Do you have a go-to retail chain for buying household basics? I do not. I use a mental algorithm to pick a store based on expected cost, distance from home and the amount of time I expect to have to waste in the checkout line.
A detailed cost comparison of various household goods at Walmart, Costco and Canadian Tire suggests that if you really want to save, you shouldn’t have a go-to store. Each of the three has its pricing strengths and weaknesses.
Walmart entered the Canadian market a quarter of a century ago. Its entry began with the acquisition of 122 Woolco stores and the founding of Walmart Canada on March 17, 1994. Canada had just come out of a recession, and hard-pressed competitors viewed Walmart’s entry with some concern as they struggled to maintain market share in a fast-changing retail landscape.
(Grocery Business Magazine)
Korean born VDL Cosmetics, part of LG Household and Healthcare, which includes Fruits & Passion, Belif and The Face Shop, is expanding their foothold in the Canadian cosmetics market with the launch of their first flagship store in Toronto's Queen West neighborhood. (note from Retail Insider, the store opened last summer)
Vancouver-based Spence Diamonds, a leading retailer of diamond jewelry, recently expanded their operations, opening three new concept stores. This is on the heels of the extraordinary success Spence and Reflect enjoyed with their initial store openings in the U.S., including a 2017 DIGI Award for Best Digital Signage in Retail. The new stores are awesome, an evolution based on the successes of Spence's original entry into the U.S. market. With a new brand image, amazing digital displays, and evocative content, Spence continues to surpass shopper expectations in the jewelry category.