Newsletter No.12    07 April  2017

Click on any ad to go to the advertisers website…

Woolworths launches home-grown fashion collaboration at #SAFW17

Woolworths launched its highly-anticipated ‘StyleBySA’ seasonal campaign at SA Fashion Week, showcasing the creations of some of the local fashion industry’s most creative minds. The capsule collection features the work of eight designers, namely Rich Mnisi, Thebe Magugu, AKJP, Pichulik, Maria McCloy, Sol-Sol, Selfi and Young & Lazy.

The partnership between Woolworths and SAFW has prioritised fast-tracking South Africa fashion from the runway to the rails. From modern streetwear to footwear and accessories inspired by the continent, the debut collaboration was available online straight from the runway – a first for SAFW.

Charmaine Huet, Woolworths’ group director of Marketing and Sustainability, says, “As a passionately South African retailer we want to boost the visibility and viability of local designers. The quality of the work on show last night, and the response to it, is compelling proof of the incredible local talent the South African fashion industry has on offer.’’

Having introduced the concept of local design collaborations with the Stoned Cherrie, Craig Native and Maya Prass collections over a decade ago, it’s another step forward for the local retailer.

The StyleBySA capsule collection will be available exclusively online while stocks last this week. The collection launches in selected Woolworths stores (Canal Walk Shopping Centre, Cape Town; Sandton City Shopping Centre, Johannesburg; Mall of Africa, Midrand; Menlyn Mall, Pretoria; Gateway Theatre of Shopping, Durban) from 12 April 2017.

H&M sales rise in SA bad

Swedish retailer H&M has continued on its winning streak in SA, dodging the malaise to which domestic retail players have succumbed.

In the first quarter of its 2017 financial year, H&M’s sales increased 39% in rand terms to about R356m from the nine stores it has in operation.

H&M SA opened its 10th store in Nelspruit last week. Its 11th store will be opened in Polokwane at the Mall of the North on 8 April. Europe’s second-largest retailer is one of many global players who have moved to SA in a bid to increase market share and search for untapped markets in the hopes of bolstering performance.

Mergence equity analyst Peter Takaendesa said H&M was growing faster than bigger local retailers due to a combination of strong investment into new stores, effective marketing and “possibly better positioned product offering”. H&M’s results have come at the expense of Woolworths, Truworths and Mr Price who released less than stellar trading updates and results earlier in 2017.

“We estimate that their [H&M] revenue market share in the South African market is only about 1% now and believe they will continue to gain market share off this low base,” said Takaendesa.

The analyst said the accelerated levels of new store roll-outs were not only taking place in SA, but also across some of their operating countries, so “this is a deliberate strategy driven at the group level”.

The first quarter group report showed that established-market sales were under pressure.

Bus Day

What to expect at Decorex Cape Town 2017

Fashionable fabrics, inspired interiors and wall-to-wall trendsetting décor will adorn the Cape Town International Convention Centre from the 27th to 30th April 2017 as Decorex Cape Town – co-sponsored by Plascon and Caesarstone – takes over the city. In line with the 2017 theme, ‘Make your space your living dream’, visitors to South Africa’s premier décor, design and lifestyle exhibition will be immersed in natural fabrics, revitalising tones and quality products all centred around a vision of reclaiming a space of sanctuary, disconnected from the relentless noise and distraction of the modern world. Cape Town, which leads the way in décor excellence nationwide, can expect to see only the highest quality products and décor set to international standard, as well as the country’s most creative designers who will be showcasing the latest trends. Visitors can interact with the country’s top designers where the latest trends will be accessibly featured in a variety of room settings. The Decorex Designer Spotlight will showcase the work of iconic Cape Town designer Dylan Thomaz while stylish living ideas can be picked up at the Decorex Trend House, where each room of this home scape will be transformed using relevant @Home furnishiFangs, providing a pragmatic and visual representation of the 2017 trends. Anyone looking for a change in hue can visit the Plascon stand where the highly anticipated 2017 colour palette will be revealed. And for the latest in international-level kitchen products and appliances, visitors are invited to Franke Kitchen Design Project where four local kitchen designers will compete to create the ultimate ‘Simplicity in Design’ kitchen. Not to be missed this year is one of the show’s highlights, ‘We are Cape Town’ which is a dazzling standalone exhibition within Decorex Cape Town and acts as an enticing forerunner to 100% Design South Africa’s main event, which is held in Johannesburg at Gallagher Convention Centre from 9 to 13 August . . .

Did you know….

The spacesuits worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were actually created by bra maker Playtex.

According to astronaut Chris Hadfield astronauts don’t bother doing laundry in space. Instead they just throw their dirty laundry out into the earth’s atmosphere, where it gets incinerated.