Lowe's expansion in Canada helped by Target's absence - Doubling store count over next three years - More LP Jobs!  Last week Lowe's reported its eighth consecutive quarter of double-digit same-store sales in Canada. The hardware chain's growth is due in large part to successfully implementing ideas from Canadian consumers, something that Target failed to do north of the United States. fierceretail.com

Canada ripe for dollar store invasion - the one US growth sector who's been silent during the Canadian Push - but Family Dollar is coming and you can expect Dollar General might not to be far behind - LP Jobs!  A slowing economy and stretched shopper are setting the stage for a spell of softer sales at malls, plazas and big-box stores across the country, a pair of new reports predicted this week. Dollarama, the country's biggest dollar chain, continues to fan out across Canada, while U.S. bargain retailers are now sizing up a bigger push across the border. On Thursday, the head of one of the biggest dollar chains in the United States, Family Dollar, said he liked what he sees in Canada, strongly suggesting more stores could open here. Dollar Tree operates about 220 Canadian locations already, compared with Dollarama's 955 stores. Both have ambitions of opening hundreds of additional locations in the coming years. Sasser said the Family Dollar banner might expand north, as well. "We have significant growth potential in Canada," the exec said on a conference call. "I think the Canadian market would respond very well to another multi-price point value retailer like Family Dollar." globalnews.ca

Two of Nordstrom's 6 Flagships to be in Canada - Vancouver's Pacific Centre & Toronto's Eaton Center  In keeping with the trend of global flagships being magnets for tourists, the Seattle-based retailer is in the process of creating six downtown showpieces. Of the six flagship Nordstrom locations, three are existing and are currently being renovated, while three are currently under construction. Jamie Nordstrom, revealed that the company is inspired by flagships such as Galeries Lafayette in Paris and Selfridges in London, and that the company is spending a fortune to renovate its own stores to reflect international flagship standards. The Vancouver flagship, located at Pacific Centre, will open on September 18 of this year. The Toronto Eaton Centre flagship will open in the fall of 2016. The Vancouver store will span about 230,000 square feet, while the Toronto flagship will measure about 213,000 square feet. retail-insider.com

Montreal approves 24/7 retail shopping - Will it help retailers? It certainly will create LP issues  Mayor Denis Coderre, apparently after consultation, has decided to let store owners remain open 24/7 in the downtown core along with other locations. Is this the solution to Montreal's economic woes? With all the For Rent signs littering the landscape, it will take much more than extended hours for shoppers who have little left after taxes to spend at 3 a.m. montrealgazette.com

Ottawa buildings unprepared for active shooter, report finds - If you have retail stores in the area, be on alert and help get prepared  The City of Ottawa has adopted a new policy to prepare for armed attackers after an internal Ottawa police report found that office buildings need better security measures in the wake of the Oct. 22 shootings. The police report, which will be finished in June, was undertaken after Cpl. Nathan Cirillo was gunned down at the National War Memorial and shooter Michael Zehaf-Bibeau stormed Parliament Hill's Centre Block. CBC News learned the report, which will not be released to the public, revealed the large-scale police response contributed to mass confusion around downtown Ottawa. The report also indicated most office buildings in Ottawa are prepared for a fire or bomb threat, but not for active gunmen. "Not everyone has a policy or procedure in the event of an active shooter in the building, or a threat in environment around your building," said Insp. Mark Ford, a member of the Ottawa police emergency operations directorate. cbc.ca

Ikea to fuel Canada expansion with massive DC in Ontario

Police launch 'positive ticketing' campaign in partnership with Mac's C-Store LP

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
 

Calgary Police charge 3 in multi-million dollar fraud investigation 
Three people have been charged in a fraud investigation involving an elderly victim losing more than $8 million. The investigation also led to a search warrant that resulted in $65,000 worth of gold as well as silver and jewels seized from the suspected fraudsters. "The offender reached out and was introduced to the elderly victim and established a strong friendship for a number of years," said Calgary Police Staff Sergeant Kristie Verheul. "From there...the trust built in that relationship was used to convince that high-yield investment." The main suspect allegedly used false charities as a front to convince the victim to invest large sums of money between December 2014 and May 2015, police said. "I'm going to liken it to Pandora's Box," said Staff Sgt. Verheul. "We came in with a very small scope: one victim with $8 million, and from what our investigation has revealed right now, the search warrant yesterday seized three cube vans full of documents and evidence." Police believe the following fraudulent charities-which are not registered with the Canada Revenue Agency-were used to fool the victim: Humanitarian Foundation of Canada, World Job and Food Bank, Canadian Organization for International, Development Strategies Foundation, Lepidoptera Inc., Antennae Inc. Calgary Community Outreach Services Society. "The money donated by this victim is believed to have been funneled through the charities to international accounts," said police in a Thursday release. Police searched two residences and one business on Wednesday in the city's southwest. Evidence and property seized during the searches include: Forged bank and government documents, Fraudulent documents for investment accounts, Pyramid scheme accounts, $65,000 worth of gold, 10 computers, Banking records and account ledgers, Safe deposit box keys. globalnews.ca