Karma Nutritionals has appointed Naturally Perfect Consulting as a new strategic partner for health and retail support.

Naturally Perfect Consulting is run by Tracey Burby and supported by Shelley Tonin, and they will support Karma Nutritionals, which just celebrated its fourth anniversary, and its family of brands within Ontario and abroad.

“With their knowledge of distribution, brand management, retail sales and marketing acumen, we are proud to have them on our team,” said the company in a press release.

Goodness Me!, the natural and organic grocery chain, is opening its eighth location in Barrie, Ont., in mid-December 2014. The chain first opened in Hamilton over 30 years ago, and has added locations in Mississauga, Burlington, Waterdown and Brantford, with locations in Guelph, Waterloo and Paris, Ont. slated to open soon.

The 18,000 square-foot Barrie store will be located at 79 Park Place Blvd., and will offer the region an option for natural and organic groceries, supplements, fresh foods such as local meat and dairy, certified organic produce and a restaurant and bakery which features a salad bar and smoothie station. The store will also carry books, offer a range of educational classes, cooking courses and a ten week healthy living course called Lifewatchers.

“The reason we exist is to help people live longer and healthier lives. A key part of that is finding commuities that are ready to embrace the healthy choices we offer and educate about,” says Mike Jacks, owner of Goodness Me! “Barrie is a perfect fit as a dynamic and youthful community seeking a high quality of life.”

Nielsen’s 2014 Global Consumer Confidence Report came out recently and shows the results of a survey of over 30,000 people in more than 60 countries, taking into account local job prospects, personal finances and immediate spending plans. According to the report, global consumer confidence increased by one index point to a score of 98. This number has been steadily rising for two and a half years and has exceeded the pre-recession index value of 94 for three consecutive quarters.

The report showed that North Americans are more confident in the economy, as Canadians have indicated their spending intentions have increased to 51 per cent. This coincides with 27 per cent of North Americans saying the economy was one of their largest concerns, but that number is down from 34 per cent in the previous survey. Worries over food prices dropped to 15 per cent from 21 per cent.

56 per cent of Canadians are also more confident that they will be able to find employment, an increase over the 50 per cent of Canadians with a positive employment outlook in the last quarter.

“It is still early to tell, but the newly created jobs may lead to broader gains in consumer spending, given that they bring a meaningful wage growth with them,” Carman Allison, vice president of consumer insights at Nielsen told Canadian Grocer. “For starters, consumers are regaining optimism which is a first step to a spending revival.”

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has released its third-quarter financial report. Earnings per share reached $1.15 from continuing operations, compared to $1.14 in the same period last year.

Walmart U.S. experienced an increase in net sales of $2.3 billion or 3.4 per cent to a total of $70 billion. Consolidated net sales for the store increased by $3.2 billion or 2.8 per cent to a total of $118.1 billion.

Walmart forecasts its fourth quarter earnings per share will reach between $1.46 and $1.56, including an estimated $0.03 per share related to the upcoming closures of underperforming stores in Japan. Last year’s fourth quarter earnings per share reached $1.34.

The company’s e-commerce sales increased by 21 per cent based on a constant currency.

Walmart Canada may cut about 200 staff, most of whom work at its Mississauga head office, according to a report from the Globe and Mail. The company is doing this to offset pressure in the highly competitive retail space, according to industry analysts. The company is expected to announce this latest staffing change next week.

This move comes only months after cutting 750 jobs across Canada, promoting 1,300 employees to more senior managers and hiring about 200 new store managers as part of store management restructuring.

While Walmart Canada has experienced disappointing numbers over the last several quarters, its most recent quarter saw an increase in gross profit and same-store sales. According to the company, overall sales grew by 3.3 per cent.

“I’m especially pleased by the sales and profit improvements this quarter in Canada, both sequentially and over last year,” said CEO Doug McMillon in his third-quarter management conference call. “The investments we’ve made to remodel our stores and drive supercentre expansion are resonating with customers.”

The grand opening of Whole Foods Market at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa will be happening on Nov. 19.

The grand opening starts at 8:00 a.m. with local refreshments and live entertainment, and the bread breaking ceremony will happen at 8:45 a.m. Doors will then open at 9:00 a.m. The new store will treat guests to demonstrations and samples throughout the day.

Whole Foods will be giving away gift cards with a mystery value between $5 and $50 for the first 500 customers, and is holding a giveaway for free groceries for one year.

After opening for business in March, Mrs. Green’s Natural Market in Burlington will be closing its doors at the end of November.

According to a company spokesperson, the company had considered its options in order to achieve expand the business, and had to find the right strategy to achieve long-term growth.

Even though this location is closing, the company is still looking for opportunities in the Canadian market, including other stores within the Natural Markets Food Group, Richtree and Planet Organic. The company plans to make a series of announcements in 2015 regarding the expansion of the entire brand in Canada.

“While we had to make this difficult decision, we will continue to put our associates first – working with each member of our team to ensure they transition effectively. We continue to be very committed to the Toronto market and will continue to look for new opportunities to provide all-natural, organic food and healthy living products to its residents,” said the spokesperson.

According to a new survey of 500 consumers by Artisan Mobile, 94 per cent of those surveyed browse and make purchases using mobile applications, while 91 per cent of respondents plan to make their holiday purchases using a mobile or tablet app this year.

The survey also concluded that 54 per cent of those surveyed will do half or more of their holiday shopping using an app, while 51 per cent use other methods to make purchases, such as going in-store or using a computer, after browsing on an app.

The number of app users is growing. According to a survey last year, only 66 per cent of app shoppers browsed or made purchases using an app during the 2012 holidays, while 84 per cent did so in 2013.

“Consumers are shopping on apps more than ever before, and we’ll see apps play an even bigger role this holiday season than last year,” said CEO Bob Moul in a press release from the company. “Not only are consumers making purchases via apps, but they’re also browsing on these apps and making purchases with that app’s brand either on their desktops or in-store. Apps are becoming such a critical part of the shopping experience, and that’s why retailers and marketers need to understand how to deliver a personalized experience that will engage their app users – who also tend to be a brand’s most loyal customers.”

Loblaw Companies Ltd. reported a better quarterly profit than expected, in part due to Shoppers Drug Mart adding to its numbers.

Loblaw experienced a revenue growth of 36 per cent to $13.6 billion, of which Shoppers contributed about nine per cent. Same-store earnings rose by 2.5 per cent at Shoppers over last year, while Loblaw’s number grew by 1.6 per cent in the same category.

While Loblaw saved $44 million in the quarter due to its acquisition of Shoppers Drug Mart, it faced costs amounting to $46 million for restructuring and reorganization. The company’s net earnings dropped to $142 million from $150 million.