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Canadian retailers bet on technology in fight with U.S. giants
Canadian retailers, scrambling to keep pace with the likes of Wal-Mart and Amazon.com in an increasingly crowded market, are investing heavily in high-tech
tools to lure shoppers. Companies have ramped up their efforts to address
consumers' evolving shopping habits and to compete with rivals such as Wal-Mart,
which is pouring more than C$30 million ($27.4 million) into Canadian e-commerce
projects this year. Canadian Tire Corp, Hudson's Bay Co and Metro Inc are among
those making technology investments. The tools, which include data analytics,
mobile apps and online stores, have long been used by U.S. retailers in their
home market. Now, Canadian companies are recognizing them as essential. "There
is now a real, 'Oh, my God, we have to play catch-up really fast,' because
there's this threat of all these U.S. retailers increasing their dominance in
the Canadian market," said Forrester Research analyst Peter Sheldon.
(Source
reuters.com)
Judge clears way for $100 million class-action lawsuit against Sears Canada
An Ontario court judge has green-lit a class action lawsuit brought by some 250
current and former operators of Sears Hometown Stores, a network of independent
owner-operators run by Sears Canada. The lawsuit seeks some C$100 million in
damages and alleges that Sears Canada and its Chicago-based parent, Sears
Roebuck & Co., breached not only provincial franchise laws but the plaintiffs'
common law rights by making it virtually impossible to operate their stores at a
profit. The suit alleges that Sears Canada earns high profit margins on sales of
goods to Hometown store operators while simultaneously downloading a
disproportionate share of the costs associated with retail and product handling
onto the same independent retailers. (Source
furnituretoday.com)
 Saskatoon
Police seeking Alleged fraudsters for credit card skimming Saskatoon
police are looking for two men in connection with credit card fraud instances
across Western Canada. "Police have received information that the two
individuals... have attempted to use stolen credit card information in Saskatoon
by way of 'card skimmers,'" a media release from the Saskatoon police stated.
Credit card skimming is a method to steal payment information through seemingly
legitimate transactions — for instance, an electronic skimming device could be
placed over an ATM to read a card's magnetic strip. Police said no skimmers have
been located in Saskatoon but that they're aware of skimming devices installed
in other western Canadian cities. (Source
saskatoon.com)
Man wanted for downtown Saskatoon jewelry store robbery Police have
released a photo of a man wanted for a downtown Saskatoon jewelry store robbery.
Gary Alexander Iron, 31, is wanted after the robbery on Sept. 12. Employees told
police a man entered the store around 2:45 and looked at some merchandise. He
then pulled out a knife and grabbed some items before fleeing on foot. Iron is
wanted for armed robbery and breach of an undertaking. (Source
globalnews.ca)
Hamilton, ON gun store theft video released Hamilton Police have released a
video of a stolen car being used to smash into a gun store in the hopes of
finding the thieves. In the early hours of March 10, 2014, three men broke into
Al Simmons Gun Store on Locke St. S., in the Main St. and Dundurn St. S. area,
and stole three shotguns, police say. The suspects fled with the firearms, which
were recovered in a (nearby) alley. (Source
torontosun.com)
Tractor-trailer containing 1,320 cases of beer stolen in Oxford County, Ontario,
Ca.
Suspect Description Released after St John's Jewelry Store Smash and Grab
Retail Fast Facts: August 2014
Highlights:
● Total monthly retail sales changed by 4.8 per cent over the comparable month
last year.
● Total sales excluding food, automotive and gasoline changed by 5.9 per cent
over the comparable month last year. (Source
retailcouncil.org)
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