Michigan Radio & TV Buzzboard

That's cool TT.

Labs and goldens are the best.

MWmetalhead wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 06, 2023 8:18 am

Labs and goldens are the best.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... -bike.html

Honeyman wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 06, 2023 9:49 am

MWmetalhead wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 06, 2023 8:18 am

Labs and goldens are the best.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... -bike.html

Just like a Pit Bull… terrible guard dog… well at least this one is

Bostons are better.

Turkeytop wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 03, 2023 10:38 am

The Canadian retail landscape is littered with the carcasses of US retailers who failed to make the grade in Canada. Lowes is the latest casualty. They sold off their Canadian business earlier this year and the new owners are now rebranding all the stores as Rona.

Probably the most spectacular failure was Target. They lasted only a few months. Big Lots was another failure.

Right now, Best Buy and Dollar Tree are both struggling.

The two success stories were Walmart and Home Depot. Their pockets were deep enough to absorb losses for a few years until they got the Canadian market figured out.

Retail is tough anywhere, and I'm not sure the Canadian market is really worth it. I think the following two excerpts from this article https://retail-insider.com/retail-insid ... nterviews/ sums it up quite well:

“I also believe that Canada, as a market, requires a higher level of profitability in order to make sense. We require dual language offices and service, we come with separate taxation and legal issues, and, at the end of the day, we’re a market with a population that’s smaller than the state of California. If you have to close stores in a market, Canada is going to be at the top of your list.”

Also:

“Many brands and retailers that have entered Canada have failed because they do not immerse themselves in the Canadian market. Hiring a Canadian team doesn’t cut it. Studying the market, shopping the market and getting to the know the nuances between major cities is crucial. We are all different and you can ask any Canadian across the country, we pride ourselves on being diverse. This is the beauty of Canada.

The customer in Vancouver is very different compared to the customer in Calgary, Toronto, or Ottawa. Thoroughly understanding the new market before scaling is the only way to enter a new market.”

With most stores struggling against internet sales right here in the US, it seems that the Canadian market is, per pretty much their own description, not worth the trouble. We don't need to separately style a Target in Minneapolis from one in Dallas, other than perhaps a few decorations. By their expert's own admission, Canada requires a 'one-of' situation in every region.

It doesn't make sense, in these difficult economic times, to try an re-invent an established chain's way of doing business in order to enter what is really a small market with a ton of extraneous rules of operation. It makes even less sense to do that again from region to region.

I'd much rather see US chains concentrate their efforts here in the US, not get dragged down (and as such either raise our prices here or go over the cliff to bankruptcy) and let Canada develop their own versions of the stores. I'm half Canadian by blood, and I love the country....they are generally a nicer people and do several things better than we do here. However, doing retail there does not generally work, and US businesses need to recognize that, stop trying, and focus elsewhere.

Excellent points.

The Canadian retail environment is very much different from the US. Different regulations and different Employment laws.

Target bought out an existing Canadian retail chain. Had they properly done their due diligence they'd have learned that, in any location where the employees were Unionized, they would have to recognize the Union and honour the collective agreement. They found out too late and decided to shut down those stores, rather than bargain collectively with the employees. They ended up with a much smaller chain than they had expected.

Walmart tried out Sam's Club in Canada, but Canadian shoppers just didn't shop there. After about three years they gave up.

MWmetalhead wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 06, 2023 8:18 am

Labs and goldens are the best.

No argument here...