Moneris introduces 'Verify' to help fight $1.7B in Canadian retail fraud
Moneris Solutions Corporation ('Moneris'), one of North America's largest processors of debit and credit payments, announced today that it has expanded its service offerings with the introduction in Canada of Moneris Verify powered by The Retail Equation (TRE), which is intended to help large retailers reduce losses incurred due to return fraud. Moneris Verify return authorization will help retailers target the estimated 4.2 per cent of their merchandise returns that are fraudulent, resulting in approximately $1.7 billion in annual retail losses in Canada.1 Moneris Verify streamlines retailers' return processes by improving the convenience and ease of regular merchandise returns, while identifying and deterring those that are fraudulent or abusive of store return policies. TRE is the industry leader in retail transaction optimization solutions. Moneris will be the exclusive reseller of TRE's Verify service in Canada, a solution used by more than 34,000 stores - including 12 of the top 50 retailers in North America.  newswire.ca

Wow - Excitement at Sears Canada - Here's a rarity - Sears Canada picks up two fashion lines Target had exclusive rights to & left behind that they're pumped about & More!  Cherokee apparel and shoes and Liz Lange maternity clothing. Both were among troubled Target's stronger brands and are still in its American stores. The retailer also announced on Thursday it will launch a Wayne Gretzky men's apparel collection this fall. Overall Sears expects that Target's departure will leave it in a stronger position, especially in women's and children's wear, home goods and footwear, he said. Sears is dropping its ailing electronics department and is replacing the items with mattresses, a segment in which the retailer is a market leader and makes money. It also is reducing its tool and hardware section by more than 50 per cent, he said. At the same time, it is expanding other categories whose prospects are more promising, including vacuums, fitness equipment and fitness apparel, he said. Sears is making significant investments in its information technology systems, he said. It will spend about $54 million on IT and store upgrades in 2015. In trying to cash in on Target's retreat, Sears has hired "dozens" of former Target employees, including some at its head office in Toronto. Editor's note:  There might be life left in this brand and it certainly sounds like they've go the right CEO now. I for one would love to see them pull it out. theglobeandmail.com

Indigo named top Canadian retail employer brand, sixth overall
Canada's largest book, gift and specialty toy retailer is delighted to be named the top Canadian retail employer brand, number six overall, according to the annual award given by Randstad Canada, a staffing, recruitment and HR company. The Randstad Award rewards and encourages best practices in building the best employer brands, and is the only employer award where winners are chosen entirely by workers and job seekers in search of employment opportunities within Canada's leading organizations. newswire.ca

Best Buy to invest $200M in their remaining stores & BestBuy.ca
While they're closing 66 Future Shops and rebranding 65 others to Best Buy they'll still have 135 large formats, 56 Best Buy Mobile stores and their growing e-commerce business. Currently, 80% of our customers are within a 15 minute drive to a store and this won't change," says Ron Wilson, President and COO of Best Buy Canada. "We will continue to have a strong store presence in all major markets in Canada." The investments will include increasing staff numbers, expanding their online shopping features such as increasing availability of ship-to-store options and improving access to in-store inventory to online customers.  retailsolutionsonline.com

Canada - Retail Job Fair for 30 retailers opening stores at the new McArthurGlen Design Outlet in Vancouver attracts massive crowd - with Target & Future Shop closures  They had been expecting to see around 800 or 900 applicants, but more than double showed, lining up to meet the human resources teams of some 30 retail brands to vie for their sales and managerial jobs. The exit from Canada of major retail names, including Target and Future Shop, not to mention mutterings of more to come, has left a marketplace "with some very good candidates," said McArthurGlen general manager Robert Thurlow. The two-day job fair at the River Rock Casino in Richmond was a snapshot of the current retail job landscape: many more applicants than positions available.

More Canadians work in retail than any other sector. Long-term there might be reason to be optimistic, but lately the tally has been grim: almost 18,000 lost jobs with the exit from Canada by Target; another 1,500 with Future Shop closing; almost 100 with Sony leaving Canada. vancouversun.com

Michael Kors clamps down on counterfeit goods sold in Quebec - Suing 10 people because it's not a priority for police  It has sued 10 Quebecers in relation to the distribution of counterfeit products. Kors, most famous for his handbags, hired a Quebec private investigation team and a law firm to dig up evidence so it could seize more than 4,000 knock-off items, including wallets, bags and watches. The lawyer representing Kors, Mathieu Piché-Messier, says they've opted to sue the perpetrators rather than going through the criminal system. He says civil court is often the best way to approach intellectual property crime cases. Mostly because of a lack of resources, [intellectual property] crime is not a priority for our police. Sometimes it's much faster and efficient to go through civil recourses and remedies," he said. In this case, they were able to gather enough evidence to show that ten defendants were involved in distributing fake Michael Kors items. He has asked the court to order the defendants to stop producing and remit the whereabouts of all the bootlegged items. cbc.ca

Canada's Convenience Stores Applaud new Federal Budget - no new taxes on Tobacco - fighting Canada's underground economy  The CCSA, representing 25,000 stores, is applauding the government's decision to not increase the federal excise tax on tobacco or gasoline in this budget. Contraband tobacco is sold without mandated health warnings and without age verification checks, to anyone willing to buy. Tax hikes in previous years have driven the tobacco market underground. benzinga.com



Canadian Security's Focus On Retail Security one-day seminar  A valuable opportunity for anyone interested in learning more about the latest techniques to combat retail crime. You can expect to hear more about: ● Organized Retail Crime ● Restorative Justice ● Online Fraud For full agenda and registration details visit: www.focusonseries.ca



Canadian Hacker Gets 18 Months In $100M Microsoft IP Theft - Xbox software theft  A Canadian man involved in an international hacking ring was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison on Thursday for stealing more than $100 million in intellectual property and other proprietary business data from Microsoft Corp. and others, according to Delaware federal court records. David Pokora, 22, of Ontario pled guilty in September to a charge of conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and criminal copyright infringement for his alleged role in the cybertheft of software and data related to Microsoft's Xbox One gaming console and Xbox. law360

Apple in talks to launch Apple Pay in Canada in November

Metro and Hudson's Bay Co. interested in some Target Canada stores

Cross-border shopping takes nosedive as Canadian dollar drops

H&M's upscale fashion brand COS will open Canadian locations

DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse has revealed six new locations

Porsche Design has closed its Canadian stores, discontinued plans to open locations across the country

Michael Kors launches ecommerce site in Canada

Calgary man faces 36 charges in multiple credit card fraud cases
In November 2014, police investigated a public tip that lead to several instances of credit and debit card fraud that occurred at a number of businesses between March and October 2014. Police believe Wannek entered stolen credit card numbers into PIN pads while making purchases, often against store policy, forcing store clerks to refund the purchases onto stolen debit cards. In other instances, he is believed to have increased the purchase amount on the PIN pad and refunded himself. Wannek is to appear in court April 28, 2015. globalnews.ca

Judge calls bat strike excessive; assault on Loss Prevention agent in Regina
When Alan Boyd Pasap swung a bat at a Regina store security officer - "like he was chopping wood," in the words of the victim - and broke one of the man's limbs, it was not an act of self-defence, a judge ruled Thursday. "The force was unequivocally excessive," provincial court Judge Dennis Fenwick said Thursday in finding the 37-year-old guilty of aggravated assault. Crown prosecutor James Fitz-Gerald told court he'll seek a prison term of three to four years, given Pasap's previous record, which includes violence, when sentencing arguments are heard May 29. Defence lawyer Bob Hrycan didn't reveal precisely what term he'll suggest, but did note case law has established the starting point for such offences is around 18 months in jail. thestarphoenix.com

Employee bear sprayed in convenience store robbery in St John's
21-year-old man has been charged with robbery, following an incident Thursday night at a convenience store in the Goulds area of St. John's. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and K-9 unit responded to a call that a clerk was bear sprayed by a man who then stole a donation box from the store. thetelegram.com

Retail Fast Facts: April 2015 
Highlights:
● Total monthly retail sales changed by 2.0 per cent over the comparable month last year. 
● Total sales excluding food, automotive and gasoline changed by 5.7 per cent over the comparable month last year.  Read more