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spmarshall
Guest
So they're called Supercenters?
Boo!
Boo!
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ganjavih
Guest
^ How do you know? I doubt it. American retailers are usually pretty good about respecting Canadian sensibilities... it's all marketing, I'm sure.
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vistaway
Guest
Looks like they went with neither - the new stores are called Wal-Mart - Your Fresh Market. Interesting, perhaps they though the Supercenter moniker had some negative connotations (probably correct).
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spmarshall
Guest
Interesting they went with the Fresh Market label. I guess they are competing with the Dominion/A&P, Loblaws/Fortinos/RCSS, Sobey's level of store than the Food Basics/Price Chopper/No Frills. Especially as the Wal-Mart stores are so far apart here in Canada compared to much of the states.
I wonder how LynnFoster's Loblaw stock is doing....
Retailer takes aim at Loblaw
Wal-Mart enters fresh food market
Analyst predicts pressure on prices
Oct. 20, 2006. 07:25 AM
DANA FLAVELLE
BUSINESS REPORTER
From sushi to organic baby food, Wal-Mart Canada Corp.'s newest Canadian store is a notch above what some analysts say they expected from a discount mass merchandiser.
The store, which is the first Wal-Mart in Canada to offer fresh food alongside frozen and packaged goods and general household merchandise, opened this week in Ancaster, a suburb of Hamilton.
It is one of several the country's biggest retailer plans to open between now and the end of January, including stores in London, Ont., Stouffville, Scarborough, Sarnia and Orleans.
The Ancaster store is remarkably different from any other Wal-Mart in Canada, or any of its U.S. formats, with the exception of its upscale experiment in Plano, Tex., analysts said.
Eschewing the Supercentre name, the company instead called the grocery side of the store Your Fresh Market and gave it a separate entrance off the parking lot.
The store is bigger than its nearest discount competitor, Food Basics, and charges lower prices than the nearby full-service supermarket, a Fortino's, said Perry Caicco, an analyst with CIBC World Markets.
And he said the new stores may take a bigger bite out of Canada's $70 billion a year grocery industry than originally expected.
"We would describe it as discount- plus," he wrote in a research note to clients.
"This will be a formidable grocery entry."
The focus of the report was the store's impact on supermarket leader Loblaw Cos. Ltd., whose stock Caicco has downgraded to "underperform."
He was one of four analysts to issue reports on Loblaws this week, including Michael Van Aelst, at TD Newcrest, who initiated coverage of the company with a "reduce" recommendation.
Scotia Capital's Ryan Balgopal rated the stock "underperform" while National Bank Financial's James Durran maintained his "sector perform" rating. The other analysts' reports were not immediately available.
In the short-term, each new Wal-Mart is likely to spark a price war in its immediate market, Caicco said, though he also forecast that Wal-Mart won't necessarily be the low-price leader in all categories.
Instead, the new stores would likely try to match existing food discounters, such as No Frills or Food Basics, on a range of goods, Caicco said.
But the new Wal-Marts offer more fresh fruit and produce than a typical food discounter, along with a full-service bakery and deli counter, he said.
The Wal-Mart opening comes days after Loblaw Cos. signed a four-year contract with its unionized workers across Ontario. The deal gives Loblaw the right to convert more stores to lower-cost formats. The company also announced plans to reinvest in traditional food stores, which have languished since Loblaw shifted its focus to adding more general household goods in a bid to compete with Wal-Mart.
The pact also bought four years of labour peace, which should have been good news for the retailer.
Instead, Loblaw's stock continued to slide in each of the four days since the contract was ratified.
Wal-Mart had to do more to compete in Canada's sophisticated grocery industry than simply replicate its U.S. supercentres, Caicco wrote in his report, referring to the large combined food and household goods stores that it operates south of the border.
Canadian consumers expect a more sophisticated offering, are more culturally diverse and already well served by discounters, like No Frills, Price Chopper and Food Basics, Caicco said.
I wonder how LynnFoster's Loblaw stock is doing....
Retailer takes aim at Loblaw
Wal-Mart enters fresh food market
Analyst predicts pressure on prices
Oct. 20, 2006. 07:25 AM
DANA FLAVELLE
BUSINESS REPORTER
From sushi to organic baby food, Wal-Mart Canada Corp.'s newest Canadian store is a notch above what some analysts say they expected from a discount mass merchandiser.
The store, which is the first Wal-Mart in Canada to offer fresh food alongside frozen and packaged goods and general household merchandise, opened this week in Ancaster, a suburb of Hamilton.
It is one of several the country's biggest retailer plans to open between now and the end of January, including stores in London, Ont., Stouffville, Scarborough, Sarnia and Orleans.
The Ancaster store is remarkably different from any other Wal-Mart in Canada, or any of its U.S. formats, with the exception of its upscale experiment in Plano, Tex., analysts said.
Eschewing the Supercentre name, the company instead called the grocery side of the store Your Fresh Market and gave it a separate entrance off the parking lot.
The store is bigger than its nearest discount competitor, Food Basics, and charges lower prices than the nearby full-service supermarket, a Fortino's, said Perry Caicco, an analyst with CIBC World Markets.
And he said the new stores may take a bigger bite out of Canada's $70 billion a year grocery industry than originally expected.
"We would describe it as discount- plus," he wrote in a research note to clients.
"This will be a formidable grocery entry."
The focus of the report was the store's impact on supermarket leader Loblaw Cos. Ltd., whose stock Caicco has downgraded to "underperform."
He was one of four analysts to issue reports on Loblaws this week, including Michael Van Aelst, at TD Newcrest, who initiated coverage of the company with a "reduce" recommendation.
Scotia Capital's Ryan Balgopal rated the stock "underperform" while National Bank Financial's James Durran maintained his "sector perform" rating. The other analysts' reports were not immediately available.
In the short-term, each new Wal-Mart is likely to spark a price war in its immediate market, Caicco said, though he also forecast that Wal-Mart won't necessarily be the low-price leader in all categories.
Instead, the new stores would likely try to match existing food discounters, such as No Frills or Food Basics, on a range of goods, Caicco said.
But the new Wal-Marts offer more fresh fruit and produce than a typical food discounter, along with a full-service bakery and deli counter, he said.
The Wal-Mart opening comes days after Loblaw Cos. signed a four-year contract with its unionized workers across Ontario. The deal gives Loblaw the right to convert more stores to lower-cost formats. The company also announced plans to reinvest in traditional food stores, which have languished since Loblaw shifted its focus to adding more general household goods in a bid to compete with Wal-Mart.
The pact also bought four years of labour peace, which should have been good news for the retailer.
Instead, Loblaw's stock continued to slide in each of the four days since the contract was ratified.
Wal-Mart had to do more to compete in Canada's sophisticated grocery industry than simply replicate its U.S. supercentres, Caicco wrote in his report, referring to the large combined food and household goods stores that it operates south of the border.
Canadian consumers expect a more sophisticated offering, are more culturally diverse and already well served by discounters, like No Frills, Price Chopper and Food Basics, Caicco said.
V
vistaway
Guest
Actually, it IS called Wal-Mart Supercentre...the "Your Fresh Market" name is simply the 'brand' for the food side. The front of the store says Supercentre (Canadian spelling), as do the receipts.
And contrary to that article, a separate entrance for the food side is not unique - every Wal-Mart Supercenter has it, as does every RCSS.
Anyway, other than the fact that they have food (about as much a typical Sobeys or Dominion), it's not that different from a regular Wal-Mart.
And contrary to that article, a separate entrance for the food side is not unique - every Wal-Mart Supercenter has it, as does every RCSS.
Anyway, other than the fact that they have food (about as much a typical Sobeys or Dominion), it's not that different from a regular Wal-Mart.
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spmarshall
Guest
I see why I thought it might have been spelled the American way - the article posted was American. Still, I will seek vengance on Color Your World, Color Carpet and the Pearson Convention Center in Brampton.
RCSS does not have separate entrances for food and general merchandise - they are not marked as such, they just happen to be on opposite ends of the store front.
RCSS does not have separate entrances for food and general merchandise - they are not marked as such, they just happen to be on opposite ends of the store front.
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vistaway
Guest
The Wal-Mart entrances are the same...opposite ends of the store front. The signage above each entrance gives an idea of what is closest to that end (food or merch).
The newest incarnation of the RCSS design seems to have a different approach though. The Grimsby store only has one entrance and a totally different look. In 2 or 3 years, RCSS has already changed their name, store design, logo, slogan, branding, etc...more than one time in many cases.
The newest incarnation of the RCSS design seems to have a different approach though. The Grimsby store only has one entrance and a totally different look. In 2 or 3 years, RCSS has already changed their name, store design, logo, slogan, branding, etc...more than one time in many cases.
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samsonyuen
Guest
From: www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs...9048863851
__________
One-stop shopping a myth: Grocery guru
Retail's big players are sold on it, but this researcher argues picky consumers do what they always did - shop around
Oct. 22, 2006. 07:51 AM
DANA FLAVELLE
BUSINESS REPORTER
It has become a cliché that the time-pressed modern consumer is looking for value, price and convenience.
That's why you see firms like Loblaw Cos. Ltd. adding everything from furniture to shoes to their aisles, while retailers like Wal-mart Canada Corp. are bringing fresh food to their newest stores.
Yet, despite efforts by a growing number of retailers to be all things to all people, some experts believe one-stop shopping is a myth.
Most consumers actually split their weekly errands among a bunch of different stores, says Shelley Balanko, an ethnographer and consultant with The Hartman Group.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the grocery business, Balanko said in an interview. Today, she will deliver the keynote address at Grocery Innovations Canada.
The industry's annual trade show is taking place amid unprecedented change in Canada's $71.8 billion a year food retailing industry.
"The idea of the traditional marketplace is pretty much dead," said Balanko, who came to the conclusion by observing differences between what consumers say they want and what they actually do.
Though consumers say they like one-stop shopping, that's not the way they behave, said the Canadian-born Balanko, whose research is from the United States but is probably relevant to Canadians.
The days when mom or dad did a week's worth of groceries in a single trip is pretty much over, she said.
Instead, we see the modern family stocking up on staples such as toilet paper at large discount retailers but turning to local fruit stands or bakeries to buy fresh items, she said.
It's driven partly by consumers' changing tastes in food. Instead of buying mainly processed and packaged foods they want more organic, exotic, and fresh ingredients, Balanko's research has found.
"Whereas many years ago consumers were actually attracted to the convenience, predictability and reliability of processed and packaged foods," those same features now repel (if not repulse) most consumers, she suggested.
And, despite the intense time pressure on modern family life, people are willing to spend time getting what they want.
"Consumers' pickiness supersedes their sense of time famine," Balanko said.
Many modern families substitute some home-cooked meals with take-out food, she noted. Other nights, dad prepares the steak and salad he picked up on the way home from work.
Does that mean food retailers, like Loblaw and Wal-Mart, who are trying to be all things to all people, are headed in the wrong direction?
Not necessarily, Balanko said.
"You should concentrate on what you do best. As you add more things, consumers will continue to shop your store, but every consumer will shop your store for different reasons," she said. "Some people might be doing their weekly shop, others might be grabbing a quick product for workout fuel, and others might be picking up the fixings for a party."
All retailers need to be aware that consumers' tastes are changing. And that globalization is driving new tastes in food.
While some of our grandparents might have considered ethnic food weird, the baby boomer thinks nothing of ordering in Pad Thai, and their children have grown up with sushi and want to know how to make it at home, Balanko said.
Consumers care less about brand names, she maintains, finding they're looking for fresh and interesting experiences and that those who can fill that demand will get their business.
Balanko suggested stores try getting rid of candy and magazines at the cash register, and put grab-and-go fresh foods, such as bakery bread or cheese, near the front of the store.
__________
One-stop shopping a myth: Grocery guru
Retail's big players are sold on it, but this researcher argues picky consumers do what they always did - shop around
Oct. 22, 2006. 07:51 AM
DANA FLAVELLE
BUSINESS REPORTER
It has become a cliché that the time-pressed modern consumer is looking for value, price and convenience.
That's why you see firms like Loblaw Cos. Ltd. adding everything from furniture to shoes to their aisles, while retailers like Wal-mart Canada Corp. are bringing fresh food to their newest stores.
Yet, despite efforts by a growing number of retailers to be all things to all people, some experts believe one-stop shopping is a myth.
Most consumers actually split their weekly errands among a bunch of different stores, says Shelley Balanko, an ethnographer and consultant with The Hartman Group.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the grocery business, Balanko said in an interview. Today, she will deliver the keynote address at Grocery Innovations Canada.
The industry's annual trade show is taking place amid unprecedented change in Canada's $71.8 billion a year food retailing industry.
"The idea of the traditional marketplace is pretty much dead," said Balanko, who came to the conclusion by observing differences between what consumers say they want and what they actually do.
Though consumers say they like one-stop shopping, that's not the way they behave, said the Canadian-born Balanko, whose research is from the United States but is probably relevant to Canadians.
The days when mom or dad did a week's worth of groceries in a single trip is pretty much over, she said.
Instead, we see the modern family stocking up on staples such as toilet paper at large discount retailers but turning to local fruit stands or bakeries to buy fresh items, she said.
It's driven partly by consumers' changing tastes in food. Instead of buying mainly processed and packaged foods they want more organic, exotic, and fresh ingredients, Balanko's research has found.
"Whereas many years ago consumers were actually attracted to the convenience, predictability and reliability of processed and packaged foods," those same features now repel (if not repulse) most consumers, she suggested.
And, despite the intense time pressure on modern family life, people are willing to spend time getting what they want.
"Consumers' pickiness supersedes their sense of time famine," Balanko said.
Many modern families substitute some home-cooked meals with take-out food, she noted. Other nights, dad prepares the steak and salad he picked up on the way home from work.
Does that mean food retailers, like Loblaw and Wal-Mart, who are trying to be all things to all people, are headed in the wrong direction?
Not necessarily, Balanko said.
"You should concentrate on what you do best. As you add more things, consumers will continue to shop your store, but every consumer will shop your store for different reasons," she said. "Some people might be doing their weekly shop, others might be grabbing a quick product for workout fuel, and others might be picking up the fixings for a party."
All retailers need to be aware that consumers' tastes are changing. And that globalization is driving new tastes in food.
While some of our grandparents might have considered ethnic food weird, the baby boomer thinks nothing of ordering in Pad Thai, and their children have grown up with sushi and want to know how to make it at home, Balanko said.
Consumers care less about brand names, she maintains, finding they're looking for fresh and interesting experiences and that those who can fill that demand will get their business.
Balanko suggested stores try getting rid of candy and magazines at the cash register, and put grab-and-go fresh foods, such as bakery bread or cheese, near the front of the store.
C
cdl42
Guest
"God bless bands like Foo Fighters (The Colour and the Shape)"
That was only because The Colour and the Shape had a British producer and the band decided to roll with it. The latest album is In Your Honor.
That was only because The Colour and the Shape had a British producer and the band decided to roll with it. The latest album is In Your Honor.
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tudararms
Guest
Languages tend to economize. I'm sure the 'e' will be dropped definitavely at some point anyway; much like the 'e' in 'olde' etc. Making a vowel some sort of national symbol seems a little silly.
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building babel
Guest
The 'e' in 'olde' made a dramatic comeback as a faux affectation among retailers some years ago, which I find even more offensive.
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cdl42
Guest
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spmarshall
Guest
Best admaesque reference ever!
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ganjavih
Guest
Anyone know the story behind the choice of spelling for the Harbour Commission building?
