the tills pumping at Cashbuild. (more…) |
By Tom Robbins in Cape Town
Building materials retailer Cashbuild surprised the market with buoyant sales figures yesterday, but commentators said the global downturn would catch up with the lower end of the market, which has been resilient up to now.
South Africa, like many other emerging markets, is not in recession, although growth is slowing.
However, Standard Bank said the retail sector was “clearly in recession” and pointed to declines in sales in nine out of the past 12 months. In October, sales shrank by 2.3 percent year on year.
Filed under: Retail
Despite disappointment at lacklustre units, New Clicks group sales shine
January 21, 2009
By Tom Robbins
Cape Town: Gaming software sales were “slower” at Musica as the contraction in discretionary consumer spending eventually hit the trendy end of the electronics category, owner New Clicks said yesterday.
