Target Practice: Canadian food retailers brace for invasion of Target and Wal-Mart supercenters A Canadian economy that after a quick recovery from the 2008 recession, has once again stagnated and resulted in a consumer that is especially focused on price and value. What a time for Target to be coming and Wal-Mart's expansion of their supercenters. The problem is the Canadian consumer went into hunker-down mode when employment growth slowed, and unless we get the consumer going the economy is going to be a drag and Wal-Mart and Target’s growth is going to be more punitive than it would be normally. The pressure is on and we've already begun to see lay-offs and price cuts. (Source supermarketnews.com)

Amazon delivers its fulfillment service to Canadian e-retailers Earlier this week Amazon.com Inc brought Fulfillment by Amazon to its Canadian e-commerce storefront, Amazon.ca. The service enables sellers in the retailer’s marketplace to send their inventory to Amazon so that the world’s largest online retailer can pick, pack and ship packages on the seller’s behalf. The program also makes a sellers’ products eligible for free shipping for Amazon Prime members and other shoppers who spend at least $25 on eligible products on the site. (Source internetretailer.com)

Mac's Convenience Stores' Central Loss Prevention Team honored as a world leader in crime prevention at last month's International Society of Crime Prevention Practitioners Conference (ISCPP) Conference in Las Vegas Mac's, a division of Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., was nominated for initiatives such as Operation Freeze/Operation Heat; the Lock It or Lose It auto theft prevention program; SAFEGuard Ontario; and more by the Ontario Provincial Police. More specifically, Mac's received two awards at the ISCPP. Volunteer of the Year was given to Sean Sportun, the convenience store chain's ICPS Manager, Security & Loss Prevention. The award recognizes outstanding contributions made by crime prevention volunteers whose "exceptional dedication and commitment to crime prevention" has enhanced its prevention at local, state-province and national levels. The second award went to the entire company of Mac's Convenience Stores for Business of the Year. The award honors outstanding crime prevention programs of a profit-making business that have "made a significant contribution to the prevention of crime for their organizations or for their community." (Source csnews.com)

Saskatchewan regulation protects convenience store workers. New regulations include a check-in system and personal emergency transmitters for all employees working alone in late-night retail establishments. The new regulations also include requirements for safe cash handling procedures and video cameras for businesses that are open late. While the changes fall short of the Opposition NDP’s call for the province to make employers schedule at least two employees per shift at night, the party’s labour critic says they’re still welcome. (Source canadiangrocer.com)

U.S. and Canada Announce New Pilot to Strengthen Cargo Security The pilot focuses on harmonizing the screening process for maritime cargo between the two countries. The pilot, which began earlier this month, focuses on maritime cargo arriving at Prince Rupert, BC with subsequent movement via rail before entering the United States at International Falls, Minn. It utilizes a harmonized approach developed by the U.S. and Canada which allows for the screening of inbound cargo arriving from offshore. (Source cbp.gov)

Thieves used torches to steal $700K from ATMs in Ontario Ontario police force has put up a $25,000 reward in hopes of stopping a group of fast-acting thieves who use welding torches and pry bars to steal stand-alone ATM machines from business locations, often completing their thefts in less than a minute. During a string of bold thefts, the masked thieves manage to extract the cash from small, stand-alone bank machines often in use at retail locations such as restaurants and gas stations. Police say the thieves have made off with $700,000 so far in a string of more than 50 robberies at bingo halls, flea markets, arenas and grocery stores. (Source yahoo.com)

SUV plows into Calgary mall in early morning robbery. Calgary police responded to a robbery at Market Mall in the city's northwest early Monday morning, after a vehicle rammed into the one of the entrances of the shopping centre just before 4 a.m. Police say a stolen white SUV rammed into one of the entrances of the shopping centre. A jewelry store, Jewels by Maxime’s, was broken into and had a significant amount of merchandise taken. The planned robbery took less than 10 minutes, say police. Market Mall management is looking at installing physical barriers at the entrances. At this time, police believe two people were involved in the robbery and both had their faces covered. (Source calgarysun.com)