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Why should you care about the Independent Trade? Over to you, Trade Intelligence CEO Maryla Masojada: “Wholesale distribution capability is expanding, suppliers are optimising routes to market, there is greater focus on challenger brands to achieve higher margins and wholesale buying groups are growing their retail networks,” says she. Add to this the massive increase in the indirect costs of bringing a brand to market, and the independent sector presents a whole new set of challenges and opportunities to the serious supplier of packaged consumer goods (CPGs). What to do then: “Suppliers need to engage with their customers to deliver joint cost-saving and sustainable solutions, whilst remaining ‘in-touch’ with a diverse shopper profile across the full spectrum of retail, wholesale and retail hybrid trading formats,” continues Masojada. And where to start? Why, at South Africa’s first Independent Trade Forum, of course, on 12 March 2013 at the Sandton Convention Centre, where trade experts will cover key themes relevant to the sector, helping you gear for growth in the bottom of the pyramid and where you will hear directly from buying groups ICC, Elite Star, BEC, Shield and franchise, Saverite.

Comment: And you may wish to click here for more details.

Seven Sisters – which ticks the boxes of being owned by previously disadvantaged South Africans, women and a family all at once – is currently in 58 Walmart stores in the US, with plans to expand into 300. This fantastic bit of news is due in part to a partnership Seven Sisters struck up at a Soweto wine show in 2005 with the US businesswomen Selena Cuffe – at a time when CEO and head sister Vivian Kleynhans couldn’t get her wines into local shops. Under her new business Heritage Link Brands, Cuffe got them onto US shelves in 2007 and into American Airlines in 2009. In 2010, with the Massmart deal looming, Walmart was looking for South African brands, and lit upon the Sisters. While the Walmart arrangement hasn’t meant untold wealth for the winery yet, it has helped them tighten their supply chain, and put them on the map as a brand. It’s also been good for The Big Feller: the range is easy to drink, attractively labelled and nicely priced, all of which resonate with Walmart shoppers.

Comment: This is what we in the industry refer to as a heck of a thing.

The unfortunately-acronymed Product of the Year (POTY) winners were announced just last week, and once again Unilever will not be displeased with its performance, picking up the honours, as far as we can tell, in 12 out of a possible 48 categories, including one we frankly don’t understand, unless it’s some kind of a joke, called “Male Skincare”. The awards are the result of a Nielsen survey of 5,000 South African households, with 200 products making the final cut before the winners are announced. According to POTY MD Preetesh Sewraj, punters are becoming more discerning, and less likely to fall hook, line and sinker for the “new and improved” claims of yore, so kudos to all of the winners. 

Comment: Especially Maggi 2-Minute Noodles Flavours of Mzansi.

In 10 out of 15 countries, the authorities have approved Nestlé’s takeover of Pfizer’s Baby Nutrition Division. This, for anyone who has made the 10pm trip to the all-night pharmacy on a Sunday evening, is a big freaking deal. Nestlé manufactures NAN, Lactogen, Nespray, Nestum and Cerelac, while Pfizer brings S-26, S-26 Gold, Infasoy and Centrum Materna brands to market. This leaves erm … and wasn’t there that other one … no wait … There are competitors, however, and they feel that the market reach of the two businesses will threaten the competitive environment. The Competition Authorities, in the meantime, have come up with what strikes us as a bizarre and tortured solution: rebrand the Pfizer products and license them out under different brand names to an independent licensee for 20 years. Then, when everyone has forgotten that they even existed, reintroduce those brands to a bemused market. 

Comment: A bit of a head scratcher when it comes to competition. But trust the Comish to come up with something even more head-scratchy as a solution.

South Africa’s embattled consumers – and the economy they support – have received a surprising vote of confidence from the auspiciously-titled Bank of America Merrill Lynch, who believe that growth in consumer spending could accelerate over the next three years. SA’s consumer sub-sectors, you see, have by the Bank’s metrics outperformed the broader SA market by between 47% and 810% since 2001, driven by the fondly-remembered boom years, by easy credit and by the ongoing socio-political transformation of the Beloved Country. Moreover (ahem) they believe that an increase of 4.5% in consumer spending – driven in part by a 2.1% per annum growth in the number of households – should lift GDP growth to 5.5% for 2013. 

Comment: So that’ll be nice, then.

Despite flat sales over what proved to be the coldest winter in 28 years, SABMiller is increasing its investment in China with the acquisition by CR Snow, a brewing joint venture between SABMiller and China Resources Enterprise, of seven breweries from Kingway Brewery, with the net increase of 8.5%’s worth of capacity.

After the rand’s unexpected surge against the dollar last week, white maize futures have dropped 2.4% to their lowest price since last May, hitting R2,052.20 to the metric ton as the cost of imports diminished. Similarly, the price of wheat for delivery in March decreased 1.6% to 3,598 rand a ton.

Taking the battle to Proctor & Gamble and its mighty Gillette machine, Unilever has teamed up with Schick to offer an Axe-branded Hydro 3 razor in the USA. Gillette still owns 80% of the $1.8billion blade market, while Axe has made significant inroads against P&G’s Old Spice and Gillette brands in personal care. Choose your seconds and weapons, gentlemen, and we shall meet on the common at dawn.