Retail: Furniture, food lobbies to join
Mar 29 2010
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The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) has agreed to merge with the Furniture Traders' Association in an attempt to address the fragmentation and duplication of efforts and costs across the retail industry. Mncane Mthunzi, the chief executive of the CGCSA, said furniture traders including JD Group, Ellerine Holdings and Lewis stores would be joining other retailers from the food and clothing sectors in the anticipated new body to be called the SA Retail Council to be launched next month. 

"This new body within the CGCSA will provide a unified voice on non-competitive issues impacting on both the wellbeing and success of the industry," he said.

The CGCSA represents companies such as Massmart, Pick n Pay and Shoprite Checkers. "Moving forward, all issues which are impacting on the furniture traders will be tackled by the CGCSA," Mthunzi said.

He hoped that clothing and other small retail industry associations would join the CGCSA in an attempt to eliminate industry inefficiencies.

Adapted from Source: www.busrep.co.za, 25 March 2010