News

2020 has been an extraordinary year for the convenience industry, which stepped up as an essential service to provide Canadians with the goods and services needed during the pandemic.

A new study is highlighting the extent of the illegal cigarette market in Canada and the cost to provincial treasuries in foregone tax revenue.

Retailers in Ontario will earn 30% sales commission for every pack of $5 Plinko tickets activated from January 4 to March 31, 2021. This is an increase of 22% over the regular commission of 8%.The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation says the move is a way to "thank all our retailers and support you for your hard work through this challenging time due to the pandemic."It's also a strategy to drive customer awareness and sales growth of this new lottery game, which launches in the new year.Retailers will earn $105 per pack activated vs $28 based on regular commission of 8%: The promotion is slated to last three months.This fall, the Ontario Convenience Stores Association petitioned the provincial government to recognize and reward the key role that c-store operators play in driving revenue for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation by increasing lottery commissions across the board by 2%.As the cost of doing business for c-stores continues to increase—not to mention the added financial and related challenges brought on by the pandemic—the OCSA argues that this is an ideal opportunity for the province to support the channel and small business owners.  C-stores account for 76% of Ontario lottery sales for OLG.

When the founders of PizzaForno began rolling out automated, around-the-clock pizza ovens in Canada, they spent months perfecting recipes.

Hungry for opportunity   While the pandemic continues to disrupt and redefine the foodservice space, it continues to be an important focus area for convenience operators across the country.

Since spring 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way most people live throughout the world and directly impacted retailers and the way they operate – especially those deemed essential, such as convenience stores.

Between the pandemic and evolving regulations on key categories, it’s been an extraordinary year of changes and challenges for the convenience industry.

Retail shrinkage, due to employee theft, shoplifting and errors, is an ongoing issue for c-store operators.