Retailers ready for Black Friday blockbuster
Retailers are readying for what they expect to be the biggest-ever Black Friday as awareness of what was originally an American retail tradition becomes more entrenched in Canada and the low Canadian dollar keeps shoppers at home. biv.com

Cross-border shopping, reversed: This Black Friday, Canadian outlet malls
set to be packed with Americans
As holiday shopping ramps up, it's likely that this year there will be more than a few U.S. license plates in the parking lots at Canada's outlet malls, as the flow of cross-border traffic has begun to reverse. Americans looking to take advantage of the favorable exchange rate have been heading north, and the expectation is that it will continue as long as the loonie is low. It's been a trend that has been increasing all the way throughout the summer and into the fall and we expect that it is going to continue into the holiday season." financialpost.com

Sears Canada Inc faces another $100-million class action lawsuit
from its Hometown dealers
Sears Hometown store dealers have filed a second $100-million class action suit against Sears Canada Inc., its biggest shareholders and board of directors, alleging they approved hundreds of millions of dollars in special dividends in 2013 that would only benefit the big shareholders. Sears Canada decided to liquidate valuable long-term leases "rather than reinvesting these funds to offset the large and growing operating losses and attempt to turn the company around," says the statement of claim filed last month in Ontario Superior Court.

"The primary purpose of these steps was to siphon money out of Canada by paying substantial dividends to Sears Holdings and ESL," the suit alleges. financialpost.com

Richmond's McArthurGlen mall named world's best outlet centre
The McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Vancouver won the award for best outlet centre at a major international retail property conference in France. MAPIC provided no explanation for why the centre merited being named the best outlet centre in the world but Vancouverites have been voting with their feet for how much they like the centre.

About 160,000 people flocked to the centre during its first four days, which was the busiest for any opening four days in McArthurGlen history. The company operates 20 other malls in Europe.  biv.com

Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH Announces Three New Store Locations in Canada
Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH is pleased to announce three new locations in Canada: Halton Hills, ON, Ottawa, ON and Mirabel, QC. The highly anticipated openings are part of Saks OFF 5TH's North American expansion plan to open up to 25 locations across Canada by 2018. Saks OFF 5TH previously announced planned store openings at Tanger Outlets in Ottawa, Vaughan Mills in Toronto, Outlet Collection at Niagara at Niagara-on-the-lake, all slated to open spring 2016, as well as CrossIron Mills in Calgary scheduled to open fall 2016. businesswire.com

Three shopping malls in the NewFoundland & Labrador Province sold
The Marystown Mall has been sold. The property was one of three in the province owned by Slate Office REIT. The Toronto-based real estate investment company announced the sale of the shopping centre in Marystown to an undisclosed buyer in a release on Tuesday. Also included in the sale valued at $9.2 million are the Millbrook Mall in Corner Brook, and the Fraser Mall in Gander. southerngazette.ca

 

Marytown, NF: Thief hits Stapleton's Jewellery for $75,000 in cash and merchandise
A recent break-in at has left some working in the shopping centre with mixed feelings about the security of the building. Stapleton's Jewellery and Gifts in the mall was the target of a break-in last week. The thief made off with an estimated $75,000 in merchandise. A large amount of cash was also taken from the store. The store had recently undergone renovations and their security system was not fully functional at the time of the break-in. The store is now in the process of upgrading it's security system. southergazette.ca

North Toronto: 5 Cellphone Store Employees charged in theft ring
Five employees of a cellphone parts and repair store in the city's north end are facing a total of 18 charges for their alleged roles in what police are calling a "sophisticated" cellphone theft ring. Police say between December 2013 and March 2014 the accused, four employees and the owner of Apple N Parts, received stolen cellphones which were packaged to be re-sold as new for as much as $700 in the store, and online through Kijiji. "This is the most sophisticated cellphone operation that I have seen," said Det. Const. Ron Chhinzer. "I haven't encountered anything like this." "With a little shrink wrap you have a brand new phone." howardforums.com

Okotoks, AB: Accused Halifax Pride thief now charged with 8 counts of Credit Card Fraud at Home Depot in Alberta
A man who evaded trial after allegedly stealing from Halifax Pride has now been charged with eight counts of credit card fraud in Alberta related to his work at a Home Depot just south of Calgary. Christopher Daniel Joseph Scullino was charged by RCMP in Okotoks last month. The 29-year-old still faces three outstanding charges in Halifax after more than $16,000 went missing in 2013 from Halifax Pride, a non-profit that organizes the city's annual festival celebrating sexual and gender diversity. After Scullino didn't show up to Halifax provincial court in May 2014, Halifax Regional Police issued a Nova Scotia-wide warrant for his arrest. cbc.ca

Edmonton: Police trying to identify two suspects in credit card fraud
Edmonton Police are asking for the public's help in identifying two suspects believed to have been involved in a credit card fraud over the summer. EPS said on June 13, 2015, a male and female suspect bought a large amount of clothing from a store in Kingsway Mall using a stolen credit card - it's believed the pair made a number of purchases at other stores throughout the city. Police released photos, taken from surveillance footage, showing the suspects. ctvnews.ca

Toronto Police hold Robbery Investigators Conference
Chief Mark Saunders welcomed delegates at the opening ceremony of the Nov. 17-19 conference that attracts investigators from across North America, underlining the importance of the work they do every day to stop armed robberies. This is the first time in five years that Toronto Police has hosted the conference. So far, in 2015, there have been 272 retail business robberies, 54 home invasions and 76 bank thefts in Toronto. tpsnews.ca