News Cafe, pioneers and market leaders in the social lifestyle venue category, has launched its exciting new flagship store at The Zone in Rosebank. The iconic South African franchise, which is a unique combination of a premium coffee bar, cocktail bar, restaurant and entertainment venue, continues to set the benchmark for outstanding innovation in the food and beverage industry, having won best cocktail bar in Johannesburg by the leisure choice reader’s awards 17 years running. Lambros Argirys, one of the founders of the News Cafe brand and Director at Fournews, a retail franchise group, says, “As a testament to two decades of growth aligned to shifts in market and consumer trends, the new store delivers an ingenious blend of hard metals and natural textures that speaks to the sophisticated and cosmopolitan urban consumer. Beautifully crafted features are accented by mood-enhancing lighting, lending the space a refined and contemporary feel juxtaposed with studded distressed leath...

Brooklyn Brothers , which recently opened in Glenfair Boulevard Shopping Mall, is embracing its local community by getting involved in charitable activities.  The popular American-diner style eatery is calling on members of the public to participate in a donation drive for Uncle Ben’s Den, a Pretoria home for the elderly that is in desperate need of non-perishables and essential items such as adult diapers. On Saturday, February 27, Brooklyn Brothers will host a community event with the local bearded hero’s, buffelsfontein baard-olie. Amidst the festive mood, there will be two collection trucks standing by to take donations of non-perishables and unwanted essential items from the public for donation to the old age home.  Tinned food, dry goods, toiletries, cleaning products and other household products are welcome. In support of Brooklyn Brothers and the community’s charitable efforts, Dischem Glenfair has come on board and for every R100 donated they will donate adult dia...

Elian Wiener – CEO of Epic MSLGROUP “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently.” - Warren Buffet. The media and communication landscape is constantly changing, with digital transformation and technological developments creating new opportunities, powers, behaviours and brands. Disruption leads to new thinking, ideas, behaviour, expectations and demands. The most obvious change is about speed. Everything is now so much faster than it used to be. We’ve got an on-demand mentality and society which is forcing companies to think differently. Another major development is that whereas in the past, media was something that was generated by someone else - most likely a publishing or news house, nowadays everyone is a publisher – including businesses. All these changes provide companies with a greater opportunity to get their messages across, but also exposes them to more risks. The reality is that no matter...

Recently listed food franchising company, Gold Brands Investments (“GBI”) and owner of Chesa Nyama , the fastest-growing franchise in South Africa, has signed an agreement which will see its favourite braai brand head to the United States.   The Area Development Agreement (“ADA”) was concluded with private investors – Red Hornbill (Pty) Ltd and The White Family Partnership – the company said in a cautionary issued today.   The ADA allows for the establishment of Chesa Nyama Holdings USA LLC in the USA, with Gold Brands as a partner in the joint venture.  The new US-based company will launch the Chesa Nyama brand in that market and if successful will subsequently franchise the Chesa Nyama brand and concept across the USA.   Says Stelio Nathanael, Chief Operating Officer of Gold Brands Investments:  “We have long had a dream of taking Chesa Nyama beyond the borders of Africa.   The idea has always been to bring our iconic South Afr...

Public Relations is all about communication and at the heart of communication is people. The values that underpin our relations with friends and colleagues should be the very same foundations that communication professionals base their client relationships on. This is according to Candice Hellriegel, Account Director at Epic MSLGROUP , who says that building a solid relationship with a client creates a ‘win-win’ situation. “While it’s important to always be professional, the basis of any human relationship is trust, communication, respect, dedication and personalisation.” A positive relationship with a client is beneficial for many reasons, says Hellriegel. “From an agency perspective, if a client is happy they are more likely to retain your services. In the event of budget restraints, the client may be more likely to look at readjusting the contract rather than simply cutting the budget entirely. In addition, making your clients happy opens up new business opportunities for the co...

Quinton Douman Strong leadership skills are widely acknowledged as vital tools in providing companies with a competitive edge in today’s business environment. Quinton Douman, MD of 212 Business Consulting; personal development coach and a professional speaker, elaborates that if you are a leader – be it of a franchised business, a global corporation, a family or a country - it’s always decision time. The role of leadership, by definition, means that the weight of decisions falls onto your shoulders. Should your business purchase more stock despite a downturn in demand? Can you really afford to send your daughter on that school trip? Should you be making that particular amendment to this specific charter? The art of decision-making doesn’t have to be a continuous cycle of “what ifs”; when it comes down to the core of any matter, there are three questions that need to be answered before you can identify the wisest course of action: What should start? What should continue? W...

Tembisa took the second spot in Census 2011 as one of the largest townships in South Africa with a  population count of 463 109. Tembisa is not really marketed in all forms compared to the number one township in South Africa, Soweto. The South West Township (Soweto), is well known all over the world because of various historic moments chronicled by major media outlets. This often, to a certain degree, overshadows Tembisa. But this has to change. It will prove difficult to compete with Soweto  ̶  definitely not impossible   ̶    as every township can be branded accordingly to attract the necessary opportunities for growth and ultimately recognition in the right places. Branding a township such as Tembisa will require government, businesses, individuals and the community working together with the end goal in mind. Government has the capacity and the right resources needed to steer the ship, while the other three can play a major role in making ...

Although franchising is one of the sectors that has shown resilience and continues to grow in this tough economic environment, it is still a business that may  provide an element of risk to franchisees and franchisors. According to Morne Cronje, Head of Franchising for FNB Business  franchise systems are based on a proven model that can be successfully replicated; these types of businesses are often considered less risky by entrepreneurs. The reality is that no franchise is immune to tough economic conditions, success factors vary depending on the concept, strength of the brand, management and the industry.  For example, fast food and restaurant franchises are currently outperforming their peers due to the viability of the businesses and increased demand.   Cronje says there are quite a few challenges that franchise owners should take into consideration during these tough times. Shrinking disposable income – as the cost of living increases due to a numbe...

Petra Rees The inaugural year of South Africa’s revised B-BBEE Codes of Good Practice ends on 30th April 2016. While many businesses have implemented changes to comply with the amended codes, those corporates that haven’t face the risk of dropping one or more levels on their scorecard. Lean Enterprise Acceleration Programmes (LEAP) has developed The Business World – an online business portal aimed at assisting corporates with complying with one of the priority elements being Enterprise and Supplier Development that deals with procurement requirements from suitable suppliers.  “This is a year of change for the South African B-BBEE scorecard,” says Petra Rees, managing director of LEAP – a subsidiary of the PLP Group. Whilst the adjustments should be lauded for their transformative benefits and their long-term economic returns, the codes are more difficult to comply with and businesses will find themselves at a disadvantage if they are not properly prepared. Corporates must b...

Simon Colman According to a report released by social media agency We Are Social, the number of active social media accounts in South Africa grew by 20% to 11.8 million in 2015. With a growing number of people active on social media, it is becoming increasingly important that businesses realise social media can be used to their advantage when it comes to potential product liability claims. Simon Colman, Head of Commercial Liability Underwriting at SHA Specialist Underwriters states that the wide adoption and instantaneous nature of social media platforms means that bad news spreads faster than ever before. “Therefore, it is advisable that businesses constantly monitor these platforms from a risk management perspective.” He explains that these days, consumers go to social media platforms to complain about a product, or specific features of the product, as opposed to lodging a complaint with the company directly. “Within a matter of seconds the story can spread across various soci...

Yudhvir Seetharam As the domestic economy continues to contract, Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan has tough decisions to make while curbing spending, accommodating the drought-stricken agricultural sector and ensuring that small businesses continue to grow. “The National Budget Speech has a direct impact on the bottom line of SMEs and influences long-term business decisions,” says Yudhvir Seetharam, Head of Analytics for FNB Business, as he unpacks reasons why small businesses should make time for the budget speech.  Tax – this should be watched closely as high unemployment, decreasing disposable income of consumers and the slowdown in economic growth are currently leading to lower tax revenues for the government. Meanwhile, tax relief for small businesses would have a major impact on their profit margins. High youth unemployment – the current youth subsidy may be cancelled due to complaints that it is not effective enough. However, scrapping this subsidy, while saving o...

Bradly Drury With 2016 underway, we all have goals which we are working towards, debt we want to pay off or perhaps a holiday experience to look forward to. Achieving a goal comes with strict financial planning, and according to Alexander Forbes ’ Research and Product Development Specialists, Michael Kirkpatrick and Bradly Drury, the ability to realise your goals is dependent on four main steps. You should: Quantify your goals Rank your goals Have a budget Keep track Firstly, Kirkpatrick points out the importance of quantifying your goals . In other words, it is important to attach a value to the goal, this helps your understanding of what you are striving towards. Furthermore, he states that in seeking to assign a worth, “Professional advice gives intelligence to how you quantify your goals and what you need to save on a monthly basis to reach your set goals”. Secondly, it is important to be realistic and rank your goals . You need to prioritize on the goals that are re...

Kobus Engelbrecht Just as the South African finance minister needs to ensure that the national budget is realistic and attainable, local entrepreneurs need to ensure they have their annual budgets in optimal order. The effective planning and prioritising of a budget is one of the most important elements of a business, and key to the future of a business’ financial well-being. This is according to Kobus Engelbrecht, spokesperson for the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and Business Partners Limited , who says that good budgeting sense and awareness will play a pivotal role in leading a business through tough economic and trading conditions. The recently released Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2015 / 2016 Global Report states that a lack of profits or finance accounts for more than half of business discontinuances. In South Africa, over one in four business exits are due to financial difficulties. “In the current marketplace South African entrep...

Most South African consumers have not yet utilised their tax free savings benefit for 2016, and they only have until 29 February 2016 to make use of their annual R30 000 contribution limit into a tax free investment of their choice. With only a few days before the conclusion of this tax year, those who manage to make use of this opportunity will be pleased they did so when they receive the earnings.  “69% of our customers who have invested in a Tax-Free Savings Account have not used their full R30 000 tax free saving opportunity.” says Pieter Du Toit, CEO: FNB Investments.  “Maximising this small window is a smart financial move for two reasons. Firstly you will benefit from the tax free investment and secondly because the longer you invest your money for, the more you will benefit from earning compounded returns over the period of your investment. With your returns also being tax free, this benefit is further increased.”  To make the most of the tax free benefits...

Ben Bierman South African business owners are waiting with baited breath for the upcoming Budget Speech – for the announcement of anything that might relieve the financial distress that the current economic climate brings. Ben Bierman, Chief Financial Officer at Business Partners Limited (BUSINESS/PARTNERS) says that the 2016 Budget Speech is also significant as the Finance Minister delivering the speech, Pravin Gordhan, is the same man who was brought in to fix what shook business owners to their core - the sudden removal of former Finance Minister, Nhlanhla Nene. He adds that the uncertainty around this decision was evident among business owners, with the fourth quarter 2015 Business Partners Limited SME Index clearly revealing that average confidence levels had plummeted to 51% which is beyond the usual fluctuations. “Usually business owners' confidence levels regarding the environment fluctuates, while their core belief in their own abilities to grow remains more or less o...

Following the successful launch of Krispy Kreme South Africa’s flagship store at The Zone in Rosebank, and the very first on the African continent, the iconic doughnut brand is gearing up to open its second store at the Sandton Gautrain Station on Wednesday 24 February 2016. “We chose this West Street location for its high volumes of foot traffic and for its positioning as a transport hub and gateway to one of Africa’s biggest economies,” says Krispy Kreme CEO, Gerry Thomas. “An international brand as recognisable as Krispy Kreme is what people expect to see when visiting a metropolis such as Sandton.” Thomas further assures fans that the opening day will follow the festive trend of the Rosebank launch, with a ribbon cutting and enticing prizes up for grabs. Along with t-shirts for the first one hundred customers in the queue, they will also stand a chance to win doughnuts for six or twelve months, depending on how close they are to the number four position. The die-hard fans wh...