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 three days.
Former Saint Laurent bag/accessory boutique space at Saks in downtown Toronto. Photo: Craig Patterson
Kering-owned Paris-based luxury brand Saint Laurent has shut its main floor boutique concession at Saks Fifth Avenue in downtown Toronto. The closure follows a robbery last month that saw bags and accessories stolen from the boutique according to Toronto police.
The Saint Laurent bag and accessory boutique opened in February of 2016 when Saks Fifth Avenue opened its first Canadian store within the Hudson’s Bay building at CF Toronto Eaton Centre. Saint Laurent subsequently converted the space to a concession model where the brand leased, merchandised and staffed the boutique.
A robbery at about 1:45am on January 10 was said to be the last straw for Saint Laurent which already was planning an exit from the Saks store. Last month Toronto police released security camera images of suspects who stole about $150,000 worth of merchandise. Images show the robbers breaking in through the Lena restaurant on the main floor of Saks before hitting the Saint Laurent boutique. Bags priced at thousands of dollars each appear to have been dumped into a black garbage bin that the robbers appear to have had with them.
Robbers gain access to Saks Fifth Avenue from the adjacent Lena restaurant on the main floor of the store on January 10, 2022. Photo: Toronto Police ServiceThe same robbers stealing from the former Saint Laurent bag and accessory boutique on the main floor of Saks Fifth Avenue in downtown Toronto on January 10, 2022. Photo: Toronto Police Service
The Saint Laurent boutique as it was — image by Amarchris Corporation which built the concession space.
The Saint Laurent boutique closure follows the exit of Louis Vuitton and Dior shops from the same Saks store at the end of December, which means three of the four concessions on the main floor of Saks have closed in less than two months.
Prada is the remaining bag/accessory concession on the main floor of Saks. A space for luxury brand Celine shuttered several months prior on the main floor, and that space was quickly replaced with a shop-in-store carrying bags by luxury brand Balenciaga. The closure of Celine at Saks happened days before Celine opened a standalone flagship at Yorkdale, its first in Canada.
Saks operates boutique spaces in the store for other luxury bag brands including Valentino, Chloé, Bottega Veneta and Givenchy. Several other big-name bag brands are carried on the street level of the Saks store which also houses a jewellery area with shop-in-stores and a well-stocked beauty hall which is also said to be a major target for theft.
Former Louis Vuitton bag/accessory boutique space on the main floor of Saks in downtown Toronto on February 12, 2022. Photo: Craig PattersonFormer Christian Dior bag/accessory boutique space on the main floor of Saks in downtown Toronto on February 12, 2022. Photo: Craig Patterson
An employee at Saks said that they were unclear as to what the retailer will do with the three vacant main floor concession spaces, and we’ll follow up when we learn more.
Vancouver Hudson's Bay (Image: Streetworks Developments)
The real estate development arm of the Hudson’s Bay Company, Streetworks Developments, plans to redevelop the historic Hudson’s Bay department store building in downtown Vancouver. This follows plans announced last year to redevelop the downtown Montreal Hudson’s Bay flagship which will include the addition of an office tower and the reduction of the store’s overall retail footprint.
Retail Insider was first notified of the news by Vancouver-based urban planning news site UrbanYVR.
“A rezoning application for a proposed redevelopment will be submitted to the City of Vancouver in the coming weeks,” says a new dedicated website from New York City-based Streetworks Developments.
“Public information meetings will be held in-person on February 23rd and 26th and virtually on February 24th, and an exhibit about the proposed redevelopment will be on display at the downtown Hudson’s Bay store from February 23rd to 27th inclusive.”
Image: The Bay Building Vancouver
“We are exploring ways to reconfigure the Bay Building by engaging with local First Nations and other partners and communities,” the website goes on to say, with few other details.
The historic 636,828 square foot department store was built in phases between 1913 and 1949. The current building spans nine levels with six of those being large above-ground floor plates spanning more than 70,000 square feet each.
One expects that, as with the proposed redevelopment of the historic downtown Montreal Hudson’s Bay store, the Vancouver project will involve the current Hudson’s Bay department store remaining on site but with a smaller retail square footage. In Montreal, Streetworks and HBC revealed plans for a store of 295,000 square feet with the remainder of the building to be developed for offices along with the addition of a multi-level office tower.
This follows a trend for Hudson’s Bay and its downtown flagship stores. We reported last year that the company had downsized its historic downtown Calgary flagship store to just three retail levels from six.
Image: Hudson’s Bay Calgary
Last year the Hudson’s Bay Company shut its Hudson’s Bay department stores in downtown Winnipeg and Edmonton. The closure of both stores marked the beginning of an era where both downtowns became completely devoid of department stores for the first time in over a century.
In October of 2020 the Hudson’s Bay Company announced a new division called HBC Properties and Investments with Streetworks Development reconceptualizing the downtown flagships as mixed-use buildings. The goal according to HBC is on creating multi-use spaces that feature a range of services and experiences across the workplace, retail, residential and entertainment categories.
The fate off the downtown Ottawa Hudson’s Bay flagship store is currently unknown — the store could see redevelopment as it is also jointly owned in partnership with Toronto-based RioCan. And downtown Toronto is home to two Hudson’s Bay stores. The flagship store at the corner of Yonge and Queen Streets is owned by Cadillac Fairview (housing both a Hudson’s Bay and Saks Fifth Avenue store), and at press time renovations were being completed to an adjacent office tower. The Hudson’s Bay store at the northeast corner of Bloor and Yonge Streets in Toronto is expected to eventually close for a new development currently in talks with landlord Brookfield in partnership with a new W Hotel set to open soon on the site. The City of Toronto is also earmarking over a billion dollars to reconfigure the subway stations directly below it.
Ongoing blockades of critical infrastructure are damaging the country’s economic recovery and the harm is both immediate and severe, says the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in an open public letter.
“Each hour that these blockades continue does more serious damage to our economy and to our society. Manufacturers that depend on just-in-time delivery have been forced to cancel shifts for thousands of workers, shipments of livestock and of fresh produce face serious delays or waste that threaten food security, and deliveries of products that are greatly needed by Canadian families are being cancelled. These curtailments will only grow in scope and impact if the blockades continue,” said the Chamber.
On Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency in the province to deal with the trucker protests that have crippled downtown Ottawa and the blockade at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor which sees $700 million of two-way trade every day. Protesters were cleared out by law enforcement over the weekend in Windsor.
Ford said prior that he would use legal authorities to urgently enact orders that will make crystal clear it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and services along critical infrastructure.
Image: Jack Posobiec (Twitter)
That included protecting international border crossings, 400-series highways, airports, ports, bridges and railways. Fines for non-compliance will be severe, with a maximum penalty of $100,000 and up to a year imprisonment, he said.
Meanwhile, a blockade continues to take place at the Coutts border in Alberta.
“Allowing these illegal closures to continue will also have serious economic and reputational consequences for the years ahead. The blockades not only strike against the rule of law that protects our rights and freedoms, but also undermine Canada’s international reputation. We are already hearing calls to move investment, contracts, and production from Canada because of our inability to guarantee timely delivery to international customers,” said the Chamber in its letter.
It’s Day 2 of the anti-mandate demonstration in Windsor. There is no incoming traffic from the U.S. on the Ambassador Bridge and trucks are lined up for several kilometres to cross into Michigan. pic.twitter.com/cln0q3F8fk
Bruce Winder, author of RETAIL Before, During & After COVID-19 and president of Bruce Winder Retail, said Canadians are past the point of allowing the protestors to occupy critical infrastructure because the negative impact to society is now massive. His comments were made prior to clearing the blockade in Windsor.
“The blockade of the Ambassador Bridge alone is costing our economy hundreds of millions of dollars a day. Retailers, suppliers, warehouses and distribution partners will need to lay off thousands of employees if this occupation is allowed to proceed,” he said.
“Consumers run the risk of empty shelves and late deliveries as much of our produce and other critical items comes from or through the United States. We must avoid damaging relations with our largest trading partner so that the U.S continues to see Canada as a country that respects the rule of law and offers reliable supply chain practices.
“While I am proud to live in a country where citizens can freely protest without harm, the time to peacefully end this protest is now.”
“All politicians heard the necessary message the first day. The state of emergency in Ontario is now necessary and certainly, the current state of affairs does not help in future proofing retailers from risks. There are so many industries being impacted by this from retail to auto manufacturing, and other businesses in need of supplies to manufacture or to get their finished goods to market,” he said.
“It is clear that Canadians and people around the world are struggling with the off and on of restrictions. With respect to retailing the shutdown of local supply chains which are just over a land border are untenable. If this important supply line, under siege, were to last any longer it would crush both retailers and consumers because product shortages would reach rationing levels and prices would skyrocket. And not to forget we are entering a sensitive economic period with inflation, higher interest rates in the waiting, and continued supply chain issues from overseas.
“We don’t know how much damage has been incurred with this event. Clearly, it has impacted residents and consumers in Ottawa because it’s human nature to feel uncomfortable with having to face an unknown threat. This protest does not represent all Canadians. Everyday in speaking with colleagues and clients, we all wonder how smaller and weaker retailers have managed to hang on as they have. They just don’t need or deserve anymore setbacks. We are so close to reopening intelligently and to effectively be prepared for more waves of this virus. We all have to do our part to adapt, adopt and rebuild from here on.”
Gary Newbury
Gary Newbury, a national supply chain and last-mile expert, said after nearly two years of restrictions and supply chain challenges facing Canadian retailers based in Ontario, will the truckers’ protest, and accumulating union unrest in key areas of transportation, risk long-term damage to the province and the businesses within it?
“What’s at stake are constitutional rights and freedoms enshrined in fundamental Canadian law which have been quickly set aside under “emergency powers”, something that runs the risk of a significant legal challenge. Canadians need to watch this situation carefully, rationally and get beyond the emotional cauldron that has erupted over the last two weeks,” he said.
“Ford is currently chasing provincial legislators to punish the protestors. Will this exacerbate tensions or dispel the protestors? Will it help or hinder any economic recovery, a key tenet in supporting the debt mountain built up over the pandemic? Taking truckers’ licenses and their trucks away and fining them is not going to help the economy – we already have a severe shortfall of qualified drivers here in Canada. How’s that going to help an economic recovery, one that will rely on a fully functioning and integrated transportation network?
“I do believe there has been clear evidence of a resolve to have the restrictions lifted, but first government ministers must engage with these protestors’ representatives and assure them of their plans for lifting such to prevent serious damage to international supply chains. So far, there has been little movement towards this potentially collaborative approach and therefore, supply chains may start to seriously buckle, and businesses relying on cross border movements may see demand permanently go south of the border in the light of this as part of America’s “Build back better” strategy, reducing reliance on even their closest trade partners.”
Newbury said the consequences of shelves potentially running dry quickly and the stirring of civil unrest, which many parts of the media have seen to be invested in with their emotive and inaccurate reporting, are likely to accelerate.
“Consumers will start panic buying when they have evaluated the immediate outcomes of the next day or two, and supply chains will not be able to replenish shelves quickly enough, except through draconian measures (such as airlifting), further adding to inflationary pressures which are set to soar if this situation is not reconciled quickly and the truckers can be put back to work and be part of the solution to rebalancing inventory across Canada,” he said.
In a tweet, Dan Kelly, President and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said: “At this point in the pandemic, I am observing that the blockades in the name of freedom from COVID measures are, in fact, blocking freedom from COVID measures . . . Thousands of small businesses who have called on govts to relax or eliminate COVID restrictions are negatively affected even more deeply by the blockades.”
Recent reports around employment trends indicate many people are ‘sheltering in their job’ until the pandemic is over. Retail is no exception.
For some, working in front-line retail is a step along a diverse career path, whereas for others it is a gateway opportunity to an exciting retail career, flourishing in different roles throughout a retail organization. Now is the perfect time for progressive retailers to strengthen their bond with valuable staff and demonstrate to them the bright career path that is possible.
Retail Council of Canada’s virtual Retail Human Resources Forum on March 22, 2022, will explore how retailers across Canada are putting their people first, building communities, and providing the flexibility and opportunities for growth and engagement their employees and customers are craving.
Photo: Getty Images
Tim Dumas, Chief Operating Officer, Jak’s Beer, Wine and Spirits, will speak with Kevin Graff, President Graff Retail, and share how Jak’s has cultivated a strong community bond and a unified sense of purpose. Tim will discuss the shift he has seen in his team and why breaking down barriers between personal and professional lives is integral for holistic engagement.
Longo’s has also benefited by focusing on their employees’ experience and setting team members up for success. Liz Volk, Chief Human Resources Officer, and Alex Green, Chief Marketing Officer, will explore Longo’s definition of collaboration and discuss the importance of employee success in ensuring consistent and remarkable customer experiences.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion ranks top of mind for all retailers. Special guest Glodean Champion is a transformational leader, coach, educator, and facilitator, who works to get to the root cause of culturally based challenges by transforming beliefs, behaviors, and assumptions. Glodean will host an exceptional session explaining how to build trust and authentic engagement for meaningful change within a retail organization.
Photo: Getty Images
RCC’s Retail Human Resources Forum will inform and inspire with discussions on the latest trends and best practices for building stronger retail teams and communities. The packed half-day agenda provides more details on the insightful, educational sessions on tap.
Opportunities for a thrilling career in retail are boundless – in Canada and globally. Retailers who are passionate about building the future of retail will not want to miss this event.
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.
Electric Autonomy of Canada, The Electric Fuelling Station of the Future FIRST PRIZE: More with Less by Edinburgh's James Silvester (CNW Group/Parkland Corporation)
Parkland Corporation is leveraging its vast network of retail locations and gas stations to launch electric vehicle charging stations in British Columbia.
The company’s strategy involves the rollout of 25 ultra-fast electric vehicle charging locations by the end of this year in BC and the launch in a few years of its Electric Charging Destination of the Future.
Darren Smart
Darren Smart, SVP Energy Transition and Corporate Development of Parkland, said the company is a customer-focused organization, making sure it is serving and meeting the needs of the consumer.
“As we thought about the electric vehicle charging opportunity, one of the things that we’ve observed is that so far the charging industry hasn’t done a great job of thinking about the EV charging customer,” said Smart.
“And some of the research that’s out there, that EV charging customer feels like they’re a bit of an afterthought. That chargers aren’t in convenient locations. Sometimes they’re off in the corner of an existing retail site or they’re in a parking lot somewhere in behind a motel. So it’s not a very interesting experience for an EV charging customer that needs to spend 20 or 30 minutes charging.”
Electric Autonomy of Canada, The Electric Fuelling Station of the Future FIRST PRIZE: More with Less by Edinburgh’s James Silvester (CNW Group/Parkland Corporation)
The ultra-fast electric vehicle chargers will be co-located with ON the RUN branded convenience stores and Triple O’s restaurants on high-traffic routes through British Columbia and into Calgary. This network is expected to be complete in the second half of this year.
“One of the important parts of building out a charging network and alleviating range anxiety amongst EV drivers is having an enroute network – so that is fast charging on major highways that help people when they need to charge before they get to their destination when they’re on a longer road trip. It helps them ensure that they feel comfortable that they can charge along the way,” said Smart.
“And in the province of BC we have a great highway network of retail stations already that we can leverage and that’s what we’re planning to do. These are going to be ultra-fast chargers that will allow customers to charge from an empty to call it an 80 per cent charge within 20 or 30 minutes. It allows people to get on their way quickly but importantly for us it does allow us to offer those customers a number of our other convenience offerings.”
There will be about 50 chargers across those 25 charging sites.
Electric Autonomy of Canada, The Electric Fuelling Station of the Future FIRST PRIZE: More with Less by Edinburgh’s James Silvester (CNW Group/Parkland Corporation)
Recently, the company also announced it plans to build the ‘Electric Charging Destination of the Future’ and set a new standard for EV charging and customer experience. Parkland developed its initial architectural concept by sponsoring an international design competition operated by Electric Autonomy Canada, a leading news platform focused on electric and autonomous vehicle technologies.
“Consistent with our energy transition and convenience destination strategy, our goal in sponsoring this competition was to engage talented architects and designers from around the world, invite them to put the needs of EV customers first, and entirely reimagine their experience,” said Smart. “We are committed to bringing the winning concept to life as part of our ambitious EV charging strategy in British Columbia and believe the concept could be extended to our other geographies when we see opportunity to meet emerging customer demand.
“As we thought about that customer need that’s not being met, one of the very exciting things about the design competition was to get rid of the architectural barriers and pre-conceived notions out there about what a refueling site looks like and start from the ground up and think about it from the customers’ perspective.”
Smart said the competition accelerated Parkland’s path down the road of coming up with new charging concepts and now the next stage of planning and making it more of a reality can begin.
“This is something we can see being in place in 24 or 36 months,” he said.
“We’re going to start in the province of BC where we see the greatest level of EV adoption amongst consumers and that’s a core part of our EV strategy which is go where we’re seeing adoption and that adoption is going to vary very significantly across regions. We have other regions that are going to be much slower. But BC is one of the highest penetration rates in North America. So that’s where we’ll start and we’ll start with one and we’ll learn a lot through that process. But there will be market demand for these sorts of EV-only charging sites for sure.
“We would think about a site like this as very much being part of our network and we think about our network broadly as being a convenience destination for customers where they are looking for their energy whether that’s a conventional fuel or power there and re-charge their electric vehicle as well as to get convenience type products or food.”
Recently, Parkland announced it was acquiring M&M Food Market. Currently, M&M Express is in 140 Parkland locations.
In Canada, Parkland has 1,994 retail company and dealer sites, 632 in the US and 655 internationally.
Parkland sees a long runway of growth opportunity with M&M. Currently, Parkland has about 350 ON the RUN flagship convenience stores and is on track to grow that to 1,000 over the next few years with M&M playing a key role and contributing to that growth and being part of these new stores with great opportunity in Parkland’s US and international business.
Provinces across the country are beginning to lift public health measures related to COVID-19 that have crippled small businesses for the past two years.
Saskatchewan and Alberta have been the leaders and reports indicate even Ontario, with some of the toughest lockdown measures in the country during the past 24 months, is contemplating an easing of restrictions.
“The last two years have taken a significant toll on Albertans’ overall health, social and economic well-being. Now that we are through the worst of the fifth wave and have achieved high vaccination rates, it is time to shift to a balanced approach where we are able to live with COVID-19 and return to normal,” said Alberta Premier Jason Kenney.
Alberta introduced this week a three-step approach, which included the removal of the Restrictions Exemption Program and capacity limits on venues under 500 capacity, including libraries and places of worship, and allows for food and beverage consumption in seated audience settings for large events and entertainment venues. Mandatory masking for children and youth in schools, and for youth aged 12 and under in any setting will end Feb. 13 at 11:59 p.m.
But the government announcement didn’t go far enough as it kept in place the more damaging business restrictions, like the liquor service cut off and mandatory work from home, until the end of the month.
“As we press forward it is important that we don’t slide back. We continue to call on the Alberta government to develop a “stay-open” plan to provide clarity and certainty as we continue to manage the pandemic. This would include ensuring there is adequate healthcare capacity to avoid any renewed restrictions or business closures,” she said.
“Removing business restrictions is a big step, but only the first towards a small business recovery plan. Currently, only 27 per cent of Alberta small businesses are at normal sales and 21 per cent are still actively considering bankruptcy. The average Alberta small business has inherited over $165,000 in new debt just to survive the restrictions of the past two years.
“We call on the Alberta government to back up (this week’s) announcement with a plan to boost consumer confidence over the weeks ahead. After two years of uncertainty, messaging needs to shift towards encouraging the safe return to activities like dining, seeing a movie, going to the gym, events and travel so that our small businesses can begin the long road to recovery.”
Deborah Yedlin
Deborah Yedlin, President and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, said the provincial government’s announcement on the immediate removal of all pandemic measures and restrictions ignores the importance of consumer confidence in the economic recovery.
“While policies must adapt to our changing context, tools such as the Restrictions Exemption Program (REP) and masking remain critical to ensuring people feel comfortable dining at restaurants, attending sporting and entertainment events, engaging in group physical activities and going to work,” she said. “While the time will come for pandemic measures to sunset, the removal of REP is akin to ripping the Band-aid off before the wound has healed. The latest data gathered from wastewater tracking by UCalgary shows the viral load is declining at a slower rate compared with how quickly it rose. The changes made (this week) are sudden – and have been announced against a backdrop of tools such as rapid testing and contact tracing no longer being available to help businesses keep staff and patrons safe and comfortable.
“Lifting these restrictions will likely lead to several unintended consequences. Businesses that rely on discretionary spending may see a decline in revenue as consumers choose to stay home and minimize the potential for exposure. Industries and public services that rely on front-line employees are already facing severe labour shortages – and jeopardizing the comfort and safety of staff is likely to exacerbate these challenges. Schools may see an increase in infection rates, sending children and teachers home and disrupting work patterns and productivity for many parents.”
“We would all like to return to having no restrictions and going back to seeing loved ones and engaging in all the activities we enjoy. But we must only do so only when we have adequate certainty that the probability of infection and illness is very low and that a more severe variant is not on the horizon. We are not there yet. To facilitate the ability to treat this as endemic, we urge all orders of government to work together to provide businesses with the option to continue with pandemic measures, the tools to stay open and safe and clarity on overlapping regulations.”
Also this week, the Saskatchewan government announced that provincial requirements to provide proof of vaccination or negative tests in Saskatchewan businesses, workplaces and other public venues will end February 14 at 12:01 a.m. The remaining public health orders requiring masking in indoor public spaces will remain in effect until the end of February.
“Proof of vaccination has been an effective policy, but its effectiveness has run its course,” said Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe. “The benefits no longer outweigh the costs. It’s time to heal the divisions over vaccination in our families, in our communities and in our province. It’s time for proof of vaccination requirements to end.
“As we shift to living with COVID-19, there is a continuing need for personal responsibility for self-monitoring, self-testing and self-management. It will be important for individuals to assess their own risk and comfort levels, and to take appropriate action if they are unwell.”
On Thursday, CTV News reported that Ontario Premier Doug Ford is set to consider new regulations this week to speed up the economic reopening timeline. Sources told CTV that the Ontario cabinet could consider the new measures as early as Friday.
Besides the easing of public health restrictions, small businesses across Canada received some more good news this week with the announcement by the federal government that it will extend enhanced key support programs.
It said it intends to expand access to the following programs until March 12:
Local Lockdown Program: Eligibility would continue to include employers subject to capacity-limiting restrictions of 50 per cent or more; and the current-month revenue decline threshold requirement would remain at 25 per cent. Eligible employers would receive wage and rent subsidies from 25 per cent up to a maximum of 75 per cent, depending on their degree of revenue loss. The 12-month revenue decline test continues to not be required in order to access this support; and
Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit: Eligibility would continue to include workers in regions where capacity-limiting restrictions of 50 per cent or more are in place. This benefit provides $300 a week in income support to eligible workers affected by a COVID-19-related public health lockdown order, and who are either unable to work or have lost 50 per cent or more of their income as a result.
“In October, when we introduced these more targeted measures, we didn’t know the Omicron variant was coming. But we made sure we were ready and that we had the flexibility to extend benefits until provincial restrictions are removed. Given recent announcements by provinces, that process is now underway,” said Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.
“We are beginning to see public health measures easing in some parts of the country, but this pandemic still remains uncertain. That’s why we’re extending the temporary expanded lockdown definition for the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit. We’ve seen just how vital these supports have been to Canadians so far, and we have to ensure they’re available in the event that regional lockdowns continue. We’ll continue to be there for Canadians, and help make sure that they have the support they need to stay home and stay safe,” said Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion.
Dan Kelly
Dan Kelly, President and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said currently only 65 per cent of small businesses across the country are fully open, only 42 per cent are fully staffed and just 30 per cent are back to their pre-pandemic sales levels. He said the federal government announcement gives many businesses the ability to plan for the weeks ahead as they await the lifting of restrictions.
“While this change is a positive move, some businesses continue to slip through the cracks of existing federal supports. Many businesses who are impacted by ongoing restrictions in the events, tourism and hospitality industries have not been able to qualify for the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program (THRP). These businesses include thousands who supply or support restricted industries, including hotel soap makers, pet boarding services, ice sculptors and lighting contractors for events, among others,” he said.
“Many provinces are beginning to rapidly dismantle many of the COVID restrictions, including lockdowns, capacity restrictions and vaccine passport systems. This is welcome news, but the reality is that until public health officials and governments can encourage consumers to return to dining, theatre and travel, the COVID fear factor will be enough to keep many Canadians at home. Until then, businesses are going to need some degree of support.”
The CFIB said it is urging the federal government to expand the THRP to include businesses who depend on tourism, hospitality or events. Other critical changes to the federal support programs include:
Reintroducing the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loan program, increasing the amount to $80,000 and the forgivable portion to 50 per cent;
Returning the wage and rent subsidies to the levels used in spring 2021: available to all businesses on a sliding scale as a percentage of their revenue losses to a maximum of 75 per cent; and
Including new businesses that started after the pandemic began in all business support programs.
The grocery store has been a staple in consumer lifestyle since the inception of the first supermarket. In that time, a lot has changed, including product offerings and the way people shop, and while the grocery store still remains a core destination for shoppers, customer shopping habits have changed drastically.
Today’s consumers look for transparency, authenticity and connection. Increasingly selective of the items they put in their shopping cart and hyper-aware of the ingredients their products contain, shoppers want to be assured the brands they’re using are just as committed as they are to being and doing better. According to a recent McKinsey survey, customers intend to keep spending more on products that improve their health, fitness, nutrition, appearance, sleep, and mindfulness.
For retailers, this means putting a strong focus on natural and organic products and offering a diverse selection of brands that will continue to draw customers, whether in-store or online. For brands, this means putting heavy emphasis on their unique product offering and driving emotional connections with consumers that will help set them apart and ultimately translate to increased shelf space.
The wellness market is saturated and fast-growing. Successful brands must be innovative, but also remain consistently reliable. Staying nimble and on the pulse of upcoming trends is important to meet changing consumer demands. In today’s tumultuous market, where supply chain issues are creating massive product delays and shortages, brands that are able to replenish products quickly have the advantage. Vertically integrated companies like Flow Beverage Corp can weather such vicissitudes in the market and avoid capacity issues.
According to a recent GlobalSustainability Study by Simon-Kucher & Partners, more than a third of global consumers are willing to pay more for sustainability as demand grows for more environmentally friendly alternatives. Successful brands will have a comprehensive strategy to address their carbon footprint, develop products that are safe for people and the environment, and support initiatives that help achieve net-zero goals.
While retailers have seen major changes to consumer shopping habits, especially in the past few years, there is more change to come. Retailers and brands must be ready, not only to meet changing customer demands, but to evolve along with their shoppers and provide optimal consumer experiences – and for grocery stores – to remain a core nexus of consumer lifestyles.
Maurizio joined Flow after an impressive 27+ year career working for Nestlé. During his tenure he assumed various positions of increasing responsibility around the world, including throughout western and eastern Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. In 2017 he was appointed CEO and Chairman of Nestlé Waters, a role that he occupied through the end of 2019.
He has dedicated the large majority of his career to the bottled water business, in which he significantly contributed to Nestlé Waters’ growth of iconic multibillion dollar brands such as Nestle Pure Life, Perrier, San Pellegrino, Acqua Panna and Poland Spring. He is also a pioneer in the global consumer health movement from carbonated soft drinks to bottled water.
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.
