Long Starved for High-Enders - Luxury Retailers are Coming to Canada - With only two true high-enders Canada is ripe territory  Although Canada's population of affluent shoppers is relatively small, the group packs a powerful punch. Some of the country's wealthy spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars annually on luxury goods and if they're not shopping at mono-brand designer boutiques, Holt Renfrew or Harry Rosen, they're buying online or traveling internationally. Even the non-wealthy are buying luxury. there's a trend among many women, especially those in urban centres, to splurge on luxury footwear and handbags - even more than on pricey ready-to-wear. Luxury brands have recognized this trend and have started opening locations at places like Toronto's Yorkdale Shopping Centre. The new generation tends to view luxury differently. Many Millennials now seek the luxury experience, emulating what they see in popular culture. The awareness of luxury accessories and footwear among Canadian men is growing rapidly, a trend Ms Efros expects to continue with the new luxury retailers arriving in Canada. The entry into Canada of these luxury mono and multi-brand retailers will repatriate some of the dollars currently spent on luxury outside the country and will also increase the visibility and awareness of luxury retail. Holt Renfrew is Canada's only existing luxury women's chain and it will face significant competitive pressures from Saks, Nordstrom, the Canadian outposts of the global luxury brands that continue to open stores in Canada. It will be interesting to watch Canadian retail in the next several years, as luxury brands and retailers compete for a finite amount of spending. Competition will be fierce and fallout is likely. retail-insider.com

$18,000 Target Check Bounces to Small Business Market Researcher - 2,000 more are waiting for their's  20-year veteran market researcher spent months working on a major customer-feedback project for the discount retailer. Just before Target was granted court protection from creditors, the company sent her a cheque for $18,000, the final payment for her work. The cheque was dated Jan. 13, two days before the court filing, but she didn't get it until Jan. 26. When she went to the bank to cash it, the cheque bounced. Now, she's among nearly 2,000 unsecured creditors who are waiting to see if and when they'll get any of the money they're owed. "Vulnerable small businesses are going to be hurt deeply and so are the people who own and run them." theglobeandmail.com

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