2014 overall, total Canadian retail sales increased 4.7%, the highest annual growth since 2010  The 4.7% growth in 2014 was also a significant improvement over the 3.2% gain recorded in 2013. Total Canadian retail sales in 2014 were $505.6 billion (although this excludes unreported non-store retailers). Promising picture for most Canadian retailers heading into 2015.  retail- insider.com

Walmart raises pay for 40% of U.S. workers, but no changes in Canada
"All Walmart Canada jobs start above the minimum wage," spokesman Alex Roberton said. "In addition, hourly associates working full time at Walmart Canada on average earn significantly above the minimum wages set by provincial governments across Canada which are also generally higher than government set minimum wages in the U.S. "Last year the majority of our associates in Canada received a bonus, and all of our associates receive an associate discount of 10 per cent at Walmart stores," Roberton added. cbc.ca

Debit card fraud hits record low in Canada - Chip and PIN working in Canada
According to Interac Association, the primary Canadian debit card system, debit fraud losses dropped from $29.5M in 2013 to $16.2M in 2014. In 2010, fraud-related losses were pegged at more than $100M. Mark Sullivan, head of Interac's fraud risk program, told CTV's Canada AM that, since its introduction in 2009, chip and PIN technology has significantly increased card security, increasing consumer protection. Because the new debit card technology is making it harder to commit fraud, scammers are instead setting their sights on non- chip cards and payment environments, such as credit cards and online payment sites. ctvnews.ca

Canadian e-commerce is greatly lacking - will they catch up?
It does appear that Canadian retailers have failed to continue to innovate and meet the needs of Canadian shoppers. A staggering statistic is that almost $7 out of every $10 spent by Canadians shopping online go to retailers headquartered out of Canada, and $4 out of every $10 spent actually go to non-Canadian ecommerce sites. Foreign retailers are making delivering to Canada a worthwhile business model, despite issues with currency exchange rates, import charges and cross-border delivery costs. And among the few Canadian retailers who do offer online shopping solutions, very few make ecommerce available outside Canada. Since competition in Canadian retail will only increase, the need to evolve from 'bricks and mortar' to 'clicks and mortar' is now glaringly apparent. wattisretail.com

Target's departure - A good thing for some Canadian Malls
"Given the poor performance of Target, this is an opportunity for landlords to secure retailers that can increase traffic, and elevate the overall health of these centres. financialpost.com

Winnipeg Safeway warehouse closing this year - 172 jobs lost

Nordstrom to hire 1,000 Vancouver employees including 44 managers - LP jobs too!

Identity theft used to buy $13,000 diamond ring from Peterborough, ON store; similar frauds have taken place in other Ontario cities  Police investigating after a $13,000 diamond ring was purchased via credit using personal information belonging to another man. According to Peterborough Police, on Jan. 12 at 12:40 p.m., two unknown men walked into Charm Diamond Centre in Lansdowne Place Mall. One of the men filled out an in-store credit card application and used personal identification belonging to a 46-year-old Scarborough man. The application was approved and the man purchased a $13,000 diamond ring using the Charm Diamond credit card. A few weeks later, the Scarborough man received a bill in the mail for the diamond ring. On Feb. 22, he contacted police to report the fraud. Police say it appears that similar frauds have been carried out at jewelry stores in Barrie, Kingston and Guelph. Police are warning stores to be on alert for the two individuals. mykawartha.com



Morinville RCMP investigating Armed Robbery at Super Mart in Legal, Alberta  Morinville RCMP were dispatched to an armed robbery at the Super Mart in Legal, Alberta early Wednesday morning. One male with a covered face entered the store, produced a handgun and demanded money and cigarettes. The suspect did make off with both money and cigarettes. monrinvillenews.com

 

Iqaluit RCMP: "We've solved five of six recent convenience store robberies"