News Briefs

After a two-year hiatus, 7-Eleven Day is back this summer at 7-Eleven Canada .

On July 11th, customers are bring invited to visit their nearest 7-Eleven Canada location for a free small Slurpee or spend $20 on 7NOW for free Slurpee and delivery.

To mark the occasion, 7-Eleven is also dropping a new feature flavour – the Crush Cactus Catapult. Available now until the end of summer, the new flavour is a blend of orange and pineapple taste.

The Crush Cactus Catapult joins a full lineup of exclusive Slurpee flavour offerings – Frog Water, Blueberry Yuzu Lemonade, Orange Pineapple, and Dragon Fruit – only from Slurpee and at 7-Eleven Canada throughout summer.

“This is the biggest celebration of the year, and we’ve been eagerly preparing to bring the event back to our stores after two years of celebrating from a distance,” says Norman Hower, VP & GM of 7-Eleven Canada. “7-Eleven Day is a tradition for our customers so we’re incredibly excited to invite them to grab a refreshingly delicious Slurpee on us on our birthday."

In keeping with traditions, Manitoba has been crowned the Slurpee Capital of the World once again.

As part of the Slurpee Day comeback, 7-Eleven Canada is giving away seven prizes for one million 7Rewards points with the 7Rewards points bonanza – that’s equal to 1,000 free slurpee drinks or redeem points from a menu of free snacks, meals and drinks. 

OTTAWA - The annual inflation rate skyrocketed to its highest level in nearly 40 years in May, fuelled by soaring gas prices, Statistics Canada said Wednesday.

The agency said its consumer price index in May rose 7.7% compared with a year ago, its largest increase since January 1983 when it gained 8.2% and up from a 6.8% increase in April this year.

The gain came as energy prices rose 34.8% compared with a year ago with gasoline prices up 48.0% compared with a year ago.

Statistics Canada said crude oil prices rose in May due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, as well as increased demand as travel continued to grow in response to eased COVID-19 restrictions.

Excluding gasoline, the annual inflation rate in May rose to 6.3% compared with 5.8% in April.

The rising inflation rate comes as the Bank of Canada works to bring it back under control.

The average of the three core measures of inflation that are closely watched by the Bank of Canada rose to 4.73% in May compared with 4.43% in April.

The central bank has raised its key interest rate target three times so far this year to bring it to 1.5% and said that it is prepared to "act more forcefully'' if needed, leading to speculation by economists that it could raise rates by three-quarters of a percentage point next month.

The U.S. Federal Reserve raised its key rate by three-quarters of a percentage point last week after the inflation report for May in the U.S. showed prices up 8.6% from a year ago.

TD Bank managing director Leslie Preston said a generation of Canadians is experiencing high inflation for the first time.

"If you aren't over 40, you have never lived through inflation like this, and unfortunately, we are not expecting much of a reprieve going forward,'' Preston wrote in a report. "All of this reinforces the view that the Bank of Canada will hike by 75 basis points on July 13, following in the Fed's footsteps.''

Statistics Canada said the price for food bought at stores rose 9.7% compared with a year ago, matching the April increase, as the cost of nearly everything in the grocery cart went higher.

The cost of edible fats and oils gained 30.0% compared with a year ago, its largest increase on record, mainly driven by higher prices for cooking oils. Fresh vegetable prices rose 10.3%.

The cost of services in May rose 5.2% compared with a year ago, up from a gain of 4.6% in April, as Canadians travelled and ate in restaurants more often.

Prices for traveller accommodation gained 40.2% compared with a year ago, while the price of food purchased from restaurants gained 6.8%.

-The Canadian Press

TORONTO - Loblaw Cos. Ltd. and food delivery company DoorDash Inc. today announced a collaboration that introduces a rapid grocery delivery service to customers in Canada.

Starting in August, customers in some Canadian cities, including Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary, will be able to order select items from Loblaw for delivery in 30 minutes or less.

The items can be ordered by selecting PC Express rapid delivery through the DoorDash app.

Starting in July, customers will also be able to order items from all Loblaw banner stores, including Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore and Shoppers Drug Mart, for delivery through DoorDash.

Loblaw already has a grocery delivery partnership with Instacart.

The agreement comes as DoorDash's share price on the New York Stock Exchange has tumbled more than 60 per cent from its November high.

Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed.

-The Canadian Press

7-Eleven in the U.S. is diversifying its delivery options by teaming up with Waitr Holdings Inc., an on-demand food ordering and delivery service. The new collaboration provides a fresh delivery option for customers across more than 700 7-Eleven locations.

“We’re excited to reach and serve our customers on Waitr with what they want – when, where and how they want it,” said 7-Eleven SVP and chief digital officer Raghu Mahadevan. “We look forward to bringing fan-favourite 7-Eleven products – like ice cold Slurpee drinks, hot pizza or ice cream– to even more customers across the country.”

Waitr operates in more than 1,000 cities in the United States and has 26,000-plus restaurants on its platform. 

“The addition of 7-Eleven to our platform represents the newest example of our ongoing commitment to expand into new delivery verticals,” said Carl Grimstad, CEO and chairman of the board of Waitr. “This partnership creates a new level of convenience for our customers. Effective immediately, we will be able to deliver your favourite food and snacks from hundreds of 7-Eleven locations directly to you.”

The new partnership builds on 7-Eleven's current delivery portfolio in the U.S., which includes Uber Eats, Grubhub, Instacart, Postmates and DoorDash, as well as Google Food Ordering and Favor in select markets.

Of course, 7-Eleven also offers delivery via its propriety 7NOW mobile app. The Gold Pass launched earlier this year.  

 

Kellogg Co., the maker of Frosted Flakes, Rice Krispies and Eggo, will split into three companies focused on cereals, snacks and plant-based foods.

Kellogg's which also owns and MorningStar Farms, the plant-based food maker, said Tuesday that the spinoff of the yet to be named cereal and plant-based foods companies should be completed by the end of next year.

The company's corporate headquarters will move from Battle Creek, Michigan, to Chicago, but it will maintain dual headquarters in both cities for its snack company, which makes up about 80% of current sales. Kellogg's three international headquarters in Europe, Latin America, and AMEA will remain in their current locations.

Companies have begun to split up at an accelerated pace, including General Electric, IBM and Johnson & Johnson, but such splits are more rare for food producers. The last major split in the sector was in in 2012, when Kraft split to create Mondelēz.

- The Associated Press

BRAMPTON, Ont. - Loblaw Companies Ltd. says it plans to eliminate all single-use plastic shopping bags from its stores by the end of the first quarter of 2023.

The parent company of Loblaws and Shoppers Drug Mart says the move will apply to its corporate and franchise grocery stores, pharmacies and PC Express service.

It has 2,500 stores across the country.

Loblaw says as single-use plastic shopping bags are phased out systematically, province by province, customers will be have a variety of reusable alternatives.

It says customers have already rallied around reusable bags.

Loblaw says the adoption of a plastic bag fee has led to a 70% decline in the use of plastic bags in its stores.

- The Canadian Press