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	<title>Design News &#187; General</title>
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		<title>Small changes, big impact: Plascon and partners renew Chris Hani  Baragwanath Hospital’s oncology ward</title>
		<link>https://designnews.co.za/small-changes-big-impact-plascon-and-partners-renew-chris-hani-baragwanath-hospitals-oncology-ward/</link>
		<comments>https://designnews.co.za/small-changes-big-impact-plascon-and-partners-renew-chris-hani-baragwanath-hospitals-oncology-ward/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2025 06:04:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Design News]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Décor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Plascon]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://designnews.co.za/?p=10692</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Oncology wards are where cancer patients spend some of their toughest days. At the under-served Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, this critical zone has been transformed into a space filled with warmth, light and care, thanks to a refurbishment by leading coatings brand Plascon and project partners, Dis-Chem Foundation and The Estée Lauder Companies. The oncology ward revamp follows the successful refurbishment of the Batho Pele Breast Cancer Clinic at the hospital, which was completed earlier this year. Plascon returned to the hospital in September and October 2025 to complete the second phase of this upliftment project, which is led by Breast Surgeon and Clinical Head of Unit Dr Nivashini Murugan. The first phase, completed in March 2025, transformed the clinic and doctors’ offices into welcoming and uplifting spaces for patients and staff. Phase Two continues this work by upgrading the adjoining oncology ward, ensuring that every part of the oncology unit offers a nurturing environment. ‘We were proud to be involved in the original refurbishment of the clinic and felt it was important to see the project through,’ says Patty Mulauzi, Plascon Colour Consultant. ‘This second phase completes our vision of transforming the entire oncology department into a [...]]]></description>
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		<title>And the winners are… V&amp;A Waterfront Neighbourhood Awards 2025 announces its retail champions</title>
		<link>https://designnews.co.za/and-the-winners-are-va-waterfront-neighbourhood-awards-2025-announces-its-retail-champions/</link>
		<comments>https://designnews.co.za/and-the-winners-are-va-waterfront-neighbourhood-awards-2025-announces-its-retail-champions/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 11:32:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Design News]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://designnews.co.za/?p=10644</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Cape Town’s V&#38;A Waterfront has once again shone a spotlight on the people and places that make it Africa’s most visited retail destination. The annual Neighbourhood Awards announced its 2025 winners at a ceremony officiated by radio personality Carl Wastie, which was held on 1 October 2025 at the inspiring Avenue events space adjacent the Two Oceans Aquarium at the V&#38;A Waterfront. The awards span sustainability, empowerment, visual merchandising and service excellence and aim to showcase the retailers, restaurants and small businesses that are raising the bar at one of the world’s most dynamic waterfront neighbourhoods.  The 2025 edition of the awards was hotly contested due to a record number of entries &#8211; there were 155 entries versus 66 last year &#8211; speaking to the desirability and validity of the programme. The awards were judged by a prestigious panel in a rigorous process administered independently on behalf of the V&#38;A Waterfront by Truth Loyalty. The 2025 winners of the entered categories are: SUSTAINABILITY AWARD (OUR BETTER NATURE) &#8211; Sealand Gear SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD &#8211; Out of Africa EMPOWERMENT AWARD &#8211; Zizamele Ceramics BEST MARKETING AND DIGITAL INNOVATION AWARD &#8211; HintHunt Africa BEST ACTIVATION &#8211; Kapten &#38; Son BEST NEW OR [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Retail powered by insight: How the V&amp;A Waterfront is leading with data (and celebrating those who do)</title>
		<link>https://designnews.co.za/retail-powered-by-insight-how-the-va-waterfront-is-leading-with-data-and-celebrating-those-who-do/</link>
		<comments>https://designnews.co.za/retail-powered-by-insight-how-the-va-waterfront-is-leading-with-data-and-celebrating-those-who-do/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 31 Aug 2025 20:29:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Design News]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V&A Waterfront]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://designnews.co.za/?p=10500</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The V&#38;A Waterfront, located in the heart of Cape Town and with Table Mountain as its backdrop, is one of Africa’s most visited destinations, receiving more than 25 million visits from locals and tourists annually. But it’s not just location that makes a retail destination iconic, it’s also foresight – making bold decisions backed by robust data and recognising the retailers who evolve alongside them. That dual strategy is playing out in the form of the V&#38;A Waterfront’s award-winning retail ecosystem, and in its increasingly powerful data platform, developed in partnership with PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers), launched in 2023. ‘We knew we had a lot of data,’ says Alex Kabalin, Executive Manager of Retail at the V&#38;A Waterfront, ‘but until recently, we weren’t using it as well as we could to support our tenants. That’s changed.’ A data-driven retail ecosystem Thanks to the PwC Insights programme, the V&#38;A Waterfront now collects and analyses over 11 million transactions over a six-month period, from card swipes that are completely anonymous and compliant with the POPI Act and GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). These insights include country of origin, and location and time of spend. The result is a living map of how and when [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Vinimark turns 40 — and steps into a new era with clarity and intention</title>
		<link>https://designnews.co.za/vinimark-turns-40-and-steps-into-a-new-era-with-clarity-and-intention/</link>
		<comments>https://designnews.co.za/vinimark-turns-40-and-steps-into-a-new-era-with-clarity-and-intention/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Aug 2025 05:52:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Design News]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vinimark]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://designnews.co.za/?p=10480</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[After four decades of supporting the growth of South African wine, Vinimark is entering its fifth decade with a renewed sense of purpose and a new visual identity to match. More than a ‘refresh’, this evolution is the result of considerable internal reflection and a shared ambition to continually improve, for partners, employees, and the communities Vinimark serves. It’s a visible expression of who Vinimark has become and the values that will guide the company forward. “Since 1985, we’ve grown by staying close to the people we work with,” says CEO Eckhardt Gerber. “Listening well. Supporting consistently. Building trust. Our new identity is part of that same journey, a signal that we are evolving to meet the future with clarity, care, and conviction.” The rebrand supports Vinimark’s transition from a wine distributor to a strategic growth partner, one that offers market insight, commercial fluency, and strong, deep alignment with the brands it represents. “Today’s wine landscape is dynamic,” Gerber continues. “With a new generation of consumers, new opportunities for inclusion, new ways of doing business, and new opportunities around sustainability. We believe in adapting boldly, and always with people at the centre.” A brand built from the inside out Vinimark’s [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Patty Mulauzi: Colour consultant, legacy builder, joy spreader</title>
		<link>https://designnews.co.za/patty-mulauzi-colour-consultant-legacy-builder-joy-spreader/</link>
		<comments>https://designnews.co.za/patty-mulauzi-colour-consultant-legacy-builder-joy-spreader/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Aug 2025 00:48:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Design News]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Décor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Plascon]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://designnews.co.za/?p=10484</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Patty Mulauzi Officially, she’s Plascon’s colour consultant. Unofficially? She’s a self-declared colour sorcerer: part digital strategist, part interior empath, part mood-maker. ‘Think of me as your personal joy spreader, armed with paint swatches and zero fear of rainbows,’ says Patty Mulauzi . ‘I take bland, boring spaces like that sad beige hallway or meh kitchen, and zap them with bold, joyful hues until they’re singing.’ And behind the cheer and charm is a powerful understanding of how colour shapes emotion, experience and legacy. It’s this mix of creative confidence, warm intuition and bold visual storytelling that’s made Mulauzi  a cornerstone of the Plascon brand for nearly 12 years, and a driving force behind how the company communicates colour beyond the product, as an experience. Lilac interior Telling tales through colour ‘A colour story isn’t about pretty shades; it’s a visual narrative,’ Mulauzi  explains. ‘Every hue carries a feeling, a memory, a personality. It’s like composing a song, with tones instead of notes.’ Her earliest memory of colour’s emotional impact came after a thunderstorm, when she saw her first rainbow as a child. ‘All those colours stretched across the sky felt like magic and comfort rolled into one. After that, I [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Nominate your #fav eatery, store or small business – they could win, and so could you!</title>
		<link>https://designnews.co.za/nominate-your-fav-eatery-store-or-small-business-they-could-win-and-so-could-you-2/</link>
		<comments>https://designnews.co.za/nominate-your-fav-eatery-store-or-small-business-they-could-win-and-so-could-you-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Aug 2025 18:16:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Design News]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V&ANeighbourhoodAwards]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://designnews.co.za/?p=10475</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Individual shopping preferences and retail statistics come together in resoundingly positive alignment at Cape Town’s V&#38;A Waterfront. Public testimonials consistently praise the destination as their favourite – its Victoria Wharf shopping centre has been ranked as the best mall in South Africa out of 13 malls by the Urban Studies Shopper Index (USSI) – while retail sales show that December 2024 was the V&#38;A Waterfront’s best sales month ever for this time of year. It follows that being named as this popular neighbourhood’s top store, restaurant or small business by those who shop and eat there is a desirable accolade indeed. Members of the public are invited to nominate their favourite eating and shopping destinations in the 2025 People’s Choice Award, which forms part of the annual V&#38;A Waterfront Neighbourhood Awards recognising and rewarding various aspects of retail excellence. ‘We acknowledge the importance of our visitors’ views and we want to know what they think,’ says V&#38;A Waterfront retail executive Alex Kabalin. ‘Through these three trophies in the People’s Choice Award, we’re giving our visitors the power to support and acknowledge the establishments that make their V&#38;A Waterfront experience a special one.’ One restaurant, one store and one small business [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Beyond the label: Building brands that live in people’s minds</title>
		<link>https://designnews.co.za/beyond-the-label-building-brands-that-live-in-peoples-minds/</link>
		<comments>https://designnews.co.za/beyond-the-label-building-brands-that-live-in-peoples-minds/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2025 16:12:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Design News]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vinimark]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://designnews.co.za/?p=10432</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[‘Products are made in factories, but brands are created in minds.’ Advertising executive Leo Burnett’s timeless insight has never rung truer, especially in the world of wine. In late May, Vinimark opened the doors of its premises in Klapmuts outside of Cape Town for a Packaging and Innovation Masterclass that brought together creatives, strategists and storytellers from across the wine world. The session, led by Vinimark’s Wine Training &#38;amp; Education Manager Ginette de Fleuriot, featured two provocateurs of design thinking: François Rey of graphic design studio Monday Design and Brenden Schwartz, co-founder of wine brand Orpheus &#38;amp; The Raven. Their message was clear: in a market that’s crowded, fast-moving and increasingly visual, it’s not only your grape variety, terroir, wine quality or awards that will set you apart. It’s your brand memory: the emotional connection your packaging, positioning and story create in a split second. The rise of the distinctive asset Walk into any bottle store and you’ll see it: shelf upon shelf of beautifully bottled ambition. But amid all that noise, only a few speak with clarity. Why? Because they’ve built what Schwartz called distinctive assets: visual cues that work harder than names, louder than labels. Think Nike’s swoosh, [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Why the judges matter – prestigious adjudication panel deepens the merits and legitimacy of the V&amp;A Waterfront Neighbourhood Awards</title>
		<link>https://designnews.co.za/why-the-judges-matter-prestigious-adjudication-panel-deepens-the-merits-and-legitimacy-of-the-va-waterfront-neighbourhood-awards/</link>
		<comments>https://designnews.co.za/why-the-judges-matter-prestigious-adjudication-panel-deepens-the-merits-and-legitimacy-of-the-va-waterfront-neighbourhood-awards/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2025 15:30:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Design News]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Neighbourhood Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V&A Waterfront Neighbourhood Awards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V&AWaterfront]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://designnews.co.za/?p=10424</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Driving entries is one aspect of the build-up to the 2025 V&#38;A Waterfront Neighbourhood Awards, an annual awards programme that is open to all retail tenants at this vibrant and dynamic Cape Town waterfront property. Another important facet is the quality and variety of the judging panel, the trusted few who get to hone in on the winners from the slew of entries received. ‘We have a large assortment of tenants, from large multinationals to small independents, servicing a range of consumer needs and wants, which is why it is important to have a diverse group of judges, selected from media, business, retail and tourism, to choose our winners,’ says the V&#38;A Waterfront’s retail executive Alex Kabalin. This year 33 judges will weigh in, with both internal and external experts evaluating the entries in the various categories, with five judges per category.The V&#38;A Waterfront has compiled a sterling internal team comprising 14 participating senior staff members drawn from different areas of the property’s management needs, spanning sustainability, marketing, leasing, communications, events, project management, and retail, and including visionary CEO David Green. The judging panel that is external to the V&#38;A Waterfront comprises a host of trusted suppliers and industry representatives [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Driving excellence in retail supports economic resilience – the call for entries for the annual V&amp;A Waterfront Neighbourhood Awards is now open</title>
		<link>https://designnews.co.za/driving-excellence-in-retail-supports-economic-resilience-the-call-for-entries-for-the-annual-va-waterfront-neighbourhood-awards-is-now-open/</link>
		<comments>https://designnews.co.za/driving-excellence-in-retail-supports-economic-resilience-the-call-for-entries-for-the-annual-va-waterfront-neighbourhood-awards-is-now-open/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 Jul 2025 14:49:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Design News]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V&A Waterfront Neighbourhood Awards]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://designnews.co.za/?p=10392</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; Having generated over R10 billion in sales in 2024 and coming off the back of the best December on record, with a 24% increase in international customer sales, the V&#38;A Waterfront is still riding a retail high halfway through the year, with strong indicators in place for a successful 2025. ‘Cape Town is currently outperforming in the context of the rest of the country,’ says Alex Kabalin, retail executive at the V&#38;A Waterfront, ‘and the Waterfront outperforms other retail destinations within the context of Cape Town itself, thanks to strong local support and international visitors who travel at all times of the year.’ As one of the leading retail environments on the continent, and one of the world’s most dynamic waterfront neighbourhoods, the V&#38;A Waterfront and its tenants not only keep abreast of change but drive positive shifts in the market, including increased emphasis on innovation and sustainability. As a result, they display remarkable buoyancy in a retail landscape where the Consumer Confidence Index (which measures how South Africans feel about spending and saving) plunged to the lowest it’s been in years in the first quarter of 2025, and the uptake of AI tools and a growing customer-driven desire [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Critical engineering conference tackles Africa&#8217;s R250-billion infrastructure crisis</title>
		<link>https://designnews.co.za/critical-engineering-conference-tackles-africas-r250-billion-infrastructure-crisis/</link>
		<comments>https://designnews.co.za/critical-engineering-conference-tackles-africas-r250-billion-infrastructure-crisis/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 10 Mar 2025 10:31:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Design News]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dr Janet Cotton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Engineering Conference Cape Town]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[One Eighty Root Cause Analysis Africa Conference]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://designnews.co.za/?p=10125</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With Africa&#8217;s industrial sector facing unprecedented challenges from ageing infrastructure and growing demand, the inaugural One Eighty Root Cause Analysis Africa Conference arrives at a critical moment. Set to take place from 11 to 14 March at The Vineyard Hotel in Cape Town, this landmark event brings together leading experts to address the significant economic impact of preventable engineering failures across the continent. Recent high-profile engineering failures highlight the urgent need for advanced forensic engineering capabilities within Africa – capabilities that this conference aims to develop through knowledge sharing and collaboration, focusing on root cause failure analysis (RCFA). This encompasses sophisticated investigative techniques that prevent catastrophic failures in critical infrastructure and industrial facilities while supporting economic growth across Africa, addressing African engineering challenges with contextually relevant solutions. Founder and MD of One Eighty Degrees, Dr Janet Cotton The timing is crucial as African nations expand their manufacturing capabilities while simultaneously managing existing infrastructure. Diverse professionals from the engineering, legal, insurance and asset-management sectors will come together to discuss and share integrated approaches to material failures that cost African economies millions annually. For the first time, African engineers, legal professionals and insurance specialists will have access to cutting-edge methodologies that have [...]]]></description>
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