Labatt’s Kokanee beer to star in a full-length feature film Hollie Shaw May 23, 2012 – 12:06 PM ET | Last Updated: May 23, 2012 12:07 PM ET Grip Ltd. Labatt's Kokanee beer is taking branded entertainment to a new level with a full-length feature film. Toronto-based ad agency Grip Ltd. has taken branded entertainment to a new level, producing a full-length movie with Alliance Films featuring Kokanee beer and the cast of colourful characters from its commercials. The movie is a “buddy comedy” set in Western Canada, where the beer brand originated, about a reunion of friends in a ski town. Grip and Kokanee are encouraging customer participation in the movie, holding casting sessions online, conducting soundtrack auditions and asking people to nominate their ... Continue reading →
Target Corp.‘s foray into Canada will make it a solid defensive stock with a business model predicted to reap about $6-billion in annual sales, and give an approximate 10% annual boost to the retailer’s pre-tax earnings. “We rate Target as a buy based on its expansion into Canada, its remodel and loyalty initiatives to drive U.S. sales growth and its strong financial position to support robust dividend growth and an aggressive share repurchase program,” analyst Mark Rosen of Accountability Research Corp. said in a research report Tuesday. The analyst, who put a sell on Loblaw Cos. Ltd.‘s stock last week after the grocery chain posted lacklustre first-quarter results, put a target price of US$62 on the Wal-Mart Stores Inc. rival’s shares. In addition, Target should ... Continue reading →
Sears Canada’s U.S. parent company will slash its holdings to 51% of the struggling department store chain and may sell the rest. The move comes six years after Sears Holdings Corp. mounted a failed effort to buy up the stake it did not own of the Canadian unit, a business which was at the time performing well and provided a source of cash for the U.S. retailer, which operates the Sears and Kmart retail chains in the United States. Its fortunes have been dwindling since then, however, with revenue shrinking annually since 2006. Sears Holdings chairman Edward Lampert, who noted in a report to shareholders this that Sears Canada had “experienced very poor results,” had been under pressure to raise cash for his business. Calvin ... Continue reading →
Sears Canada’s U.S. parent company will slash its holdings to 51% of the struggling department store chain and may sell the rest. The move comes six years after Sears Holdings Corp. mounted a failed effort to buy up the stake it did not own of the Canadian unit, a business which was at the time performing well and provided a source of cash for the U.S. retailer, which operates the Sears and Kmart retail chains in the United States. Its fortunes have been dwindling since then, however, with revenue shrinking annually since 2006. Sears Holdings chairman Edward Lampert, who noted in a report to shareholders this that Sears Canada had “experienced very poor results,” had been under pressure to raise cash for his business. Calvin ... Continue reading →
Loblaw Cos Ltd.’s weak first-quarter results coupled with increasing competitive pressure from Walmart and Target in the coming months has prompted one analyst to put a sell on the stock. “Loblaw is currently trading at the low end of its recent price-to-earnings [valuation] range, which we feel is more than justified by the company’s weak sales growth, inability to take full advantage of national food inflatioin and recent revelations of market share losses which we expect will continue,” analyst Mark Rosen of Accountability Research Corp. said in a research note Monday. Mr. Rosen noted Loblaw has not posted annual same-store sales growth above 1% since 2009. Same-store sales are an important measure of retail strength in the marketplace, tallying volume from stores that have been ... Continue reading →
Canadian Tire Corp. chief executive Stephen Wetmore did not mention Target Corp. explicitly at the annual shareholder’s meeting in Toronto on Thursday, but the U.S. retailer’s arrival loomed large in a speech that played heavily upon the company’s national heritage. “It is not lost on us that we are one of the last great Canadian retail brands,” he told investors, detailing consumers’ sentimental associations of the retailer as the place where Canadian kids get their first bicycles and hockey skates, gear for camping trips and Hallowe’en decorations. ‘It is not lost on us that we are one of the last great Canadian retail brands’ “We are the purveyor of Canadian dreams,” he said. It may tug at investors’ heartstrings, but it is also a calculated ... Continue reading →
Tim Hortons Inc. has issued a call to its suppliers of pork and eggs to stop using so-called “gestation stalls” for sows and to reduce the number of battery cages for hens. Canada’s biggest quick-serve restaurant chain is asking pork suppliers to issue clear plans and timelines by the end of the year to phase out gestation stalls, the highly confining crate where the majority of pigs are held to breed. Tim Hortons also set a goal to purchase at least 10% of its eggs from so-called enriched hen housing systems, which give hens more room and allow them to nest and perch, by the end of 2013. “We believe there are better, more humane and sustainable housing systems that can improve the quality of ... Continue reading →
TORONTO • The most recent profit and sales figures at Loblaw Cos. Ltd. may not reflect the grocery chain’s bid to improve volume, but more satisfied customers are helping to drive the business and that should continue, executives told attendees at the grocery giant’s annual general meeting Thursday. Executive chairman Galen Weston told investors the company is setting itself apart from its peers with the strength of its proprietary brands, such as President’s Choice and Joe Fresh apparel. The clothing line, launched less than seven years ago, he said, and “is now the largest apparel brand in Canada in terms of units and dollars.” One in three customers going into a Loblaw store intend to buy something at Joe Fresh when they are there, according ... Continue reading →
