Canada news

US-based Albertsons is partnering with Veeve Smart Carts to launch smart carts in around a dozen stores across the country. The retailer is aiming to develop a fast, contactless experience for its shoppers. Skipping traditional checkouts A growing number of retailers are piloting smart carts to offer a checkout-free shopping experience. Veeve Smart Carts enable shoppers to place their items...

Despite a solid sales performance in the first quarter, against tough comparables, Walmart saw a sharp hit on profitability due to higher costs. We look at the impact on its performance and its updated outlook for the year. Walmart's Q1 key numbers Walmart's total revenue in Q1 increased by 2.4% to $141.6bn, representing an additional $3.3bn Sales in its US stores increased by 4.0%, w...

Loblaw’s Shoppers Drug Mart business has completed the acquisition of Lifemark Health Group. The company is a leading provider of outpatient physiotherapy, massage therapy, occupational therapy, chiropractic, mental health, and other ancillary rehabilitation services through more than 300 clinics across Canada. The deal is valued at CAD$845m. Growing role as a healthcare services company As...

Loblaw delivered a solid sales performance in Q1 against tough comparables from last year. But the real story is the growth in profitability, with net earnings soaring by 40%. We look at what’s behind these results. Q1 key numbers Total revenue increased 3.3% to $12,262m Retail segment sales increased 3.2% to $12,045m Food retail same-stores sales increased by 2.1%, with drug retai...

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Couche-Tard and EG Group could potentially merge, with the latter valued at around US$16bn. Where do the two businesses overlap? The convenience market in the U.S is highly fragmented, with approx. 150,000 stores trading. Couche-Tard is the second largest operator with about 7,150 sites, while EG has approx. 1,700 stores. The merger could he...

Canada’s Metro Inc. saw a flight to value in the second quarter against a backdrop of stronger inflation. While it was expected to moderate in the second half of the year, the outlook remains complex. Q2 key numbers Sales up 1.9% to $4,274m Food same-store sales up 0.8% Pharmacy same-store sales up 9.4%, with front-of-store up 13.3% Grocery ecommerce sales up 6.0% Net earning...

PayPal's John Rainey has been named as Walmart’s new CFO. He takes over the position from Brett Biggs on June 6. Biggs announced last year that he would be stepping down from his role, having spent 22 years at the retailer. Joining from PayPal Rainey joins Walmart from PayPal, where he currently serves as its CFO and EVP, Global Operations. He joined the company seven years ago, helping it ...

Fast on the heels of new stores from Amazon and Target, Walmart Canada is to develop a sustainability-led store in Montreal. It is expected to open in the summer of 2023. Rooftop growing The new store will be developed in Marché Central, Montreal, one of Canada’s top-performing retail destinations and the city’s premier value shopping destination. It will be designed to showcase several of ...

Instacart, the leading on-demand fulfilment and delivery company in North America, has consolidated existing and new services under a new Instacart platform. We look at what this means for the business and its retail customers as it transforms to be a retail enablement organisation. Built a leadership position in on-demand delivery This is the first major move from Fidji Simo, who joined th...

We review Couche-Tard’s results for the nine months ended 30 January 2022. Key numbers for the nine months YoY Total revenue up 38.3% to US$46.3bn Merchandise and service revenues up 5.7% to US$12.8bn Road transportation fuel revenues up 55.6% to US$32.9bn Same-store merchandise revenues up 5.8% in Europe and other regions (including Hong Kong), 1.7% in the U.S and -4.2% in Cana...