31 JANUARY 2019
ISSUE04
QUARTERLY
BRANDS WE LOVE Everyday Gifting Made Easy
EDGARS TEAM MEMBERS Kelso Fragrance Training
Send your comments or queries to: EdgarsBuzz@Edcon.co.za
EDGARS RINGS THE CHANGES Welcome Home
Message from CE: Mike Elliott
THE YEAR TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE At the time of writing this message we have just come out of the very important December month of trade and everyone would have returned from the summer break. A huge thank you to the store teams and head office teams who worked over this period and for those that had a break, I hope you are back to full steam after a restful and safe break. As is always the case, the summer break is a good time to reflect on where we are and December sales performance is an important measure. From a sales perspective we ended the month and quarter with a comparable sales and gross margin growth that was positive. This was better than recent trend and also better compared to the results reported by our key competitors except for 1. This was a pleasing result. In analysing the detail there were some uncontrollable factors that hampered our growth but unfortunately, also too many controllable factors that negatively impacted sales. There were too many examples of where we simply did not execute our plans precisely enough. We need to fix this going forward and we can build on the results achieved in Q3. The December period was also unfortunately impacted by some sensational press that would have caused unnecessary distress for customers, staff and suppliers. By the time you read this note I am confident our funding issues and debt burden will be a thing of the past. This leaves us in a re-capitalized position where we have largely stopped our decline, stabilised our position and are now in a position to start a period of growth. In order to do this we need to “do what we say we are going to do” and start executing our plans with urgency and precision. I look forward to everyone’s commitment and focus in tirelessly ensuring that this is exactly what we do. I have no doubt, it is in our hands to start winning and growing again. I look forward to a great 2019. Best regards,
Mike Edgars makes a difference
REFLECTIONS ON THE 16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM The 2018 16 Days of Activism campaign was launched on 25 November in Melmoth, KwaZulu-Natal under the theme: #HearMeToo: End Violence against Women and Children! From 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign is a time to galvanise action to end violence against women and girls around the world. Edcon was honoured to take part in many of the events. On 25 November we kicked off with an Installation at Edgardale to mark the start of the 16 Days of Activism.The Edgars UNiTE ‘16 Day’s Garments” exhibition at Edgardale was set up to mark not only the start of 16 Days of Activism but also sought to take staff on the Edgars UNITE journey and the women’s stories of survival, presented through the use of black knitted fabric. At the invitation from the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Edcon staff were privileged to attend the “Is’thunzi Sabafazi” tribute and dialogue held at the University of Johannesburg, Soweto Campus on 29 November. Oprah Winfrey delivered a keynote address. The Nelson Mandela Women of Dignity Dialogue, facilitated by Radio 702 Redi Tlhabi, included conversations on how we can build a caring society that treats women equally and justly. The panelists included UN Women Executive Director and Under-Secretary-General; Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Mrs Graça Machel and Josina Machel who is a survivor of gender-based violence and founder of Kuhluka Movement, an advocacy vehicle fighting genderbased violence. The Global Citizen Festival took place on 2 December and the Edgars UNiTE “16 Days Garment” Exhibition formed a side event on 3 December held in partnership with UN Women at the African Leadership Academy. It enabled conversations with young women on “gender equality in a changing context”. The dialogue session was attended by UN Women Executive Director and Under-SecretaryGeneral; Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and led by actress and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, Danai Gurira. On 6 December, Edcon staff attended the Nelson Mandela Tribute by a renowned African author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie held at the UNISA Ormonde Conference Centre. Chimamanda’s voice provided an international perspective on the many challenges facing those who promote Madiba’s legacy. Key questions framing the conversation explored the relevance of that legacy in contexts where declarations of human rights, constitutions and legislation too frequently do not translate into a lived reality for the great majority of people.
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