S&V Weekly Newsletter Vol.6 No.50, Dec 14, 2020

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Business

Botswana

Morongwa: Turnover down, but predicting a better year

By Umer Baig, proprietor, Morongwa Stores, supplier to crafters and repairers.
Gaborone – Botswana is open for business. We only have zoned lockdown. They divided the country into 5 zones for Corona. One can travel anywhere in Botswana but with permit to go from one to other zone.
        Business turnover has dropped by 60% compared to last year.
         To cope with the situation and meet the expenses, we  opened a repair unit to repair furniture/ upholstery of leather sofas and leather goods though it’s still tough because the public doesn’t want to spend due to the Covid threat. We do several things: Retail to shoe repair industry and wholesale to leather goods manufacturing personnel, etc. Even though the scale is very tiny we're hanging in there.
        And I foresee and hope for a better year ahead.
  

Namibia

Fabulous House of Fashion: Dare to be different

Walvis Bay – The key to improved sales has been focusing on stock which gives his stores their own identity, Fabulous House of Fashion member David Mushy said. The family outfitting mini-chain opened its sixth store, in Ondangwa, on Saturday.
        It closed a women's-only store earlier this year.
        "I've offloaded a lot of brands, where I was competing with bigger chains, and instead I'm working with a couple of South African brands, and some smaller companies, to develop my own look.
        "Sales are up by 30% since the end of the lockdown, and trading has been good so far this month.
        "I'm quite optimistic about next year, especially if the vaccine gets the virus under control, and I think it will be a much more stable year. I'm happy to say we didn't retrench anyone this year."
 

South Africa

Shutique: The feet aren't there

Pretoria, Gauteng, SA – Business was "okay" and "steady", said SC 'Siki' Moosa, proprietor of 1-store Shutique in the Asian Complex, Marabastad, which has been trading for 45 years, "but it could be so much better".
        "People don't have money, and they're not shopping," he said. "My store has 3 floors. It's the 12th of December and we should be busy, but right now, there are 3 people on the ground floor and 2 on the second. That's it," he said on Saturday.
        Another factor hurting retailers in the complex was foreign informal traders, he said. "Many retailers here - not me - are trying to make the best of having to live with the traders. They hire them space for tables outside their stores - about R1500 a month for a table. The traders bring their own merchandise, stuff they buy at China City, mostly carrying brand names and all 100% genuine fakes."
        Shutique's business model is to buy clearance lines, including broken size ranges, and sell at low margins. "I don't necessarily buy branded goods, but I only buy better quality."
        Shutique sells mainly clothing, and he said there "wasn't much footwear available at the moment".
        "It's okay. I'm surviving."
 

Shoes & Do's: Called it quits

Pretoria, Gauteng, SA – Women's footwear specialist Shoes & Do's closed on June 30, Anita de Villiers wrote last week in an email. She ran the business with her husband, Pieter, for 19 years.
      Asked whether she thought they might reopen, she wrote: "I don't think so. I'm 73 next month and I think it's time now to stay at home. We stay in Hartbeespoort and it also became dangerous to travel. [We were arriving] home at 18:30 in the afternoon. Covid helped us to decide to close the shop."

They Said It

"I apologise for the late reply – I was wondering why I wasn’t getting emails from so many places, then eventually found out that my internet provider had adjusted the spam mail settings to Fort Knox levels a few weeks ago – very frustrating." - Axle Consulting's Alex Largatzis. It's actually concerning how much control ISPs have over what you see. Surely, if they believe something is spam, they should ask their clients whether they want to receive mail from that source or not?

"Dementia is no longer an impediment to achieving anything. Just ask Joe Biden." - S&V webmaster Jonathan Commons, downplaying a mistake which I'd blamed on getting old. Cheeky bugger.

Got anything you'd like to share?

Do you have any suggestions, comments or experiences about the lockdown that you'd like to share with the industry? We will publish the throughout the lockdown, so please let us know. - tony@svmag.co.za

Exchange rates

1. SA Rand (ZAR)

Source: http://www.x-rates.com/calculator/

 

	Euro €	GBP £	US $	CNY ¥
2020/01/04	R15.97	R18.71	R14.31	R2.05
2020/01/11	R15.97	R18.76	R14.36	R2.07
2020/01/18	R16.04	R14.47	R14.47	R2.10
2020/01/25	R15.87	R18.82	R14.39	R2.07
2020/02/01	R16.54	R19.81	R15.00	R2.16
2020/02/08	R16.48	R19.41	R15.06	R2.15
2020/02/17	R16.16	R19.44	R14.90	R2.13
2020/02/22	R16.27	R19.43	R15.00	R2.13
2020/02/29	R17.27	R20.08	R15.66	R2.24
2020/03/07	R17.69	R20.44	R15.67	R2.26
2020/03/14	R18.04	R19.94	R16.25	R2.32
2020/03/21	R18.92	R20.50	R17.60	R2.48
2020/03/28	R19.63	R21.93	R17.61	R2.48
2020/04/04	R20.58	R23.37	R19.03	R2.68
2020/04/11	R19.70	R22.43	R18.01	R2.56
2020/04/18	R20.43	R23.49	R18.79	R2.65
2020/04/25	R20.59	R23.53	R19.02	R2.68
2020/04/30	R20.24	R23.27	R18.51	R2.62
2020/05/09	R19.89	R22.69	R18.29	R2.58
2020/05/16	R20.11	R22.49	R18.58	R2.61
2020/05/23	R19.24	R21.47	R17.64	R2.47
2020/05/30	R19.48	R21.67	R17.54	R2.45
2020/06/06	R18.93	R21.28	R16.77	R2.37
2020/06/13	R19.19	R21.39	R17.06	R2.40
2020/06/20	R19.37	R21.28	R17.25	R2.43
2020/06/27	R19.35	R21.28	R17.25	R2.43
2020/07/04	R19.14	R21.24	R17.01	R2.40
2020/07/11	R18.94	R21.16	R16.77	R2.39
2020/07/25	R19.39	R21.36	R16.64	R2.37
2020/08/01	R20.05	R22.28	R17.05	R2.44
2020/08/08	R20.78	R23.02	R17.63	R2.53
2020/08/15	R20.57	R23.73	R17.37	R2.49
2020/08/22	R20.23	R22.45	R17.15	R2.47
2020/08/29	R19.74	R22.14	R16.58	R2.41
2020/09/05	R19.66	R22.06	R16.61	R2.42
2020/09/12	R19.83	R21.42	R16.74	R2.45
2020/09/19	R19.32	R21.08	R16.32	R2.41
2020/09/26	R19.92	R21.81	R17.12	R2.50
2020/10/03	R19.39	R21.40	R16.55	R2.43
2020/10/10	R19.47	R21.48	R16.46	R2.45
2020/10/17	R19.40	R21.37	R16.55	R2.47
2020/10/26	R19.28	R21.22	R16.31	R2.43
2020/10/31	R18.91	R21.02	R16.23	R2.42
2020/11/07	R18.50	R20.50	R15.58	R2.35
2020/11/14	R18.34	R20.45	R15.50	R2.34
2020/11/21	R18.28	R20.47	R15.42	R2.35
2020/11/28	R18.25	R20.31	R15.26	R2.32
2020/12/05	R18.42	R20.42	R15.20	R2.32
2020/12/12	R18.34	R20.03	R15.14	R2.31

Note: For previous rates, see HERE

 

2. Botswana Pula (BWP)

Source: https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/

 

	Euro €	GBP £	US $	CNY ¥
2020/10/31	13.31	14.78	11.42	1.70
2020/11/07	13.34	14.79	11.24	1.70
2020/11/14	13.20	14.72	11.15	1.68
2020/11/21	13.15	14.72	11.09	1.69
2020/11/28	13.19	14.67	11.02	1.67
2020/12/05	13.36	14.81	11.02	1.68
2020/12/12	13.27	14.50	10.96	1.67

3. Malawian Kwacha (MWK)

Source: https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/

 

	Euro €	GBP £	US $	CNY ¥
2020/10/31	877.57	975.10	752.96	112.50
2020/11/07	901.04	998.19	758.96	114.86
2020/11/14	899.50	1003.02	760.06	115.07
2020/11/21	902.24	1009.85	902.24	115.97
2020/11/28	904.99	1006.91	756.45	115.06
2020/12/05	926.76	1027.46	764.52	117.04
2020/12/12	925.52	1010.82	764.06	116.73

4. Zambian Kwacha (ZMW)

Source: https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/

 

	Euro €	GBP £	US $	CNY ¥
2020/06/20	20.39	22.53	18.24	2.58
2020/06/27	20.48	22.52	18.25	2.57
2020/07/04	20.24	22.46	17.99	2.54
2020/07/11	20.54	22.94	18.17	2.59
2020/07/25	21.18	23.26	18.17	2.59
2020/08/01	21.55	23.95	18.31	2.66
2020/08/08	24.05	24.05	18.42	2.64
2020/08/15	22.08	24.40	18.64	2.68
2020/08/22	22.48	24.94	19.05	2.75
2020/08/29	23.33	26.16	19.60	2.85
2020/09/05	23.27	26.11	19.66	2.87
2020/09/12	23.66	25.56	19.97	2.92
2020/09/19	23.73	25.90	20.04	2.96
2020/09/26	23.26	25.48	20.00	2.93
2020/10/03	23.55	26.00	20.10	2.96
2020/10/10	23.85	26.31	20.16	3.01
2020/10/17	23.71	26.12	20.23	3.02
2020/10/26	23.96	26.38	20.28	3.02
2020/10/31	24.05	26.71	20.62	3.08
2020/11/07	24.40	27.03	20.55	3.10
2020/11/14	24.82	27.68	20.97	3.17
2020/11/21	24.92	27.90	21.02	3.20
2020/11/28	25.21	28.05	21.07	3.20
2020/12/05	25.60	28.38	21.12	3.23
2020/12/12	25.61	27.98	21.14	3.23

5. Zimbabwean Dollar (ZWL$)

Source: https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/

 

	Euro €	GBP £	US $	CNY ¥	Official US$ Rate
2020/06/20	405.54	446.91	361.90	51.17
2020/06/27	405.98	446.46	361.90	51.13
2020/07/04	407.08	451.78	361.90	51.21
2020/07/11	408.89	456.71	361.90	51.70
2020/07/25	421.71	463.13	361.90	51.58
2020/08/01	426.09	473.50	361.90	51.58
2020/08/08	426.53	472.42	361.90	51.93
2020/08/15	428.56	473.55	361.90	52.06
2020/08/22	426.90	473.72	361.90	52.30
2020/08/29	430.86	483.20	361.90	52.71
2020/09/05	428.42	480.70	361.90	52.89
2020/09/12	428.70	463.13	361.90	52.95
2020/09/19	428.45	467.52	361.90	53.46	80.48
2020/09/26	421.04	461.12	361.90	53.04	81.49
2020/10/03	423.96	468.06	361.90	53.29	81.44
2020/10/10	428.11	472.14	361.90	54.06	80.12
2020/10/17	424.13	467.25	361.90	54.04	81.34
2020/10/26	427.91	471.32	361.90	54.02	81.34
2020/10/31	431.64	468.64	361.90	54.07	81.35
2020/11/07	429.60	476.06	361.90	54.74	81.67
2020/11/14	428.29	477.58	361.90	54.79	81.67
2020/11/21	429.09	480.27	361.90	55.15	81.71
2020/11/28	432.96	481.72	361.90	55.04	81.81
2020/12/05	438.69	486.36	361.90	55.40	81.87
2020/12/12	438.38	478.79	361.90	55.29	81.85

 

 

 

 

 

ABSA Agri Trends: Hides & skins prices

Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA (December 07, 2020) - The current average hide price increased by 14.4% to R3.08/kg from R2.69/kg green a week ago. The current price is 40.2% higher than the average price a month ago and is 118.4% higher than the average price a year ago. Industry players are receiving prices between R2.50/kg and R3.50/kg depending on the quality of the hide. There is general strength in the market. It should be noted that the base was so low that the recovery in price is actually just getting back to a rational price as opposed to ‘high’ prices. The current demand for hides is exceeding supply, which is adding support to prices. Expectations among industry members is that prices will continue to see an improvement in the coming months until reaching a more sustainable level where prices will then likely hold.. NB* Hide prices are determined by the average of the RMAA (Red Meat Abattoir Association) and independent companies. - Abrie Rautenbach, head Absa agribusiness, and Paige Bowen, agricultural economist, Absa group.

14/12/1953: Rachmat Thomas, retired, formerly Chic Shoe Manufacturers [closed], Cape Town.
14/12/1957: Paul Henshaw, Puma, Cape Town.
14/12/1988: Lu Fraser, Claw Boot International, Johannesburg.
15/12/1973: Charl Lucas, Springbok Skoeisel, Springbok.
15/12/1975: Sabrina van Rooyen, Van Hobs Dry Cleaners, Pretoria.
15/12/1983: David Fox, Good Hope Sales, Cape Town.
16/12/1939: Danny Pincus, agent, Johannesburg.
17/12/1972: Iqbal Abdulla, Studio 88, Johannesburg.
18/12/1978: Hassive Magaña Maya, Spanish Commercial Office, Johannesburg.
18/12/1952: Piet Neethling, retired, formerly Camdeboo Meat Processors, Graaff-Reinet.
19/12/1959: Yegan Pillai, left the industry, formerly Michelle Footwear, Durban.
19/12/1944: Hoosen Patel, Spectrum group, Durban.
20/12/1957: Michael Ngwenya, Nulaw, Pietermaritzburg.
20/12/1976: Zamo Mkhize, left the industry, formerly Nicole Footwear (closed), Durban.

In Memoriam this week

14/12/2016: Allan Capell, (b. 01/07/1932), Capelli [closed], Durban.
14/12/2016: Raman Merchant (b. 02/06/1929), Merchant’s Outfitters, Port Elizabeth.
18/12/2003: Ben Stoltzman (b. 03.05/1933), Vogue Shoes/Sportshoe SA [closed], Cape Town.

Have you let us know about your birthday, or the birthdays of your colleagues? Our readers love this section, so please become part of it. This also applies to the In Memoriam section. Help us remember former colleagues.

Have a look at these links

We invite businesses to send us links to websites, Facebook pages and the like which they feel would be of interest to others. The links below are from our database:
Crouch Footwear, Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA. Footwear manufacturer and importer.
Crown Footwear, KZN, SA. Footwear importer.

Contact us

News & Classifieds: Tony Dickson, +27 (0)31 209 7505, tony@svmag.co.za

Next newsletter: Dec 21, 2020.

SAFLIA enquiries: Tel 0800SAFLIA * Email info@saflia.co.za * Website http://www.saflia.co.za

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