Atlantic Superstore in Halifax (Image: Field Agent Canada)
The proposed grocery code of conduct has sparked debate regarding its efficacy in stabilizing prices in Canada, and justifiably so. The public lacks detailed knowledge about this code, and many fail to recognize the considerable influence that major players like Loblaw and Walmart exert on the food industry. This issue gains relevance against the backdrop of rising food prices and concerns about affordability in Canada, reminiscent of the era marked by the notorious “bread cartel.”
The bread price-fixing scheme, which allegedly persisted from 2001 to 2015, significantly angered Canadians. It only came to light in 2017 when Loblaw and Weston Bakeries—owned by Loblaw at the time—admitted their involvement in this scheme lasting over a decade. Despite the scandal, the story quickly receded from public attention after Loblaw offered a $25 gift card to Canadians. However, the lingering high food prices reignited criticism and distrust toward the company, with the investigation still unresolved after nine years. Nine years!
Remarkably, no executives were prosecuted, although Grupo Bimbo, which acquired Canada Bread from Maple Leaf Foods in 2014, paid a record-setting $50 million fine. Along with Loblaw and Weston Bakeries, Canada Bread also admitted participation in the cartel. Meanwhile, other grocers, including Walmart Canada—who has yet to endorse the code of conduct—remain under investigation. The ongoing legal disputes and accusations of defamation only add to the industry’s tainted image.
Loblaw offered customers $25 gift cards in 2018 to make amends for its part in the bread price-fixing scheme. THE CANADIAN PRESS /Richard Buchan
The root cause of the bread price-fixing scheme appears to be a drive to increase profit margins without resorting to innovation or market expansion. Essentially, these parties chose to manipulate market conditions rather than introduce new products or ideas.
A previous report by the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University suggested that such a cartel was feasible given the behaviour of food prices, particularly between 2015 and 2017. The scheme would not have been possible without the involvement of Loblaw and Weston Bakeries, who wielded considerable control and power through vertical integration. Canada Bread was coerced into joining the cartel, costing Canadians an estimated billion dollars in extra bread costs over fourteen years. One billion dollars…
While private companies generally operate freely within the law, the involvement of some in unlawful activities has lasted for years. The proposed code of conduct aims to foster innovation, facilitate market entry for new players, and enhance competition in various food categories, including bakery. It would also make coordinating illegal schemes more challenging by increasing oversight.
Moreover, the code would enhance transparency in vertical coordination, as reports detailing company behaviors would be publicly accessible. Though skepticism about the code’s effectiveness is understandable, a deeper understanding of supply chain dynamics reveals that it could significantly reduce the temptation for illegal price fixing and shift the focus toward innovation and competition.
A display of Barbie Fashionistas is shown at the Mattel showroom at the North American International Toy Fair in 2015 in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Growing up, did you play with hyper-sexualized Barbie dolls, boys-only Thomas the Tank Engine trains, or slim, white Disney princesses? If so, you’re not alone, but this is no longer the case for Generation Alpha.
Brands like Mattel, once criticized for promoting unrealistic body standards and gender stereotypes, now portray themselves as feminist and progressive. The recent Barbie movie serves as a prime example of this shift.
At the same time, Millennial parents are quick to criticize brands that are not reflective of their values. Social media campaigns like #CancelDrSeuss, which called attention to racist imagery in the author’s books, are an example of consumers holding brands accountable for their past missteps.
As marketing researchers, we aimed to understand how entertainment brands are adapting to changing political, cultural and social norms. Our recent study identified three primary ways these brands are evolving: through changes in their products, shifts in hiring practices and increased involvement in their communities.
Other brands, like Warner Bros., have opted to remove problematic traits from their characters. In Space Jam: A New Legacy, the character Lola Bunny was redesigned to not be hypersexualized like she was in the first film. Other brands have discontinued products deemed problematic, as seen when Dr. Seuss Enterprises pulled six books out of circulation.
Disney’s new streaming service, Disney Plus, has added a disclaimer to ‘Dumbo,’ ‘Peter Pan’ and other classics because they depict racist stereotypes, underscoring a challenge media companies face when they resurrect older movies in modern times. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Since then, the brand has conducted a range of systematic changes, such as the introduction of a diverse line of dolls of different professions, even those previously masculinized in the market, as well as dolls with different body types and skin tones, and dolls with different disabilities.
Equity, diversity and inclusion
Along with changes in their products, brands have also reformed their workforce towards equity, diversity and inclusion to varying degrees.
For instance, Nintendo has promised to be more transparent in their recruitment process, since women currently occupy only 23.5 per cent of their global managerial positions. This stands in contrast with Mattel, the parent company of Barbie and American Girl, whose board of directors has five women out of a total of 11 members, with 30 per cent belonging to ethnic minority groups.
Disney, in comparison, has dedicated a page on its website to provide transparency regarding the racial and gender diversity of its workplace across the various levels. This signals its commitment to fostering a more inclusive workplace culture.
Other brands have partnered with non-profit organizations representing people with disabilities to guarantee the inclusiveness of their products. For example, UNO teamed up with the National Federation of the Blind to create a Braille version of the card game.
Other brands started and maintained their own non-profit organizations to push for changes. Sesame Workshop, the organization behind Sesame Street, provides education materials to help children understand sensitive social issues like racism.
Changing to stay relevant
As our understanding of diversity evolves, so too do our expectations of the media and entertainment we consume, especially when it comes to shaping the values and perceptions of young minds.
Consumers wield significant influence in shaping the trajectory of entertainment brands, as evidenced by their demands for more inclusive and socially conscious content. By holding brands accountable for their actions and advocating for change, consumers play a role in driving the evolution towards a more equitable and diverse entertainment landscape.
In today’s ever-evolving socio-cultural climate, entertainment brands must constantly adapt to stay relevant to parents and their children. These actions can be reactively pursued due to socio-cultural pressures, or taken proactively as brands attempt to stay ahead of trends.
Irrespective of the source of change, to contribute sustainably to inclusion, diversity and equality, the changes need to be echoed on multiple fronts: in products, in the workplace and within our communities.
Anatomy of a Leader: Dave Minnett, CEO of Edo Japan
When Dave Minnett was going to university in his home town of Hamilton, Ontario, he was taking engineering and commerce.
A summer job working for Molson Breweries while going to school set him on a path of business and marketing in the hospitality industry, becoming President of a number of nationally-known restaurant chains, right up until today as Owner, President and CEO of Edo Japan.
“I was ambitious and always wanted to grow and continue to grow myself,” he said.
Image: Dave Minnett
Minnett was born and raised in Hamilton. He went to McMaster University for a Bachelor of Engineering & Management then did a Master of Business Administration at the local post-secondary institution.
“Why McMaster? In all transparency, my parents were hard working, humble people and made enough money that I couldn’t get a loan or a grant of any significance but I had to put myself through university and all that. So I kind of stayed close to home and focused on the academic side and that’s about all I could afford,” he said. “It was a great program.
“It’s interesting. Why engineering and management and commerce? Because I really didn’t know (what he wanted to do). I was good at analytics and math and I always had sort of a desire to think about being a business person of some sort of magnitude but I didn’t really have a good idea. So I just wanted to kind of keep as many doors open from an education standpoint. And I thought that was a noble way to do it.
“In between my first and second year of university, I got hired by Molson Breweries as a summer promotional rep. Driving a van, being part of their sales and marketing efforts in the Niagara Peninsula. I ended up pretty much four summers with them as I was going through school. It was great exposure to the company. As I got into university and I was doing well on the engineering side, the business side had more of a calling for me. I think the combination of those two things I just kind of started thinking more about business and the specifics of marketing and sales.”
Image: Dave Minnett
When he graduated, he started as a sales rep at Molson as he wanted to pursue the business and marketing pathway in his career.
He spent his first 11 years of his career there becoming Vice President of Marketing for Molson Coors Canada. From there, he became Vice President Brand and Marketing Communications for Rogers Communications, followed by a position as Vice President/Business Director – Snackfood Division for Mars.
Minnett then joined Cara Operations initially as President of Kelsey’s Restaurants followed by President of Swiss Chalet and Harvey’s Restaurants.
Image: Dave Minnett
Prior to joining Edo, he was President of Amica Mature Lifestyles, which worked with luxury senior residences.
Minnett joined Edo in May 2016.
“Food and food and beverage is a daily choice by everybody. It’s meaningful to most people in terms of the decision they make every day whether they cook for themselves, prepare something themselves, or go out and purchase something in any form,” he said.
“I just had a personal affiliation for it. In fact, if you look through everything on my LinkedIn maybe it’s the marketer in me going way back to the beginning with Molson. I’ve always had to have a strong personal attachment to the product or service the company offers. That’s just been me. I need to have a passion, I need to have a belief in it.
“I think it ends up showing up in passion. You get excited more easily because you’re already a believer and it’s always been a staple for me in every choice I’ve made in my career, even in different industries.”
Image: Dave Minnett
Minnett said his leadership style has evolved over the years.
“You grow with every move you make in every year. I’ve always been a self learner in every case. I’ve been in five different industries. The very first thing I always do is I sort of dive into the business without pre-conceived notions because that’s always a danger,” he said.
“You bring other experiences or old roles with you but I try to park them for three months and I try to keep an open mind. I think you always have one great opportunity to get an objective assessment and have people tell you what they think who are closer to the business or have been in it for some time. So that’s always worked well for me.
“But if you ask me over the years kind of where I am now, I think first and foremost is I just try to stay curious. Keep asking yourself what if, why does that work and the whole notion of continuous improvement. It’s something I embrace. I think as a leader and someone who is trying to help a business continue to grow or rejuvenate itself or whatever the task at hand is, continuous improvement is something I kind of model my own thinking against.
“Also, have some courage. Give yourself and others around you some permission to fail. You’re going to make a few mistakes but hopefully you have more hits than you do strike outs. But you need to have some courage. And other than the passion thing of having that, it’s infectious if it’s genuine. If you believe and care about it, others do, but more importantly act always with integrity and transparency. If you ask anyone that’s worked alongside me or with me throughout all those stops, I think they would say that. It’s just important in building trust and respect and ultimately alignment with people around you.”
Dave Minnett and Scott Greenberg at Edo Franchise Conference
The job of a leader, and something Minnett has always tried to do, is bring forward a compelling and believable vision for growth and put it in place. And create a pathway forward that people can rally around.
“That’s what I’ve always tried to do and I think I’ve always tried to have kind of a three-year pathway of what we’re working towards and then empower and engage those around you to start living and breathing it as their own and work alongside them to develop the strategies and the tactics to achieve it,” he said.
“You can have a great strategy but my goodness if it’s poor execution you know what the results are going to be. But if you have a decent strategy and you do a great job on execution, you tend to be further ahead. That’s the responsibility to ensure the necessary resources are in place for people to successfully do well and execute.”
Minnett’s life partner is Wendy Derzai, who is VP at Taco Time Canada and Extreme Pita at the MTY Food Group.
“She’s my better half. We’re in the same industry which is interesting. She joined Taco Time after I came here to Edo. There’s lots to love about that. We can chat about business. We have an understanding about what we do each and every day,” he said.
“I love golf. I play golf. I’m trying to play a little bit more of it. I’m not that great but we both enjoy golf, we both enjoy fitness, taking care of ourselves and obviously enjoying friends and family as well. I’m also a huge sports fan . . . We love to travel as well and see different parts of the world if we get the opportunity.”
Mountain Warehouse at 127 Banff Ave in Banff Alberta (Image: Mountain Warehouse)
Mountain Warehouse, a leading UK outdoor retailer, continues to expand its Canadian presence with the opening of its latest store in Banff, Alberta.
This new location strengthens the brand’s footprint in Canada, where it already operates 43 stores, making Canada its second-largest market after the UK.
The 6,980 square-foot two-storey store is located at 127 Banff Avenue, right next to the former Hudson’s Bay location which closed in 2023.
Mountain Warehouse at 127 Banff Ave in Banff Alberta (Image: Mountain Warehouse)Mountain Warehouse at 127 Banff Ave in Banff Alberta (Image: Mountain Warehouse)
Retail Insider has learned that a portion of Hudson’s Bay space on Banff Avenue has been leased to Vancouver-based Arc’teryx, as that brand continues to expand rapidly across Canada. In addition to a renovated Queen Street storefront and new location at CF Toronto Eaton Centre, Arc’teryx also celebrated the grand opening of its Bloor Street location last Saturday.
We have also been told that Vancouver-based athleisure brand lululemon has leased the other part of the HBC, with the existing store getting set to relocate to this new space. The official outfitter of Team Canada for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics is set to open its new flagship at the corner of Yonge and Bloor in June.
Mark Neale
Mountain Warehouse opened in Banff with a full lineup of products and will cater to the tourist-centric market, including men’s, women’s, and kids’ apparel, alongside essentials that will enhance the outdoor experience in the National Park.
“We’re thrilled to be opening our new store in Banff, and excited to share our passion for adventure and great value outdoor gear for all the family,” said Mark Neale, CEO and Founder of Mountain Warehouse. “We hope we can help people explore the beautiful lakes and mountains of Canada’s first established and the greatest National Park.”
Founded in 1997, Mountain Warehouse has grown significantly, with 362 stores across eight countries.
Mountain Warehouse at 127 Banff Ave in Banff Alberta (Image: Mountain Warehouse)
Mountain Warehouse at 127 Banff Ave in Banff Alberta (Image: Mountain Warehouse)
Mountain Warehouse at 127 Banff Ave in Banff Alberta (Image: Mountain Warehouse)
The Banff location represents the third Canadian store opening for the company in 2024, following launches in Richmond BC and Kingston, Ontario. The retailer plans to continue its expansion with a new store set to open in Markham, Ontario later this month.
Retail Insider has also learned that the brand recently shuttered its location in West Edmonton Mall, and will be following up with the brand for next steps in the Alberta market.
Banff is seeing a number of retailers express an interest in opening on Banff Avenue as the tourism industry continues to rebound from years of dealing with fallout from the pandemic. This includes seeing brands like Herschel Supply Co, which debuted on Banff Avenue in the summer 2023, opening up a location with significant investment in the in-store customer experience.
The report, “Affordability, minimum wages, and living wages: Striking a balance for small businesses,” said it would cost the Canadian economy $44.9 billion in extra wages and put almost 600,000 small businesses at risk of becoming unprofitable.
Beatrix Abdul Azeez
“Minimum wage and living wage policies often miss the mark when it comes to truly supporting the most vulnerable workers. Governments are setting these wages with no anchor in economic reality, relying on subjective and unpredictable criteria,” said Beatrix Abdul Azeez, CFIB policy analyst. “Governments should shift away from relying on these blunt tools and instead adopt a new approach to ensure workers can cope with the rising cost of living, while also guaranteeing that small businesses aren’t unfairly burdened.”
Image: CFIB
The provinces that would be hardest hit with a $20/hour living wage would be Ontario with a cost of $16.7 billion and with 200,387 businesses at risk followed by Quebec ($10.2 billion, 141,927 businesses), British Columbia ($4.3 billion, 75,495 businesses) and Alberta ($4.3 billion, 73,181 businesses).
The CFIB said governments need a new approach to address affordability challenges as traditional minimum wage and living wage policies fall short in addressing the root causes of the rising cost of living while simultaneously increasing costs on small businesses.
“Mandatory wage hikes do not actually address the affordability crisis. While they are good intentioned, they actually cause unintended consequences for small businesses,” said Abdul Azeez. “What this report does is draw attention to those consequences and offers alternative solutions that the government can put in place to address the affordability crisis.
The CFIB recommends that governments:
Alleviate the impact of rising minimum wages on small businesses by reducing other taxes and payroll costs (such as small business tax rate, CPP, EI, health/education payroll taxes, etc.);
Establish a minimum wage setting process that is predictable, transparent, reflective of market conditions, and mindful of economic impacts;
Link minimum wage adjustments to private sector wage growth or a predetermined percentage of the median wage;
Address the root causes of the affordability crisis by enacting policies to increase the supply of housing, reduce energy taxes, and remove interprovincial and international trade barriers;
Provide targeted fiscal support for vulnerable workers through reduced personal income tax rates, increased basic personal amounts, and expanded tax credits.
Affordability, minimum wages, and living wages: Striking a balance for small businesses (CFIB 2024)
“Canada says that small businesses are the backbone of the economy. So mandating the living wage will cause Canada to lose more than 40 per cent of their businesses actually,” said Abdul Azeez.
“This would be a very high burden for businesses. In fact, we asked our members what was the impact of the last minimum wage hike and for six out of 10 they actually had to increase wages for those earning even above the minimum wage which just goes to show that there’s a cascading effect on wages when minimum wages are increased.
“Another six out of 10 had to increase the prices of goods and services which just puts more inflationary pressure on the economy. And unfortunately for those small businesses who cannot absorb this extra cost they have to work more. The business owners have to work more and even cut out some investments they’re doing in their business.
“Governments need to reflect on the role they actually play in fueling this crisis. There are many different ways that the government can address this crisis by looking within. They can implement policies that help lower the price and increase the supply of essentials such as housing, food, energy, gas. Things that people require to live a normal and fulfilled life. So the governments just need to look within and address the root causes instead of placing this burden on small businesses.
“The Bank of Canada has been sounding the alarm about Canada being in a productivity emergency. What we see is we’re paying more money for the same level of productivity that we had in past years. Of course, if minimum wages are increasing arbitrarily without reflecting what’s actually going on in the labour markets people may be more inclined to hire more experienced workers. So people that are less experienced may be less likely to get jobs just because the cost of hiring them is so high. So this is one of the unintended consequences as well.”
Notice of Termination (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
The CFIB also said that 31 per cent of small businesses had to cut back on hiring young and unskilled workers, with 25 per cent of them reducing overall employment with a hike in a minimum wage.
“Canada’s cost of living crisis requires a more effective framework: making sure rent, food, and gas prices are affordable and stable while extending support to workers and small businesses through tax reductions,” said Jairo Yunis, CFIB’s director for BC and western economic policy. “This would go a long way in addressing Canada’s affordability shock.”
Retail Insider is streamlining its Canadian retail news from around the web to include a handful of top news stories that can be viewed quickly during the day. Here are the top stories from the past 24 hours.
Stokes Inc., Canada’s go-to destination for kitchenware, tableware and homeware needs, has been active again following a restructuring 4 years ago during the pandemic.
The brand, which is 89 years old and still a family business, has been opening new stores, renovating stores, relocating some and recently launched a new gift line as well as investing in its digital presence.
Cesar Morales
Cesar Morales, Marketing and Branding Director for Stokes, said in the past few years the company has launched a new website with “more of an omnichannel view where we offer BOPIS (buy online pick up in store) for our customers.”
“We’ve really worked a lot on our online shopping experience in the past few years. We also launched a new POS system last fall which will help us improve customer experience in stores,” said Morales. “There are other initiatives coming in the next 12 months as well”
“We’re trying to really become a more experiential retailer to compete with the big brands. Stokes is there to help them be their ‘at home’ chef . . . Stokes is very unique in what we sell.”
Image: StokesImage: Stokes
Currently the company has 104 stores across Canada.
Some of the Renovations, Relocations and New Stores in the last 18 months have been:
Rue St-Denis (Montreal, QC)
Carrefour Angrignon (Montreal, QC)
Carrefour de la Rive-Sud (Boucherville, QC)
Méga-Centre Charny (Charny, QC)
Bramalea City Centre (New – Brampton, ON)
Stone Road Mall (New – Guelph, ON)
Intercity Shopping Centre (New – Thunder Bay, ON)
Southcentre Mall (New – Calgary, AB.)
Kingsway Mall (New – Edmonton, AB)
Avalon Mall (St-John’s, NFLD)
Royalty Crossing (Charlottetown, PEI)
Stokes stores are about 2,500 square feet.
Image: Stokes
Renovations were geared for the aesthetic look of locations with a fresher image, a nicer shopping environment for customers in key locations as well as a better presentation of product within the stores.
Morales said the company has also invested more on the digital side of the business in an effort to increase its social media presence on platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok. It’s also working with local chefs and promoting local talent.
Morales said the brand is also working hard to improve its product selection.
“When you come to the store, you’ll always see something new,” he said. “And we are always working on being an important lifestyle/value option for our customers.”
Image: Stokes
Recently, Stokes launched its new Easy to Gift line, where no wrapping is needed. The collection encompasses a variety of items.
“We are thrilled to introduce our new gift line, a demonstration of our enduring commitment to innovation and excellence,” said Morales. “Each product in this collection has been carefully curated to deliver both practical utility and aesthetic charm, making it an ideal choice for any occasion. Our dedication to providing value to our customers remains steadfast, and with gifts starting at only $9.98, we are proud to offer affordable gift giving, especially in times when prices are on the rise.
“We want to also position Stokes as a destination for gifts, not just customers buying for their own needs.”
Companies can do more if they truly want to support healthier dietary patterns among adults and children in Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
Healthy eating is challenging in our current food environment in Canada. When delicious, attractive, unhealthy foods are promoted, priced, and placed for easy access and consumption, it contributes to the suboptimal eating patterns among most Canadian adults and children.
The food industry has a role in the World Health Organization’s global action plan for addressing chronic diseases by creating healthier food environments, by taking actions like reducing the amount of salt, saturated fats and sugars in foods. After all, food companies are the ones who create, distribute and market the majority of foods we consume.
To understand more about food industry commitments, we studied the nutrition-related policies and pledges of the largest food and drink manufacturers in Canada, including companies like Nestlé, Coca-Cola and Danone. We wanted to understand the commitments companies have made to create healthier food environments in Canada and to see if things had improved since 2018, when our team of nutrition and public health researchers first conducted this exercise.
We used standardized methods that have been used in other countries to evaluate the top 22 food and drink manufacturers in Canada and their company policies and commitments related to nutrition in six key areas:
corporate strategy,
food (re)formulation,
nutrition information and labelling,
marketing and promotion,
accessibility and availability, and
transparency in relationships.
Scores for each of these six areas were added up to generate overall scores out of 100 for each company. To make sure the evaluation was relevant, we adapted the methods so they considered current policies in Canada. Our newly released report, which follows a similar report our team published in 2019, revealed some surprising findings.
Surprising findings
A new report looks at the commitments large food and drink manufacturers like Nestlé, Coca-Cola and Danone have made to create healthier food environments in Canada, and whether they have improved since 2018. (Shutterstock)
Our work showed that some companies are doing more than others. We found a range of overall company scores, with the highest score totalling 75 points out of 100, while the lowest score was 18 points.
The top performing company, Unilever, had a defined strategy to support healthier diets, public targets for the proportion of sales from healthier products and a commitment to report on these targets, and a policy that restricts marketing to children up to the age of 16. These positive examples demonstrate that it is reasonable to ask companies to make public health commitments, and to expect them to report on their achievement of these goals.
The results showed that many food and beverage companies are not doing enough to positively shape diets in Canada. The median score received was 49/100, a small improvement since our last report.
When we looked at each of the six key areas, we found very few commitments to make healthier foods more available and accessible. Most commitments centred on what companies said they were doing to improve the nutritional quality of their food products. We also found some important areas where none of the 22 companies had made any commitments. For instance, none had committed to decrease their spending on marketing unhealthy foods.
Company commitments related to nutrition matter. They guide companies’ current and future actions, they inform shareholders and governments of corporate intentions and perhaps most importantly, they can be used to hold companies to account for actually meeting their stated commitments.
Recommendations for healthier food environments
Some food companies may be taking steps in the right direction, but overall progress towards healthier food environments remains slow. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
If food manufacturers are to play a meaningful role in improving food environments, commitments and targets need to be specific, comprehensive, and clearly and transparently shared with Canadians. Companies also need to track and report on their progress in achieving their targets. We see some promising practices emerging internationally. For example, Mexico-based international food manufacturer Grupo Bimbo publicly reports the healthfulness of the products it sells and what proportion of its sales come from healthier foods.
Based on our analysis, we have created a set of recommendations for food manufacturers. For example, we recommend that:
Food manufacturers should set and publicly report on targets for the proportion of their sales that come from healthier foods.
All food manufacturers should commit to specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART) targets for the amount of sodium, sugars and saturated fats in their products and report on their progress.
Companies should commit to pricing healthier foods the same or lower than less healthy foods.
We also suggest that companies pledge not to advertise unhealthy products and brands on product packaging or in settings or media where children less than 18 years old may be exposed, in line with recent World Health Organization recommendations.
Companies can do more if they truly want to support healthier dietary patterns among adults and children in Canada. Some companies may be taking steps in the right direction, but others seem to need more incentive to act and overall progress remains slow.
This work highlights the importance of introducing government policies that would require companies to make positive changes and create healthier food environments in Canada. Given the billions of dollars in health-care costs each year in Canada caused by diet-related diseases, it is likely worth the investment.
By Lana Vanderlee, Canada Research Chair in Healthy Food Policy, Assistant Professor in Nutrition, Université Laval, Alexa Gaucher-Holm, Master of Science student, School of Nutrition, Université Laval, Dana Olstad, Associate Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary and Monique Potvin Kent, Professor, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
Retail Insider is streamlining its Canadian retail news from around the web to include a handful of top news stories that can be viewed quickly during the day. Here are the top stories from the past 24 hours.
Canadian custom clothing retailer Surmesur continues to expand its brand in Canada.
Last fall, the retailer opened its ninth showroom in the heart of Waterloo, Ontario, on King Street.
Jean-Pierre Lachance
And the brand also became the Official Suit Provider of the National Hockey League Coaches’ Association (NHLCA).
“This partnership has been a fantastic journey into the heart of professional sports styling,” said Jean-Pierre Lachance, Marketing Director at Surmesur. “It underscores our devotion to custom tailoring and personal service, ensuring every coach not only looks sharp but feels at the top of their game during every pivotal moment.”
Established in 2010 by the visionary Thériault brothers, François and Vincent, Surmesur has championed the seamless merge of tradition with innovation. The brand provides a one-of-a-kind shopping experience, allowing clients to design everything they need for their Sartorial Journey—from daily office wear to life’s most special occasions, including weddings, a particular specialty of Surmesur. Beyond its head office and flagship store in Quebec City, Surmesur has locations in Montreal, Laval, Ottawa, Toronto, Mississauga, Vancouver, Pittsburgh, and Mexico City.
“We might open a few stores in Mexico and obviously we’re always on the lookout for the United States,” said Lachance. “This year we also developed an on the road service across Canada. So we have a team from Quebec and Vancouver and they’re doing cities like Calgary, Halifax, stuff like that. But there’s no physical store yet. But it’s a good way for us to test those markets, meet with some people.
“We do partnerships now with military, private clubs. There’s clubs all across Canada. So we’re starting to do those partnerships. It’s a really nice way also for us to get in a city, meet the members, usually these guys have big businesses, a lot of networking, a lot of contacts. We never know. But there’s no stores that are going to be open within the next six months but we are moving Toronto. We are opening a new Toronto store in September and the first store was actually in Quebec City, it’s been here for 14 years, and we are moving there also.
“The Toronto store is going to be a more modern approach to tailoring. We are planning the construction at the moment.”
Surmesur Waterloo (Image: Surmesur)
Surmesur at the 2024 NHL All Star Game (Image: Surmesur)
Surmesur at the 2024 NHL All Star Game (Image: Surmesur)
Surmesur has dressed over 170 NHL coaches this year.
“It gives me confidence knowing I’m not just dressed in a suit, but in a suit that’s crafted to stand up to the pressures of the NHL,” said Rick Tocchet, Head Coach of the Vancouver Canucks.
Surmesur said its collaboration with the NHLCA is a testament to shared values of teamwork, meticulous attention to detail, and peak performance—qualities that resonate as much on the ice as in its showrooms.
Vincent Thériault
The positive feedback from coaches has been overwhelming, ensuring that Surmesur will continue to style the NHL coaches into the next season.
Vincent Thériault, Co-Founder of Surmesur, said its new location on King Street South in Waterloo “represents more than growth. It underscores our unwavering dedication to quality.”
Surmesur at the 2024 NHL All Star Game (Image: Surmesur)
Surmesur Quebec City (Image: Surmesur)
Surmesur Toronto at 317 Adelaide St E (Image: Surmesur)
For companies like Surmesur, COVID had a huge impact. There was no networking, no weddings, no people at the office. Most of what Surmesur sells was non-existent during that period of lockdowns.
“But it was a way for us to rethink a little bit our services. We kept everyone on the payroll and it gave us time to introduce new products. An offering that is a little bit more casual. Now we can do those types of jackets also, sport shirts. We introduced the jeans,” said Lachance. “We introduced a bunch of new products now for I would say the more business casual vibe.
“Now it’s only by appointments so we can have a little less stylists and they can plan better and create a more personalized relationship with their clients. That was a big move for us because usually we were on street level and people were coming inside and asking questions. This was hard for a stylist in doing a consultation but also answering random questions by people just looking around in the store.
“We just did our best month yet last month. All stores are breaking their records. The wedding season for the past two years has been amazing. Weddings are back. Events are back. Galas are back. Networking is back. For us it’s been an amazing year. I think last year was our best year for the company. It’s great.”
