Topshelf News for October 7, 2011
INFORMATION, IDEAS & INSIGHTS FOR SHELFSPACE MEMBERS
October 7, 2011
TOPSHELF NEWS
Family Day Announced
Passion for Retail Wrap Up
BuylocalCanada.ca Free 30 Day Trial
Farewell Sonja
Social Enterprise Research Survey
UPCOMING EVENTS
Power Smart Forum
RETAIL WATCH
Shelfspace In The News
Alberta News
British Columbia News
Family Day Announced
The Christy Clark government has announced the introduction of a new provincial statutory holiday, Family Day, which will occur on the third Monday in February, commencing in 2013.
Five other provinces have this day off of work. The introduction of a 11th statutory holiday in BC would come at an inopportune time for many members, with the increased cost of a Family Day not being offset by the perceived return on investment in the form of additional consumer traffic in stores and online. Family Day will create significant challenges to retailers, especially when this results in having to pay staff 2.5 times (pay for additional day off provision plus time and half) at a time when they are still absorbing a 25% increase in minimum wage and are dealing with a redefined consumer, competitive pressures, inflation, gas prices, tariffs and country pricing set by manufacturers.
Shelfspace and Canada’s national retail association, Retail Council of Canada, met with the BC Labour Minister before the announcement and encouraged her to consult with us before they made a decision on Family Day.
Shelfspace and RCC Proposed Recommendations:
While it is disappointing the government chose not to consult with business, Shelfspace and RCC have provided some innovative suggestions to government, including:
• Establish Family Day as a “stat lite” day wherein the hourly rate on stat holiday hours could be straight time or time and half, and eliminate the additional day off provision;
• Make Family Day a tax free exempt day – a tax holiday for retailers in order to provide a catalyst and a boost to encourage sales in the first quarter;
• Review all statutory holidays in B.C. to determine if there are innovative ways to change onerous requirements for employers;
• Altering the qualifying conditions for entitlement to statutory holiday premiums (to 90 days’ employment) to better reflect the purpose of statutory holiday entitlements and to prevent abuse.
If you have any thoughts on these ideas or have any other suggestions, please send your comments to inquiry@shelfspace.ca
Passion for Retail
Thank you to everyone who came out for Passion for Retail on Monday, the event was a great success!
We're currently putting together all the speaker notes and video presentations to be made available online. So stay tuned for more updates on when these will become available from the Shelfspace website. A selection of photos from the day are up on our Facebook page.
BuylocalCanada.ca
BuylocalCanada.ca has recently partnered up with Shelfspace to offer our members a free 30 day trial of the BuylocalCanada.ca.
BuylocalCanada.ca is a local search tool to find business, coupons, brands and jobs designed to provide results based on location. This is a great tool to connect local retailers with local customers instantly. View a personal message from Kori Handy, BuylocalCanada.ca founder, to our Shelfspace members.
Farewell Sonja
After leaving for Maternity Leave, Sonja Kennedy, our former General Manager, will not be returning to work for Shelfspace. We wish Sonja all the best for the future and thank her for her years of hard work and dedication to Shelfspace and our members.
Social Enterprise Research Survey
The University of Calgary Haskayne School of Business are conducting research into Social Enterprise in Western Canada. On their behalf we would like to ask you to participate in their research survey. If you are a business owner, entrepreneur, or work in a for-profit business, you are invited to complete this survey. Each survey participant can enter a draw for one of five iPod Shuffles. You don’t need social enterprise expertise, knowledge or experience, as a business person in Calgary, Edmonton or Vancouver, you have valuable perceptions to share. To access the online survey, please go to: http://www.fsw.ucalgary.ca/socialenterprise
UPCOMING EVENTS
Power Smart Forum, October 17-19
The 2011 BC Hydro Power Smart Forum early-bird registration deadline is just around the corner! Those who register by Friday, September 23 at 5:00pm PST will automatically be entered into the early-bird prize draw for a chance to win a four-day. Read more
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RETAIL WATCH
TOP HEADLINES
Canada July retail sales index report
Retail sales declined 0.6% to $37.5 billion in July, after increasing the previous three months.
U.S. retailers like Target and Wal-Mart lured by Canada's resilient economy, strong currency
More U.S. retailers looking for fresh markets are turning to Canada, lured by their northern neighbor's resilient economy, strong currency and the familiarity with their brands.
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ALBERTA NEWS
Alberta shoppers pull back
While Alberta has been a bit of an island of optimism in mid-2011, shoppers here appear to be pausing.
American retailer Express Inc. sets sights on Calgary
American retailer Express Inc. announced aggressive expansion plans into Canada, including three stores in Calgary by the end of this year.
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BRITISH COLUMBIA NEWS
Small business applauds Premier's tax review
B.C.'s small business community is applauding Premier Christy Clark's planned review of the province's tax system aimed at making it more attractive for small businesses and their investors.
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