Manufacturer

The first shipment of Alberta crude from British Columbia tidewater is on its way to the Irving Oil refining facility in Saint John.

Like all convenience store retailers, Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

New rules restricting the sale of most flavoured vape products have come into effect in Ontario.The rules mean most of the products can now only be sold at specialty vape and cannabis retail stores, which serve customers 19 and older.Products with menthol, mint and tobacco flavours are exempt from the new regulations, which came into effect July 1.READ: Ontario agrees to delay enforcement of new vaping rules The regulations also mean vapour products with nicotine levels higher than 20 milligrams will be limited to specialty stores.Those shops will also no longer be allowed to have indoor displays that are visible from outside.Health Minister Christine Elliott unveiled the long-anticipated package of measures in February after expressing concern for months about youth vaping.The measures banned the promotion of vaping products in convenience stores and gas stations earlier this year.

Operator Harsha Nimrani is making a strong play with the opening of her latest business in London, Ont.

Nestlé Canada Inc.

Coca-Cola is shutting down Odwalla, its juice and smoothie brand, at the end of this month.

Wash and fuel sectors look outside the box COVID-19 has created trying times.

Alimentation Couche-Tard says shopping patterns have changed during COVID-19 lockdowns with consumers purchasing larger-sized goods and stocking up on beer, wine and tobacco products.The Quebec-based convenience store chain says there has been strong growth in the sale of alcoholic beverages, in jurisdictions where these sales are permitted."With the closure of bars and restaurants, we saw a movement in packaged beverage towards larger take-home packages, particularly impacting all beer segments as customer buying shifted to larger pack formats,'' CEO Brian Hannasch said June 30 during a conference call about fourth-quarter and record full-year results.Couche-Tard beat expectations as it reported a fourth-quarter profit of US$576.3 million or 52 cents per share for the period ended April 26, up from US$293.1 million or 26 cents per share a year earlier.He noted that there was a shift to cases of 24 and 30 beers from six-packs, along with grocery-sized packages of salty and confectionery items."There was also a notable shift from instant consumption or single-serve to take-home packages in that category.''Even with traffic starting to improve as the economy reopens, Hannasch told analysts that he's been surprised that some of the larger-sized formats remain popular as customers are limiting their shopping trips."We've also gained new customers as we stayed open throughout the pandemic to meet their needs for emergency products, impulse buys and grocery items, which became increasingly popular, and we're seeing some stickiness,'' he said.Sales of food, fountain soft drinks and coffee, which declined with lower consumer traffic, have started to increase.