Supermarket/Grocery

Calls for the return of hazard pay are mounting as workers on the front lines of Canada's retail industry grow increasingly anxious amid rising COVID-19 cases.

A Halloween night that falls on both a Saturday and a full moon would normally be ideal for spooky festivities, driving up sales of candy, costumes and decorations.But with cases of COVID-19 on the rise, experts expect retailers to see soft demand for Halloween supplies as plans are scaled back and trick-or-treating is questioned altogether.They add that sales related to the spooky celebration may also serve as an indicator for what retailers can expect this Christmas, the largest shopping season of the year.Farla Efros, president of HRC Retail Advisory, says Halloween is a significant portion of business for many retailers and candy makers.She says the lack of gatherings, office parties and trick-or-treating could lead to soft sales for retailers from grocers to specialty Halloween pop-up stores.Retail analyst Bruce Winder says families and friends might plan their own ``bubble Halloween'' like a backyard celebration or scary movie night.He says while people will still buy some candy, decorations and costumes, it likely won't be as profitable a season as usual for retailers and candy manufacturers.

Retail sales in Canada “hit a wall'' in July after big gains in May and June, a sign that the economic recovery could be slow and bumpy.Statistics Canada said Friday overall retail sales in July rose 0.6% to $52.9 billion, helped by higher sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers and gasoline stations, after posting gains of more than 20% in both May and June.However, core retail sales, which exclude those two sectors, fell 1.2% in July, with building material and garden equipment sales dropping 11.6%.

Online grocery delivery service Inabuggy is continuing its aggressive product rollout with the addition of a “hyperlocal” offering called Inabuggy-Mart.

Walmart is launching a new membership service that it hopes can compete with Amazon Prime.

Alfredo Rivera is the new president of Coca-Cola North America, replacing Jim Dinkins, who is retiring.

From capitalizing on emerging opportunities to accommodating queuing systems and adjusting to category upheaval, making every square foot count is more important than ever To say that this year has been challenging would be an understatement.

The fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry experienced significant and prolonged lifts in sales across most categories as COVID-19 spread and drove people into weeks of lockdown.