CHHMA - EYE ON OUR INDUSTRY
Volume 15, Issue 39, October 22, 2015

Inside This Issue:

• Register Now for Industry Cocktail (December 10th) in Montreal
• CHHMA Looking for Volunteers to Join the Business Events Committee
• Target Begins Shipping to Canada through its Website (Oct 21-22)
• Amazon Boosts Holiday Hiring by 25%; Adding 100,000 Jobs
• Why Paying with Your Smartphone Hasn’t Caught On
• Wal-Mart Puts the Squeeze on Suppliers to Share its Pain as Earnings Sag
• Wal-Mart Bribed Officials in India,U.S. Corruption Probe Finds
• Retail Sales Rise for Fourth Straight Month on Auto-Sector Gains
• Bank of Canada Holds Interest Rate at 0.5% as Oil Shock Lingers
• Canadian Home Resales Ease in September
• Canadian Home Prices Extend Climb in September, But Sales Cool
• Latest U.S. Economic News

Association News


Register Now for Industry Cocktail (December 10th) in Montreal

This year’s Industry Cocktail is taking place on Thursday, December 10th from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at the Bar Dame de Coeur at the Casino de Montreal.

The location offers a fun and relaxing atmosphere where you can enjoy some wonderful food, drinks and conversation with friends from the industry while enjoying the festive season together.

Click here for further information and registration.  
 

CHHMA Looking for Volunteers to Join the Business Events Committee

We are looking for volunteers to join the CHHMA Business Events Committee.This committee meets 2 to 3 times a year in the west-end of the GTA for 2 hours.  It is charged with giving input and recommendations for topics of interest to the membership - from stand alone educational seminars, customer presentations and the annual Spring Conference.

If you would like to join this group please send an e-mail to Maureen Hizaka at mhizaka@chhma.ca or call 416-282-0022 ext 23. 


Industry News

Target Begins Shipping to Canada through its Website

Six months after pulling up stakes in Canada, Target is offering Canadians the opportunity to shop on its international website.

The U.S. discount chic retailer has quietly opened the website that gives Canadian shoppers the option of ordering products that will ship over the border.

“It is part of a test and we will have more details to share in the near future,” said spokesman Jamie Bastian in an emailed statement to The Canadian Press.

The international website is being operated by Borderfree, a company that specializes in helping retailers sell products around the world, and will charge local shoppers in Canadian dollars.  Read More >> 


Amazon Boosts Holiday Hiring by 25%; Adding 100,000 Jobs

Amazon plans to hire 100,000 people for the holidays, a 25% jump from last year that reveals a shift in the way we shop.  The online retailer said Tuesday that it will be hiring across the country for jobs in its fulfillment and sorting facilities. The Seattle company recently hired more than 25,000 people for regular, full-time positions. It hired 80,000 workers last year for the holidays.

Amazon stands out among retailers, with holiday hiring expected to remain largely unchanged, according to a report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas.  Read More >> 


Why Paying with Your Smartphone Hasn’t Caught On

You’re probably texting or browsing Twitter in the checkout line anyway. Why not leave your wallet at home and pay for those groceries through an app on the device that’s already in your hands?

Digital wallets offer consumers the convenience of going cardless in favour of secure in-store mobile payments with the tap of a smartphone.

But early adopters are still waiting for the day when they can load any card from any financial institution onto any device run by any network operator. And for the majority of Canadians, plastic cards just aren’t inconvenient enough to necessitate change.   Read More >>   


Wal-Mart Puts the Squeeze on Suppliers to Share its Pain as Earnings Sag

Suppliers of everything from groceries to sports equipment are already being squeezed for price cuts and cost sharing by Wal-Mart Stores. Now they are bracing for the pressure to ratchet up even more after a shock earnings warning from the retailer last week.

The discount store behemoth has always had a reputation for demanding lower prices from vendors but Reuters has learned from interviews with suppliers and consultants, as well as reviewing some contracts, that even by its standards Wal-Mart has been turning up the heat on them this year.  Read More >>    


Wal-Mart Bribed Officials in India, U.S. Corruption Probe Finds

A three-year long investigation by the U.S. government found evidence Wal-Mart Stores Inc. paid bribes to local officials in India, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. The same probe found less-than-expected signs of corruption in Wal-Mart’s Mexico business, it said.  The bribing in India comprised thousands of small payments to low-level officials to help move goods through customs or obtain real estate permits, the newspaper reported, citing persons it didn’t identify. The vast majority of the payments were below $200, and some were as low as $5, with the total amounting to millions of dollars, the report said.  Read More >> 


Economic News

Retail Sales Rise for Fourth Straight Month on Auto-Sector Gains

Canadian retail sales rose more than expected in August, climbing for the fourth month in a row as sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers increased, data from Statistics Canada showed on Thursday.  Retail sales rose by 0.5% to $43.6 billion, topping economists’ expectations for a gain of 0.1%. But excluding the autos and parts sector, sales were flat. In volume terms, total retail sales rose 0.7%.  Over the past 12 months, retail sales are up 2.8%.  Read More >>  


Bank of Canada Holds Interest Rate at 0.5% as Oil Shock Lingers

Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz is warning that the oil price shock could weigh on Canada’s economy for at least another two years.  The central bank kept its key overnight lending rate unchanged at 0.5% on Wednesday, after cutting it twice this year.  But the bank downgraded its economic outlook for next year and 2017, citing a “complex” transition away from the once-booming resource sector.  Read More >> 


Canadian Home Resales Ease in September

According to statistics released last Thursday by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), national home sales activity eased in September 2015 from the month before. The number of homes sold via MLS® Systems of Canadian real estate Boards and Associations fell by 2.1% in September 2015 compared to August.  Sales were down in more than half of all local markets in September, led by declines in Greater Vancouver, Calgary and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Actual (not seasonally adjusted) activity in September was up 0.7% from a year ago. Sales in September reached the second-highest on record for the month, standing just 0.3% (130 transactions) below the record set in September 2009.

The Aggregate Composite MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) rose by 6.90% on a year-over-year basis in September, accelerating from 6.43% in August, 5.90% in July, and 5.43% in June.  Read More >> 


Canadian Home Prices Extend Climb in September, But Sales Cool

A prolonged housing boom in Canada showed signs of slowing in September as home resales fell from a month earlier, especially in the energy capital of Calgary, even as low interest rates lifted national house prices.  Canadian home prices rose 0.6% in September from August, the ninth straight monthly increase, and were up a hefty 5.6% from a year earlier, the Teranet-National Bank Composite House Price Index showed last Thursday.  Read More >>    


Latest U.S. Economic News       

U.S. housing starts rose solidly in September on soaring demand for rental apartments, a sign that the housing market continues to steadily improve even as economic growth has slowed.

U.S. home builders are feeling more optimistic about the housing market, lifting their confidence this month to the highest level in 10 years.

Just in time for the winter holiday shopping season, Amazon, Walmart, Macy’s and other retailers are working behind the scenes to make sure they can deliver online orders to shoppers faster.

U.S. consumer prices recorded their biggest drop in eight months in September as the cost of gasoline fell, but a steady pick-up in the prices of other goods and services suggested inflation was starting to firm.  Read More >>  

  

 Upcoming CHHMA Events 

Industry Cocktail
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Casino de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec

Canada Night
Held in Conjunction with the International Home+Housewares Show
Sunday, March 6, 2016
InterContinental Hotel, Chicago, Illinois

CHHMA Spring Conference & AGM
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
International Centre (Conference Facility), Mississauga, Ontario

CHHMA Maple Leaf Night
Held in Conjunction with the National Hardware Show
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
The Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada

CHHMA Quebec Golf Classic
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Club de golf Le Fontainebleau, Blainville, Quebec

CHHMA Ontario Golf Tournament
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Angus Glen Golf Club, Markham, Ontario        
       

CHHMA Industry Calendar

To register for all events visit our website at www.chhma.ca or call Pam Winter at (416) 282-0022 ext.21.

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"Eye On Our Industry" is published by the CHHMA as an information resource for our members. Member input regarding content and format is welcomed. Please contact Michael Jorgenson by email: mjorgenson@chhma.ca, or call at (416) 282-0022, ext. 34. CHHMA is located at 1335 Morningside Ave., Suite 101, Scarborough, ON, M1B 5M4 www.chhma.ca

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