Walmart abandons plan to open fulfilment centre in Quebec

Walmart Canada says it is abandoning plans to open a new fulfilment centre in Quebec. The U.S. retail giant was due to spend $100 million on the facility slated for the Montreal-area municipality of Vaudreuil-Dorion. It was expected to open early this year. Walmart Canada spokesperson Sarah Kennedy confirmed the change of plans in an … Read more

The gold rush is back — and now at a big-box store near you

Warehouse stores in Canada aren’t just selling large quantities of toilet paper these days — gold bars and coins and other precious metals are moving out of the realm of banking and jewellers and into their aisles. With gold hitting record-high prices in recent weeks, the metal’s popularity has been reflected at retailers, too. According to Costco’s chief financial officer, … Read more

Magnetic balls sold at Walmart recalled as ‘ingestion hazard’

Magnetic ball sets sold online by Walmart have been recalled for being an “ingestion hazard” for children. The Relax 5mm Science Kit, Large Hematite Magnets Magnetic Stones Building Blocks do not meet the federal regulations for magnets, according to an alert from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The spherical magnets, sold online exclusively by … Read more

BlendJet recall of millions of blenders over fire hazard, breaking blades includes 117,000 in Canada

BlendJet is recalling millions of portable blenders over laceration and fire hazards after receiving dozens of reports of injuries, U.S. regulators said Thursday. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says the recall covers about 4.8 million blenders in the U.S. and about 117,000 were sold in Canada. BlendJet 2 Portable Blenders can overheat or catch fire, … Read more

Grocers’ code of conduct won’t work unless all companies sign on, Metro CEO tells MPs

All major industry players need to sign on to the grocery code of conduct in order for it to be successful, said Metro Inc. president and CEO Eric La Flèche. La Flèche told MPs Monday at a House of Commons agriculture committee meeting on stabilizing food prices that Metro is willing to sign the code of … Read more

Deal to lower Visa, Mastercard processing fees will come up short for many retailers, critics say

The federal government says it has hammered out the final details with Visa and Mastercard to lower credit card transaction fees for merchants, but small business advocates say the deal doesn’t go nearly far enough. The deal concerns what is called an interchange fee, also known as a “swipe fee,” which sets aside a percentage … Read more

Grocery code of conduct will raise prices, not lower them, Loblaws and Walmart tell lawmakers

The head of Canada’s biggest grocery chain says the looming implementation of the grocery code of conduct would lead to higher prices for consumers, not lower ones. Speaking at a House of Commons agriculture committee meeting on Thursday morning on stabilizing food prices, Galen Weston, executive chairman of the Loblaws group of companies, said his … Read more