News and Updates

World Literacy Day, observed on 08 September annually, aims to raise awareness globally on the issues surrounding literacy. Across the world an astounding 774 million adults (15 years and older) still cannot read or write, according to the United Nations. Looking at the situation in South Africa; it is well regarded that the country is facing a literacy crisis, with much of the crisis happening at school level. Statistics released by the University of Pretoria show that eight out of 10 Grade 4 pupils still cannot read at an appropriate…

A leading school in Sydney, Australia, recently decided to swap digital textbooks for the hard copy version, citing better learner comprehension and reduced distraction as reasons for doing so. Australia’s Reddam House primary and junior high school classes have used e-textbooks on iPads, but the consistent feedback from the students was that they preferred pages to screens, resulting in the swap. The school will be phasing out iPads in favour of laptop learning to supplement with textbooks. “Where the school went wrong was to abolish the book in favour of…

In 2018 several popular printed magazine titles closed their doors, with others adjusting their frequencies, which to many appeared to be a tell-tale sign that the magazine industry is in trouble. While this is an oversimplification, it does serve as a reminder to publishers and magazine titles to take a closer look at what can be done better in order to respond to the changing landscape. This the view of Peter Metcalfe, Group Executive: Sales & Marketing Novus Holdings, who believes that the magazine industry is not wholly under threat,…

Plastic bags are touted as one of the biggest causes of environmental pollution, with many nations banning the bag in an effort to solve the problem. Globally, single-use plastic bags are banned in over 32 countries, 18 of which are in Africa, with New York City in the USA becoming one of the most recent cities to do this in April 2019.  Back home, leading retailers are in the process of either phasing out the bag, banning it altogether, or looking at alternatives, such as biodegradable bags, as a direct…

While it can’t be denied that the media landscape is changing, print still has a very relevant role to play in today’s world. For businesses that operate in this space, agility and a real understanding of client needs will allow them to become future-focused. This is the view of Brandon de Kock, director of WhyFive, who recently spoke at a Novus Holdings event. Novus Holdings is a South African leader in commercial printing and manufacturing. De Kock said that there is much evidence that consumers are still spending on print….

Financial Highlights for the Year Ended 31 March 2019: Revenue remained stable at R 4 331 800 m (2018: R4 308 102 m) Print retail inserts and catalogues increased by 6,2%, while Labels division increased revenue by 16,2% Group declares dividend of 30 cents per share Novus Holdings (JSE: NVS) reported a base-setting performance for the full year ended 31 March 2019, with stable revenue at R4 331 800 m (2018: R4 308 102 m), while operating profit decreased by 41,4% to R294 million predominantly due to lower print revenues and weaker returns on…