2007

Last weekend, the town next to mine, had a Gourmet Farmers Market. This was the launch to judge whether it would me a viable market. We ended up buying a $100 truffle; the area I live in is the southern hemispheres biggest truffle growing area. At the market, I could also have purchased a variety […]

I was recently at a conference where we were talking about the bling effect in retailing, one retailer in the audience was brave enough to mention he had no idea what we were talking about. Bling to some is a hit record called ”Bling Bling” made in 1999 by the group The B.G. This group

Over the past decade or so, there has been a shift in consumer preferences. Baby Boomers and their Generation X children have dominated the market for the past several decades, but now Generation Y is coming in full force. All Members of the industry need to be aware of the changing marketplace to remain successful.

Ref: Daily reader 16 July 2007 OFA Newsletter Many Business owners overlook the use of low-cost or no-cost incentives as a way to let employees know they are appreciated. These 21 ideas are designed to challenge your creative senses. Get your employees involved and find out how they want to be recognised: Welcome new hires

Ref: Daily reader 16 July 2007 OFA Newsletter If you’re a business owner, you have probably felt frustration accompanying expensive new marketing techniques. You want to increase your profits, but you need to spend more to do so, right? In “How to Get Customers for Next to Nothing,” Bob Negen of WhizBang! Training presented methods

In a recent newsletter I mentioned that in my view Mr. Price Home of South Africa was one of the best merchandisers I was aware of. That caused a flurry of emails from South Africa offering other retailers I could add to the list. In July, I was working with clients in the country and

A reader of our newsletter, Andre from the Mica group in South Africa has suggested we provide a regular update on colour trends to help our readers. Thanks for the idea. Colour trends go with seasons, but tend to keep to the same patterns around the world. In gardening the purples seem to be a

I spotted this in this weeks Time Magazine. Julian Treasure isn’t happy with what he hears. Standing in a coffee bar in London’s Soho district, he’s forced to raise his voice to list the noises bouncing around the caf: the rumble of an espresso machine, the hum of a chiller cabinet, and the tinny tones

In 2003 Lowes found out 80% of women are doing �everyday fix it� projects around the house on their own. 2002 Ace Hardware �Americas To-Do List� found 62% of women tackle home improvement. The average man spends $12.27 in store and $17.74 for women. 2003 survey by Home Improvements Research Institute of Tampa, Florida found

The industry must have come of age …. the Australian Post Office released a set of stamps this week to celebrate farmers markets.