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Shoprite’s less than stellar (which is exactly what we mean – slightly less than the usual stellar) results saw jittery shareholders running for the hills. A quarter’s good performance (turnover up 12.3% for the three months to September) has seen them all swaggering back, punching their chests, spittin’ terbaccer and hootin’ and hollerin’ about all the manly things they had been up to in the hills, and where are my durn Shoprite shares? This braggadocio saw the share price jump 7.11% a five-year record, to R151 on Monday. However, while local supermarket sales were up a pleasing 11.9%, growth elsewhere in Africa climbed only 15.9%, down from last year’s admittedly unsustainable 24%.

Comment: Seems the Big Red One has got over the platinum strike blues. Not encouraging for rival Pick n Pay, which would have taken temporary heart from Shoprite’s full-year results.

More deserves to be said about the recent performance and plans of Clicks, under the able if restrained stewardship of Mr Kneale. Who has mentioned in recent weeks that he believes there is still plenty of space into which to expand in the Republic, rather than marching grimly into Africa like some or rushing flapping about like others. Although Africa is not totally off the books, with 17 stores in Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana and Namibia, there are plans to open a max of only seven more, in Botswana and Nam. Some analysts think this restraint vis-á-vis the motherland is a mistake; others point to Clicks’ success in rolling out in the small dusty malls of the peri-urban areas. Then there’s the stellar growth in over-the-counter generics, the ongoing success of the ClubCard with its 4.7million members and counting, and Musica’s dubious status as last-man standing among the big CD shops. 

Comment: And that 9.2% increase in Group turnover. The measured tread might just get you over the line.

The Dapper One has sunk further roots into the arid strata of our neighbour to the left, opening its ninth store just a week or so back at a joint called The Grove in Windhoek. And the great thing about the latest addition is its scale: at 480 m2, it’s the Group’s biggest food market in Namibia. It also brings up to 250 the total of staff in country, and skills development has become a focus, as has the onboarding of local suppliers, although one assumes they’ll still be bringing in their paw paws and mangoes. Woolies are talking up the launch as part of their strategy to become the southern hemisphere’s global power of retailing. Currently, they have 64 stores in the region excluding SA, from Ghana in the north to Mauritius to the east. 

Comment: And aren’t we glad we picked up those shares when we did, eh.

Swing by the 4th Annual POPAI SA P-O-P Industry Awards on 13 November 2014 at the Radisson Blu Gautrain, why don’t you, and have a look at the latest in gondola ends, shelf-ready packaging and the talented men and women who bring these things to a retail space near you. Among the nominees are Stimorol, Brandhouse, Parmalat, Kellogg's, Lindt, BOS Brands, Nivea, Skip, Pernod Ricard, Hippo Insurance, Kansai Plascon, Clicks, Nestlé, Benylin and Philip Morris. The criteria to be judged include P-O-P display engineering, innovation, design, functionality, integration, and the competition is anticipated to be fierce. The evening will be fun-filled as only the P-O-P industry knows how, and the organisers have promised “Macarena moves” after the awards.

Comment: Brush off the old dinner jacket, slip into that little black number, and get your tickets here.

Perhaps the great tide of disappointing results is at last on the ebb. Perhaps the business in question is just sticking to the knitting (or the baking, fishing and expensive cobbling, as it may be) and outperforming the market. Whatever the reasons, a satisfactory performance from AVI, whose Chairman Gavin Tipper announced a 11.9% increase in revenue at last week’s AGM. While operating profit was maintained, operating margin was the real crowd pleaser, driven northward by I&J whose margins have benefitted from better fishing and a weaker rand. Entyce, Snackworx and Indigo recovered nicely from the input cost pressures in the first half with price increases they managed to take in the second. And pricy shoes have been a national passion since the year dot, so good news in those businesses too. 

Comment: Good work there, Anglovaal Industries. Have one on us at the Long Bar.

The numbers are in, and while there has been a slight downturn in unemployment for the third quarter – 25.4% from 25.5% in the second – 95,000 people stopped looking for work, with 5 million still actively seeking a position. And of those, 1.3million have been looking for a job for five years or more. The economy managed to add 22,000 jobs during the period in question, with the biggest increase being recorded in the construction industry and the largest drop in domestic employment. The good news here is that more labour jobs should be added in the next few years as the government’s infrastructure development project lumbers on. Currently, R5billion has been spent on 91 projects which should add 160,000 jobs in the next five years. However, as incoming Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago remarks, the numbers reflect a rigid labour market, with nothing much his outfit can do to fix things. 

Comment: Government, businesses and unions all bear responsibility for what has been our greatest failure as a nation in the post-apartheid era.

Congrats to our friends over at Le Grand Bleu, who won 23 out of a possible 67 New Generation Social and Digital Media Awards last week, taking home two overall winners, 12 golds and nine silvers. Among the criteria judged were innovation, creativity, concept and content, results and efficiency, coverage, engagement, and sales. A very big deal, for a business which has obviously invested aggressively in the digital (ahem) space.

By 2020, The Dapper One, which has taken the lead locally in sustainable seafood, will be sourcing all of its farmed seafood from aquaculture operations that are intent on improving themselves (a little vague, that one). WWF–SASSI greenlisted or, where applicable, ASC certified. This means you should be able to dig into your Chilean Salmon without concerning yourself overtly over the depredations which may have taken place to get it to your bone china plate, which will be nice. 

The artist previously known as Rainbow Chicken has announced a big shake up as of Jan 1, to wit: the Group will be restructured into business clusters of “consumer” and “sugar & milling”; Vector will continue to operate as a stand-alone logistics outfit; and current MD of Foodcorp, Cliff Sampson has elected not to accept a position in the restructured entity (ahem) and will step down in December.