Supermarket/Grocery

C-stores and gas stations across the country remain open under ever-changing guidelines, according to the Convenience Industry Council of Canada's Coast to Coast Update.

Retail Council of Canada (RCC), on behalf of the retail industry in Canada, is sharing a short video and other resources outlining the precautions and guidelines convenience, grocery and drugstore shoppers should follow to keep everyone safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.It's a welcome move, as retailers struggle to keep themselves and staff save from customers who "just don't get it."Convenience Store News Canada and Octane asked c-store and gas operators about how the crisis is affecting their business and here's what we heard in terms of how customers are behaving in-store."We still have groups of young kids/teens coming in together for snack items.

Major commercial landlords in Canada are offering rent deferrals to tenants as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many businesses to close their stores.RioCan, Choice Properties, and CT real estate investments trusts all said last week that they were working with tenants who need support because of the financial challenges brought on by the outbreak.Loblaw landlord Choice Properties REIT said it would grant 60-day rent deferrals on a case-by-case basis for “qualifying'' small businesses and independent tenants.“We understand and acknowledge the extraordinary financial pressures on parts of our tenant base, especially on independent and smaller businesses,'' said Choice chairman Galen Weston in a statement.Choice REIT, which holds 6.1 million square metres (65.8 million square feet) of leasable space across 726 properties, says it has also withdrawn its 2020 outlook because of the uncertainty around the duration and impacts of the pandemic, but that it is well-positioned to weather the volatility because of its high proportion of necessity-based retailers.RioCan, which has about 3.6 million square metres of leasable space over 220 properties, said it was offering an automatic 60-day interest-free rent deferral for independent commercial tenants who have asked for relief, to be paid back over a year.“We are committed to supporting all of our stakeholders through this difficult time,'' the company said in a release.Canadian Tire landlord CT REIT said it was “committed to working with those of our tenants who need our support,'' but did not give specifics on its relief plans.The company said tenants representing about 6.2% of its annual base rent are currently not open or operating, and that tenants representing about 2.8% of annual base rent didn't pay their full rent on April 1.CT REIT, which holds 2.5 million square metres over 350 properties, says that tenants representing a further 33.5% of its annual base rent are operating on a limited basis, including 132 Canadian Tire stores that are now only serving customers through curbside pickup or online.The deferral options come after the retail segment of commercial real estate saw a huge drop in April payments after many stores and restaurants were forced to close.Payments range significantly between real estate companies, but CBRE vice chairman Paul Morassutti said that anecdotally he's hearing from large mall owners that only about 15 to 30% of retail tenants paid rent for April.“When you sell stuff, or when you sell food or cut hair or whatever, if nobody's allowed to go out, you know, it's devastating.''He said the scale of the issue meant that almost all landlords had given some sort of rent deferral.“I think every landlord in Canada, with the exception of maybe a bunch of small ones, are showing flexibility, because they have to, they have no choice.''The rent issue on the commercial side was largely on the retail sector, with office, industrial and even multi-family holding up relatively well, he said.Rent payments could be a bigger issue in May with a full month of business disruption on top of the half-month of March, but government programs should also have rolled out by then to give some cushion, said Morassutti.Government programs could help soften the blow, but the key issue is how long the outbreak and the forced business closures to fight it drag on.“I would think most restaurant owners would tell you they've got about a month or two of cash flow to get them through a crisis, many of them not even that much.

When a relationship breaks down after more than 60 years of mutual benefit, feelings are bound to get hurt.

FCPC members report an increase in demand and production in response to COVID-19 The spread of  COVID-19 in Canada has triggered panic-buying and hoarding, and food and consumer goods manufacturers are working to keep pace.

Shoppers are facing empty shelves at some stores due to unprecedented demand for food and other goods even as grocers assure Canadians coping with the COVID-19 outbreak that plenty of new items are on the way and manufacturers say they have the raw materials they need.Temporary shortages are to be expected in spite of a supply chain working in overdrive, experts say, because the system isn't built to predict extreme, large-scale changes in buyer behaviour.Shoppers stockpile for a number of reasons, said Mike von Massow, an associate professor at The University of Guelph.

Among the many change-of-life impacts of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, convenience stores are seeing an increase in shoppers who typically would go to supermarkets for their grocery needs.According to a new study conducted by Convenience Store News Canada's parent company, EnsembleIQ, 15% of shoppers said they are more likely to shop at convenience stores for groceries due to the pandemic.

C-stores and gas stations are exemptIn an attempt to give frontline retail workers a break during the COVID-19 pandemic, Quebec Premier Francois Legault on Monday ordered most of the stores still allowed to operate to close on Sundays during the month of April.The premier gave his newest directive as the province reported its biggest one-day spike in confirmed COVID cases - 590 positive tests - bringing the provincial total to 3,430.