Jen Drake, CFI, Director of Resource Protection, West 49 Inc. On –                                    Consumer Protection The merchant/buying group will need to be aware of Provincial laws relevant to consumer protection. For example, the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) conducts audits to protect the public from potential hazards relating to the use of upholstered and stuffed articles sold in Ontario. Quebec and Manitoba have similar legislation. Basically, if the article you are selling is stuffed, the product has very specific label requirements that you must meet. If you are an apparel retailer you might think this is for mattresses, down comforters, etc and has nothing to do with you. Think again – if your company sells winter jackets, gloves, backpacks or anything with an extra layer of padding or filling material this program applies to you. My company has been targeted by TSSA audits every Back-to-school season that I can remember. You’ll need to be aware of the steps to take and have a designated person within your organization responsible for coordinating your vendors/manufacturers for correction of compliance issues, within 30-days of the audit. On a side note Canada has been refining and strengthening their safety regulations as well over the last few years and the Retail Council of Canada plays a vital role in helping retailers with their safety efforts.  For more information contact Matthew Hall, Senior Manager, Member Programs at 416-922-0553, Ext. 319, or at mhall@retailcouncil.org

7-Eleven Inc. is joining the Canadian Push, the largest convenience store operator in the world, is planning on taking a "Big Gulp" of the Ontario marketplace.  The company is set to announce this week at the International Council of Shopping Centres Conference that from 2012 to 2016 it will open up to 200 new corporate stores in Ontario, with a major focus on the Greater Toronto Area. The expansion is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.  The move would boost its stable of stores by almost 50% in Canada where it now has 467 locations. 7-Eleven has 43,500 stores worldwide, but has a limited profile in the lucrative Toronto market.  Now populated with mostly mom & pop c-stores, 7-Eleven will be successful in this growth spree.  (Source financialpost.com)

With the pressure on every Canadian Retailer, the CEO of the Bay joins the Sears CEO in "working fast to revamp that retailer" as well.  "Her fast-paced refashioning of the fatigued Bay" is pressured by her having to get it done quickly because of their impending IPO next spring and "before burgeoning competition overtakes her efforts."  With Nordstrom and Target coming to town, she has very little time to raise the sales per square foot number from $165, before she arrived, to $200 and beyond, closer to top U.S. department-store levels.  Seems like the big anchors in Canada are soft and they're already running fast to improve even before the big Canadian Push really begins.  Is this merely a sign of the big boxes needing to re-tool or is it a sign that the Canadian consumer just isn't spending the money.  If the latter is true, then the Canadian Push could become the Canadian Mistake for some.  (Source ctv.ca)

Indigo Books, Chapters, is trying "to become the world's first lifestyle store for book lovers," and is changing the very essence of what we all define as a book store and is making massive changes with expanded "lifestyle products" like home goods and apparel.  In an economy in which bookstores, from the major chains down to the small-town independent stores, are closing at an alarming rate, Indigo has found a way to meet the demands of its customers by being more than just about books.  Obviously, the publishers are not happy with the sweeping changes in what has proven to be the largest retail book outlet for consumers in Canada, but supporters of the stores and its new model are quick to point out that the bookseller is simply trying to survive in the digital era; of course, the publishers themselves are also trying to survive the ebook revolution, and losing some of their allies won't help.  (Source goodreader.com)

Canadians placed 114 million online orders for goods or services worth $15.3 billion in 2010.  (Source upi.com)