Big Daddy’s Liquor Group: Maintaining the family tradition
The landscape for selling liquor in South Africa has changed enormously since the 1960s. The modern liquor store industry bears little resemblance to the one Nico Pitsiladi first entered, when joining the family business in 1966. Today Pitsiladi remains one of the directors of the hugely successful Preston Liquor Stores business, with the customer experience […]
Cennergi: Adding power to the nation’s energy needs
The energy sector in South Africa remains an important and highly current source of discussion. The nation’s ability to supply energy that meets rising demand has come under regular scrutiny, particularly in the aftermath of a series of blackouts a couple of years back. However, the present situation also offers exciting opportunities for Independent Power […]
Sappi Group: The power of wood fibre
In the past decade sustainability has entered the industrial psyche with growing importance, but within the paper and pulp industry, it has been an integral fact of life for far longer. At the forefront of this sector, Sappi continues to embrace sustainability and its role as part of the future low carbon economy. Established in […]
Avis Fleet Services: Initiating the green revolution in fleet services
The Leasing and Fleet Management space is a highly competitive one in South Africa, with the recent economic downturn putting extra emphasis on a company’s ability to “go the extra mile” for its customers. At Avis Fleet Services, over 30 years of experience had taught the company that each customer has a unique set of […]
Vunani Property Investment Fund: Capitalising on the office space
Whilst the construction boom in South Africa might have hit the buffers in 2008, property prices continued to offer great investment opportunities. So much so, that Vunani Property Investment Fund (VPIF) had a meteoric rise from humble property investor to publicly-listed business in just 5 years. The business was formed in 2006, as part of […]
Sanral: The challenge of financing a national road network
In April of this year the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) re-entered the bond market after more than 2 years, with a highly successful R500 million bond auction that was close to twice over-subscribed. The auction was the first since Sanral’s failed auction in September 2011, and served as reaffirmation that investors are […]
Controlab PTY (LTD): Road testing to a new level
The South African Government’s push for infrastructure improvements has created a raft of opportunities for construction-related companies. Of course to fully grasp the nettle, businesses need to be well positioned and prepared for growth – and in most cases the need for expertise is another pre-requisite. Such is the lot of Controlab, a business with […]
Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa: Placing the nation’s power supplies in its own hands
The development of economies across the African Continent has been greatly helped by maintaining links with former colonial rulers for many countries. In Mozambique, the Cahora Bassa Dam has delivered energy across Southern Africa for over thirty years and has benefitted from ties with Portugal. In April 2012 Mozambican President Armando Guebuza and Portuguese Prime […]
Aspen Nutritionals: Merging expertise for a sustainable future
In late December 2013, the proposed merger between Aspen Nutritionals and the local infant nutrition business of Pfizer Nutrition was approved by the Competition Tribunal. The tribunal imposed no conditions on the deal as it could find no evidence that the merger would prevent or lessen competition in the domestic market for baby milk. The […]
AMIC Trading (Pty) Ltd: Converting success into child’s play
Back in 2012, one of the world’s leading toy brands was involved in a takeover, with ambitious new owners vowing to grasp the opportunity to expand across Africa. Toys ‘R’ Us and Reggies passed into the hands of Mohsin Mia and Christian Larsen, who saw the opportunity of moving from the distribution of toys and […]