How Target Canada's exit is like 15 malls closing at once for the retail world
That disturbance in the retail world Canadians heard Thursday was the equivalent of 15 regional malls closing at once. That's the way Ross Moore, the Vancouver-based head of research with CBRE Inc. in Canada, described the decision of Target Corp. to leave the country and its 133 stores behind. Mr. Moore calculates the Target presence at 112,000 square feet per store on average. Added all together that's a whopping 15 million square feet across the country that will soon be empty. "It's a big negative. Nobody wants empty space," said Mr. Moore, adding the first hurdle that will have to clear before the space is all leased up is who has control over it. "They are going to have try to re-lease this space and somebody has a lot of work to do. There isn't an obvious candidate or candidates. A lot of these stores are in small towns and tertiary markets are where the real hard work is." financialpost.com

Calls to re-open Zellers as Canadians say goodbye to 'Tar-Jay'  With the news that U.S.-based retailer Target would close the doors to its 133 Canadian locations, a chorus of shoppers north of the border took to Twitter to voice their opinions about the failed expansion - and call for the return of another retailer that once held a foothold across the country. While many expressed disappointment in Target leaving Canada, there wasn't much surprise: Shoppers long complained about a lack of stock on store shelves, and the fact locations didn't carry the same products as the U.S. locations. A chorus of voices also sprang up calling for the return of Zellers, the stores that the U.S. retailer took over when it expanded into Canada just two years ago. Target acquired the leaseholds for 189 Canadian Zellers locations in 2012, at a cost of just over $1.8-billion. While 133 of those Zellers stores were converted into Targets, the dozens of other remaining stores shuttered their operations – which left thousands out of work. ctvnews.ca

Sony to close all 14 Canadian retail locations in next two months
The financial woes of a struggling Japanese electronics giant will begin to ripple across Canada in the coming weeks. Sony Corp. said on Thursday it will close all 14 of its retail stores in Canada over the next two months as the company tries to turn around its slumping business amid high-profile data breaches and tough competiton in the smartphone space. theglobeandmail.com

Mexx Canada liquidating 95 stores by end of February

List of retailers closing stores in Canada

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Instaloans ATM pried open at southwest smash-and-grab in Calgary

Florida man could be source of multiple bomb threats to Alberta grocery stores  Police think that a string of bomb threats called in to grocery stores in Alberta, including two in Fort McMurray, may all be linked. Cpl. George Cameron said that investigations had revealed that two incidents in November originated from a Florida number. "I know there's been similar incidents across the province," Cameron said. "We're confident that it's the same individual or individuals." On Nov. 13, police responded to a complaint at a Safeway store in downtown Fort McMurray after a man called the store with a bomb threat demanding cash, and then a second complaint at a Save On Foods in Timberlea Nov. 19. Both stores were evacuated and police later reported no explosive residue. "Right now, that's the best way we can deal with it here in Fort McMurray, ensuring public safety," Cameron said. "There's probably a 99.9 per cent chance that there's not a bomb in the building, but we can't take that chance, right? Especially with what's going on in the world today, we don't know who's out there ... It's a pain in the ass, yes, but scary at the same time, too." Cameron said that the RCMP have been in touch with authorities in the U.S. A bomb threat was also called into a Safeway in Cochrane and Calgary Nov. 14, according to the Cochrane Times. fortmcmurraytoday.com

Video shows shotgun being fired during violent Toronto robbery  A shotgun blast narrowly missed striking a Toronto convenience store employee during a violent robbery that was caught on tape last month. Toronto police say the robbery happened at a store in the Eglinton Avenue West and Locksley Avenue area on Dec. 11. Just before 9 p.m., three men entered the store and two carried shotguns. Police say one of the men jumped the counter and demanded that a clerk open the store's safe. The suspect behind the counter jabbed the clerk with a sawed-off shotgun and allegedly pointed it at her head. The shotgun was discharged. A flash that is visible on the tape that police have released is the moment when the shot was fired. Police say there were customers in the store at the time of the robbery. 24news.ca

Thief returns to Winnipeg store to pay for stolen merchandise  Winnipegger Dave Rand said posting surveillance video of a theft in his store Capitol Motorsports online has paid off. Rand uploaded security footage of two men entering his store on 157 St. Anne's Rd. Saturday looking for winter gear. One of the men in the video asks the female employee to help him look for gloves. While she was distracted, the second suspect walks out of the store with a jacket, dumping the merchandise outdoors before re-entering to get his friend. On Wednesday, the man recorded taking the jacket came back to the store and paid Rand the jacket's full ticket price. He told Rand he felt bad after seeing the video posted on social media. "He was remorseful, and definitely felt some pressure," said Rand. "I actually sat with him for 45 minutes, you know, told him how it affected myself, my employees, my family." Rand said he has accepted the man's apology and gave him some advice. "I actually told him to make some better choices in his life," said Rand. "As far as I am concerned, the matter is over." cbc.ca