Levingers has been in operation in Gauteng for over four decades. The Original Levingers business was a Shoe Clinic, where Peter Levinger, an experienced and specialised cobbler, operated in Johannesburg. He was renowned for his craftsmanship and had a loyal customer base from Cape Town to Zimbabwe. The business was simplistic and survived on a reputation built over many decades. In the 1990's Levingers merged with “The Shoe Hospital”, a business operating mainly in the East Rand and Southern suburbs of Gauteng. The merger created a steady growth of modern, clean and technologically advanced stores under the 'Levingers' brand. In 2002 Levingers was acquired by Excellerate Holdings Limited, a public company and is currently owned by Levingers Franchising (Pty) Ltd. FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY: For over 41 years Levingers has worked hard to create an effective, profitable business model, and we are glad to be able to share it with you and to help you to become part of the L

Andre Barnard Over the last few years I started dreading waking up every morning; I felt unfulfilled and needed a change. I thought maybe another job might help, but an ordinary 7-to-5 job just didn’t excite me. I was done working countless hours’ overtime for no reward. I needed something different; a new challenge. Being a Toolmaker I felt like I was constantly taking everyone else’s ideas or concepts to fruition with no reward other than my monthly wage. I was preoccupied with fixing other people’s problems while mine were put on the backburner. Starting my work day before sunrise and leaving after sunset I was working my life away and seeing absolutely nothing of the days gone by. I knew the way to go was to find an opportunity that would create a monthly recurring income and I was constantly ‘brewing’ ideas of how to do this successfully. I just needed to find that edge that would differentiate me from the rest of the greater population seeking the same thing. I’d been fol

Kobus Oosthuizen, Mzi Memani, Jayshree Padayatchey and Chris Strydom When the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) put out a request for tender to identify small businesses in peri-urban and rural areas that can be micro-franchised, SA Franchise Warehouse (SAFW) , understanding the responsibility that this programme will entail, decided not to shy away from the challenge. Being awarded the tender would be an opportunity to uplift communities and make a difference in the lives of possibly thousands of people. By awarding the tender to SAFW the DSBD confirmed our position as a leader in this field. The crux of this project is to identify current viable small businesses, and franchise them. In addition to being profitable and sustainable with a proven trade record over an extended period, qualifying businesses must also be replicable. The programme will run over a 3-year period and in total package 15 micro-franchise businesses; i.e. five business each year over the

A well-known fast food restaurant chain, famous for its burgers, was recently hacked and its point-of-sale (POS) system breached. The result: stolen customer information from more than 5,000 restaurants.   “POS systems are vulnerable and the attacks will continue and become more exotic over time,” stresses Jamal Bethea, marketing insights analyst at Arbor Networks , the security division of NETSCOUT. According to the World Payment Report from 2015, there were more than 350 billion non-cash transactions in 2013, making electronic payments the preferred method of transactions. And, a user research report by Capterra states that, of the 400 surveyed POS buyers, 57 percent preferred on-premise/ installed systems and 43 percent preferred web-based/ hosted services. “Regardless of how a POS is deployed in a business, a cyber-security solution that supports both installed or web-based systems is strategically important,” adds Bethea. He says that ATLAS Intelligence is supported by Arbor’s S

BACKGROUND Barcelos Flame Grilled Chicken is a well-known, industry-leading brand. From humble beginnings with one store in Pretoria, the company started growing exponentially after they began franchising in 1998 and today Barcelos boasts an international footprint of over 100 outlets in more than 17 countries. The founders of the brand are all still actively involved in the daily operations of the company, ensuring continuity and excellence throughout the brand. With today’s global trends demanding a fast lane approach in so many aspects of our lives, there is little time available to enjoy good, old-fashioned traditions and ideals. This applies equally to food and eating habits around the world. With this in mind Barcelos is determined to find the perfect balance between the traditional, healthy home-style cuisine, and the fast-paced demands of modern society. The current focus on healthy living and simultaneous demand for affordable, quickly-served food, are the substance of our

Franchising is a popular business model – internationally as well as in South Africa where it is estimated to generate around 12.5% of the country’s GDP.   A recent survey by the Franchise Association of South Africa (FASA) confirms that franchising is one of the soundest business formats and is well structured to withstand economic challenges. The fast food and restaurant sector remains one of the strongest in this sector at around 24% - not only generating income but also creating jobs.  Ice cream is one of the more unusual quick serve foods to be making a major come back into many markets around the world, South Africa is no exception.  And discerning consumers are willing to pay a bit more for their tasty creamy treat. Liquid nitrogen produced ice cream was introduced to the local market  two years ago by husband and wife team, Errol and Maija Groenwald, when they launched the N2Ice Cream Lab .  The ice creams are preservative, additive and emulsifier free and are all

Very few South Africans can afford to pay for a property without financial assistance from a lending institution, and applying for a bond, or mortgage, is as much a part of buying a property as searching for the perfect home. There's a plethora of mortgage products from a wide variety of financial institutions, all demanding a huge amount of documentation, making the mortgage application process an intimidating one. “We at Engel & Völkers have built relationships with all the major South African banks, private banking institutions as well as various international banks” informed Craig Hutchison, CEO of Engel & Völkers Southern Africa. “As an international real estate brand that markets the finest property worldwide, we understand the unique requirements of our clients, and that one product does not necessarily fit all. This service, insight and support is what sets Engel & Völkers South Africa apart as a real estate company of distinction”. With so many facets i

While the economy undeniably remains in a vulnerable position, the overall economic environment has shown signs of improvement from earlier this year. This is according to Johann Els, senior economist at the Old Mutual Investment Group , who is cautiously optimistic looking forward to the Medium-term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), which is to be delivered by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan on 26 October 2016. “Times are still difficult and pressure remains on National Treasury to keep to February’s fiscal targets – one of the key requirements in the efforts to maintain South Africa’s investment grade credit rating – however we believe that Treasury will mostly be able to meet these targets, despite downward pressure on revenue from a weaker than expected economy,” comments Els. In February, Treasury forecast GDP growth of 0.9% this year, while Els’ forecast for Old Mutual Investment Group is for 0.5% growth. Els believes that the MTBPS will likely focus on continued fiscal consoli

BACKGROUND Décor Express is a proudly South African company bringing a new look and feel to the home decorative products market. The concept was founded by friends Heyns Schoeman and Willie Prinsloo who decided to start their own retail chain. From the outset the intent was to expand their concept to all corners of South Africa, making their products conveniently available for all. Working together, the dynamic duo opened seven privately owned stores before selling their first two franchise stores in July of this year. Cornice Warehouse is the holding company for Décor Express and owner of the Décor Express trademark under whose authority franchise agreements will be issued. THE CONCEPT Décor Express franchisees own and operate a full-service Décor Express store, trading under the Décor Express trademark which offers them access to the franchisor’s proven procedures and trade secrets. Décor Express specialises in PVC ceilings and a wide range of home decorative products. St

Mirroring the economic strain that many South African households are experiencing, many local businesses too are feeling the economic ‘heat’ as owners grapple to maintain turnover and profitability. During this time, many business owners consider or even implement retrenchments, but there are a number of factors to consider before taking such drastic action. This is according to Kgomotso Ramoenyane, Executive General Manager of Human Resources at Business Partners Limited (BUSINESS/PARTNERS) , who says that during financially challenging periods, human resources is one of the departments that often receives the most attention. She points to June 2016 quarterly employment statistics, released by Statistics SA this month, which reported a decrease of 67 000 employees – when compared to March 2016. “Times are extremely tough and quarterly employment losses were observed in all industries apart from electricity and construction industries. “When faced with shrinking revenue figures, smal

Marcel Klaassen Banking hours no longer apply to entrepreneurs  FNB Business has given a new meaning to convenience in banking with the launch of its latest innovation ‘24/7 Business Desk’ which allows businesses of all sizes to solve administration related queries at any time of the day. “24/7 Business Desk, another first for the bank, was developed with the business owner in mind,” says Marcel Klaassen, Head of Sales at FNB Business.  “Our entrepreneurial culture drives us to fully understand the complexities and pressures of running a business in South Africa. As a result, we hope to break traditional banking stereotypes and develop innovative banking solutions like the 24/7 Business Desk.” As economic circumstances remain uncertain many business owners have no choice but to maximize sales and productivity, during working hours, in order to gain a competitive edge and retain market share. This often leaves little or no time to focus on banking administration related tasks which

BACKGROUND iFacts are the experts in helping you to identify and manage your people risk. When it comes to Background Checks, Screening and Vetting, your organisation needs a proactive, stringent and comprehensive approach. iFacts removes the people risk so that organisations can go about their business with employees they can trust. iFacts offers a range of services that extend into every aspect of proactive and reactive screening, which a company requires for optimum employee performance, loyalty, and integrity. From people risk, ethics and integrity to safety and security and employee wellness, iFacts offers a full range of services to both individuals and employees that will ensure your organisation is achieving optimum performance and an excellent return on its human resources investment. THE CONCEPT iFacts is a corporate security service provider that gives companies peace of mind when it comes to the vetting and background checking of potential and existing employees. W

Dave Mohr & Izak Odendaal, Old Mutual Multi-Managers US gross domestic product growth has slowed substantially over the past year to 1.3% year-on-year in the second quarter. In its latest round of global forecasts, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its outlook for US growth for 2016 from 2.2% to 1.6% and 2017’s forecast from 2.5% to 2.2%. Consumer spending is the main engine of growth, supported by low inflation and decent job growth. Headline inflation is below 1% and core inflation, which excluded volatile food and energy prices, is below 2%. Declines in business investment, partly due to the low oil price, are largely to blame for the slower growth. Against this backdrop, it seems a bit strange to be considering interest rate increases. Yet several Fed officials, including previously dovish ones, have in the past few weeks argued the case for a rate increase later this year. They are somewhat supported by US economic data including the ISM indices that rebounded in Sep

Marcel Klaassen As part of an ongoing bid to encourage more businesses to comply with the Financial Intelligence Agency Act (FICA), FNB has launched KYC Doc Uploader, an innovative solution that allows non-compliant business owners to conveniently upload outstanding FICA documents online. Business owners that are not yet compliant will now get a message prompting them to update their FICA documents when logging into their FNB Online Banking profile. Once all the outstanding documents have been uploaded, their information and FICA status will be verified within two working days. Marcel Klaassen, Head of Sales at FNB Business says KYC Doc Uploader is not only a proactive and efficient way of driving the FICA message, but also gives customers peace of mind by simplifying the FICA process. Furthermore, we consider it a significant milestone as it complements the Bank’s efforts to comply with FICA and KYC regulations, helping us to ensure that all client accounts are supported by update

Dave Mohr & Izak Odendaal, Old Mutual Multi-Managers Global growth continues to disappoint. The Organisation for Economic Co¬operation and Development (OECD), a club of the world’s most advanced economies, recently revised their global growth forecasts for 2016 and 2017 down to 2.9% and 3.2% respectively. The OECD joins other multi-lateral organisations (such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation), central banks and private sector economists in cutting forecasts. The actual global growth rate has remained resilient at around 3% per year since 2011, close to its longer-term average. The disappointment stems from the failure to accelerate beyond that rate. Every year, forecasters expect the next year to see much faster growth. This has rarely happened, but once again, 2017 is expected to be better than 2016. There are several potential culprits. One is the ageing of populations across the developed world and another is the collapse in