International express services provider, DHL Express, recently announced its partnership with MallforAfrica, the global e-commerce company, which will facilitate selling of made-in-Africa products to customers in the United States.
Businesses can do so via the eBay platform powered by MallforAfrica. Through this partnership, DHL locations will serve as drop-off points for products destined for consumers in the United States. This will be the first time businesses in Africa can sell their locally manufactured products directly on eBay.
DHL Express currently handles inbound express delivery for MallforAfrica and has enabled its customers importing from the US to receive their packages seamlessly in Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda and Ghana. This is a watershed partnership for African businesses as it allows them an avenue to trade on the global stage.
“We have been partners with DHL Express for many years and have tremendous trust in their ability to ship to our customers,” said Chris Folayan, CEO, MallforAfrica. “Both companies have a common goal of seeing African e-commerce businesses thrive on the global stage. We want to contribute to the future of e-commerce growth, African cross-border sales and most importantly, improve the lives of African artisanal arts, designs, crafts and more.”
MallforAfrica is Africa’s largest e-commerce enabler, providing Africans with a platform through which they can purchase items directly from over 200 international online retailers, such as Macy’s, eBay, Ralph Lauren, Net-a-Porter, Carters, GAP, and FarFetch – brands that, would otherwise be inaccessible to African consumers. By managing every aspect of the order and return cycle, the MallforAfrica app offers its customers a simple, secure and convenient solution to online shopping directly from brands around the world.
New Fibre Comparison Tool Launched
A new online fibre comparison tool launched yesterday, called Chameleon Fibre. This tool aims to ease the difficulties of purchasing fibre solutions for South Africans.
By inserting one’s physical address and specifying certain usage requirements, users can now gain access to a comprehensive, customised list of product packages available in their fibre-live areas.
Many South Africans are still in the dark about fibre says Dean Ormsby, Chameleon Bespoke’s general manager, and that the reason for this is that the current fibre market is unbelievably confusing. “Some customers don’t even know that they are in a fibre-live area. If they do, they are often overwhelmed by the complexity of choice between the various infrastructure providers and Internet Service Provider.”
The website has four user categories: Home, Small Business, Streaming, and Fibre-to– the-business (FTTB). Once the relevant selection has been made, the user is taken to the appropriate homepage.
By simply entering a physical address and tailoring results in terms of data, network, and ISP requirements, the relevant fibre packages and solutions from leading brands are displayed.
AB InBev Completes $3.15 Billion Coca-Cola Beverages Africa Transition
The world’s largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) on Thursday announced that it has completed the transition of its 54.5 percent equity stake in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) for U.S.$3.15 billion after customary adjustments.
This comes after AB InBev last year acquired SABMiller for U.S.$104 billion and reached an agreement to transition AB InBev’s 54.5 percent equity stake in CCBA to Coca-Cola.
CCBA, the largest Coca-Cola bottler in Africa, was formed in 2016 through the combination of the African non-alcohol ready-to-drink bottling interests of SABMiller plc, The Coca-Cola Company and Gutsche Family Investments.
It includes entities in South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Ghana, Mayotte, and Comoros, which account for about 40 percent of all Coca-Cola beverage volumes in Africa.
The transition, which was first announced in December 2016, makes The Coca-Cola Company the controlling shareholder of CCBA.
The Coca-Cola Company plans to hold all of these territories temporarily until they can be refranchised to other partners, also with the intent to account for the acquired stakes as a discontinued operation for reporting purposes.
Following completion, AB InBev said CCBA will remain subject to the agreement reached with the South African government and the South African competition authorities on several conditions. (via African News Agency)
Hilton Launches Africa Growth Initiative
Hilton has committed a total of $50 million over the next five years towards the Hilton Africa Growth Initiative to support the continued expansion of its Sub-Saharan African portfolio.
These funds are intended to support the conversion of around 100 hotels (roughly 20,000 rooms) in multiple African markets into Hilton branded properties, namely into its flagship Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand, the upscale DoubleTree by Hilton and the recently launched Curio Collection by Hilton.
Patrick Fitzgibbon, senior vice president, development, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Hilton said: “Hilton remains committed to growth in Africa having been present on the continent for more than 50 years. The model of converting existing hotels into Hilton branded properties has proved highly successful in a variety of markets and we expect to see great opportunities to convert hotels to Hilton brands through this initiative.”
“It enables us to rapidly grow our portfolio and delivers returns for owners by increasing exposure of their business to more international, inter-regional and domestic travellers, and specifically to our 65 million-plus Hilton Honors members, who look to stay with us in our suite of industry-leading brands. We see huge potential here in key cities and airports, as well as allowing us to develop our offering in resorts and safari lodges.”
These hotels will receive all the benefits associated with Hilton’s industry-leading brand proposition and world-class commercial platforms. Guests will also be able to take advantage of Hilton’s innovative technology platforms such as online check-in and the ability to choose individual rooms when booking via the Hilton Honors App.
Fitzgibbon added: “The range of brands we have at our disposal allows owners the flexibility to pick the right fit for their property. We have already deployed this initiative in the signing of two hotels: our first DoubleTree by Hilton property in Kenya, and our first hotel in Rwanda, and expect to be able to announce further additions before the end of this year.”
