General Trade Report 2015

The first half of 2015 in the trade sector has been one of colouring books and more colouring books, albeit ever more expensive colouring books as the Rand plummeted from R18 to the British Pound on January the 1st to R19 by the end of June. Deon Meyer kept local spirits high with yet another mega seller, Ikarus while the banting craze inspired by Prof. Tim Noakes continued unabated. Job cuts and store closures at CNA caused tremors across the trade. We waved goodbye to the Kalahari brand, faced an existential dilemma in the wake of the Franschhoek furore, got our hopes up when Marlene van Niekerk was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize and finally gave a sigh of relief when E.L. James provided welcome respite amidst continued loadshedding woes. Read more