Lyne Castonguay has been selected as chief merchandising officer for Sobeys Inc. In this position, she will oversee all aspects of the retailer’s go-to-market strategy with responsibility for category management, marketing, data insights, research, procurement, private label and merchandising as well as the company’s digital strategy.

“Lyne is a passionate and successful retailer who brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record for growing the businesses she has led,” says Marc Poulin, president and CEO of Sobeys. “I am delighted she is returning to Canada to take on this extremely important role for our organization.”

For the past 14 years, Castonguay has held positions with The Home Depot both in Canada and the United States, most recently serving as the senior vice-president of home services. Previously, she worked for General Electric in Canada. where she held numerous roles including general manager for the Canadian lighting business.

Last week, Nutraingredients.com released an article in which it canvassed various industry experts about the effects of Brexit on the UK and EU nutrition sectors.

Graham Keen, executive director of the UK Health Food Manufacturer’s Association (HFMA) told Nutraingredients that while the industry may see some impacts on future legislation, members should not worry about immediate changes.

“This should now be a period of calm reflection and not hasty decisions,” he added.

Robert Verkerk, PhD, founder, executive and scientific director for the Alliance for Natural Health-International (ANH-I) also spoke to Nutraingredients.com. He noted that the future of the market depends on the ways in which UK regulators respond to these changes and secure proper trade negotiations.

To read the full article, click here.

Source: Nutraingredients.com

This September 15-18, CHFA east will take place at Toronto’s Metro Convention Centre. Members of the Canadian Organic Trade Association (COTA) that are interested in attending the show will be able to use a discount when purchasing tickets.

DISCOUNT CODE: E16A27

The pre-registration deadline for the event is September 2. After the deadline, however, members can still receive a $30 discount from the on-site price.

This year’s CHFA East will feature the start of the Organic Week 2016 celebrations. COTA will be exhibiting at the show, and will also host the COTA Annual General Meeting in Toronto on September 15. Details regarding the annual general meeting will be available later this month.

CHFA east acts as an opportunity for retailers and health practitioners to stay up-to-date on the latest product offerings and industry advances. The conference allows attendees to network with like-minded people who are dedicated to the natural health and organic products industry.

For more information, click here. https://chfa.ca/en/index.html

The Supreme Court of Canada has dismissed Sobeys’ appeal to challenge the College of Pharmacists of BC’s bylaws prohibiting incentives for prescriptions and pharmacy services.

This turn of events means that pharmacies cannot offer incentives for prescription medication or pharmacy services, which has been true since January 2016.

The College bylaws originally came into force in December 2013 and were successfully challenged by Sobeys in the BC Supreme Court in July 2014. The College then filed with the BC Court of Appeal, and in January 2016, had the situation overturned. Finally, on March 24, 2016, Sobeys submitted a file to appeal with the Supreme Court of Canada, but that request has been dismissed with costs.

“The College considers the provision of incentives like redeemable points to be unethical, unsafe and unprofessional,” says College Registrar Bob Nakagawa. “Pharmacists are medication experts, and sometimes the right thing for them to do is not dispense a drug. A patient’s motivation to collect redeemable points may inappropriately encourage drug use and can put their health at risk.”

According to a study out of the journal Clinical Interventions in Aging, omega-3 fatty acids may reduce ocular inflammation associated with dry eye disease.

This underreported and undertreated affliction is caused by lacrimal dysfunction, increased osmolarity of the tear film, and, most importantly, inflammation of the ocular surface.

The study looked at 1,419 patients with dry eye who used artificial tears. The participants were directed to take three 1.5g omega-3 capsules a day, each of which contained EPA and DHA. At the end of the study, ophthalmologists found that 91.6 per cent of the patients’ symptoms had improved due to the supplementation, allowing them to decrease their use of artificial tears.

If a customer with dry eye comes into your store, steer them toward your omega-3 supplements. Offer them a product that contains both EPA and DHA, and they may see a vast improvement in their symptoms with regular use.

As of July 2, Canada Post workers will be in a legal position to walk off the job, or be locked out by the Crown Corporation. For e-commerce retailers and small businesses, this potential work stoppage could cause serious issues in conducting daily business.

For e-commerce companies using the service, Canada Post’s temporary shutdown could mean increased shipping costs to cross-border clients. This may mean trouble for retailers who cannot afford to absorb the higher fees that come with shipping outside of Canada.

Additionally, many small businesses depend on Canada Post to conduct daily business, as many courier services come with a heftier price tag. In 2013, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) did a survey which demonstrated that 98 per cent of small-business owners use its letter mail services on a monthly basis. Moreover, 40 per cent sent 50 or more pieces of mail per month.

As such, the CFIB is advising small businesses to plan ahead when it comes to paying suppliers and sending products before the potential strike date. Monique Moreau, the CFIB’s director of national affairs notes that this issue could even lead to “cash flow problems for businesses waiting for cheques.”

“The ramifications can be significant,” she says.

John Hamilton, a Canada Post spokesperson, also notes that some small businesses are now using online services for things like invoice payments, allowing them to rely less on mail services.

“It’s unfortunate, but we understand what customers have to do to protect their business,” he says, adding that Canada Post is working hard to avoid a work disruption.

To ensure that your mail will be received before June 30, check out Canada Post’s list of mailing dates here.

Wal-Mart has announced that Lee Tappenden will lead its Canadian business, effective August 15 of this year. Tappenden is taking over the helm for Dirk Van De Berghe, who will now head the company’s operations in China.

Tappenden is a 20-year Wal-Mart veteran, working in various positions globally during his time with the company. Currently, he is the COO of the company’s Canadian division.

This announcement comes at a time when the retailer has been expanding its presence in Canada: now, it boasts more than 400 stores across the country. Additionally, Tappenden is taking over Canadian operations as Wal-Mart has cut ties with Visa Inc. over what it says are exorbitantly “high fees.”

“Lee is extremely well poised to lead Walmart Canada and continue the momentum of growth we are seeing in this market,” says David Cheesewright, chief executive of Walmart International.

The approbation of the exit of Great Britain from the European Union, popularly known as Brexit, is a political and social event without historical precedent. Certainly, this will be remembered for generations.

Without a doubt, Brexit will bring a whole new set of problems upon Great Britain. From social issues to economic volatility, this situation will have a deep impact on the way British people live. But what about other Commonwealth countries, like Canada?

The destructive effect of Brexit on the Canadian economy is already reporting casualties. This week, we saw immediate losses for the Canadian Dollar, reaching historic lows. Upcoming weeks could see an even further decline.

Here’s why Brexit is damaging the Canadian Dollar:

Global Aftermath

Before getting into the Canadian situation, we must be clear of Brexit’s global-scale repercussions. Brexit represents, by any means, instability and doubt. In financial matters, these two things are key ingredients to total disaster.

Just as expected, after the decision made public, investors went crazy. So far, many solid stocks from around the world are reaching historic lows. This includes indexes like the American Dow Jones Industrial Average, losing 3.39 per cent in a single session.

In the FOREX scenario, it was pretty clear that an effective Brexit would mean the crash of most currencies, giving priority to the British Pound and the Euro. Now, both currencies have declined in value, fast.

The social reaction, however, will take a bit longer. The results of the referendum aren’t overwhelming: the positive answer to the exit proposition got 51.9 per cent against 48.1 per cent, representing only a difference of 1,269,501 voters from 33,551,986 total.

Social media’s response to the results expresses the younger generations’ anger at the situation, as they are now facing isolation from other European countries and many other disadvantages. At the same time, Europeans will now see Great Britain as the xenophobe neighbor. Not good for business.

Why is the Canadian Dollar Suffering?

Now, let’s talk about Canada. It is true that this North American country isn’t part of the EU by any means. But the ties between this nation and the economic block are notable.

First, Canada is part of the well-known Commonwealth, an organization of the former British Empire’s territories. Just like the EU, the members of the Commonwealth share an important set of social and economic politics.

As expected, the leader of the Commonwealth of Nations is Great Britain, with Queen Elizabeth II as the head of the organization. The Brexit is causing chaos in Great Britain’s economy, which creates a domino effect for all the members of the Commonwealth.

In addition to this direct hit, Canada has massive investments in the United Kingdom’s markets. This same financial instability will cause losses for Canadian investors, both individuals and companies. So, with this scenario, every negative factor for Great Britain will affect Canada as well.

Also, Canada was previously enjoying several of the European Union’s trade policies through Great Britain. Many Canadian companies were executing ambitious commercial strategies to operate in Europe with British privileges. Now, that’s over.

With Brexit effectively putting an end to these benefits, investors are losing interest in Canada. Right now, Canadian markets and Canadian currency represent uncertainty and fear.

The immediate result of such insecurity was the bearish FOREX results for the Canadian Dollar, popularly known as the loonie. The currency ended at 76.93 cents US, representing a total loss of 1.37 in one single session—the worst since 2010.

Once the trade support meets an end and Canada reports the official effect on overseas business, we can expect more losses. Such losses may highly benefit both the US Dollar and gold holders.