Valeant Pharmaceuticals has offered shareholders a combination of cash and company shares in order to obtain a controlling portion of Allergan in a hostile takeover bid reportedly worth US$53 billion.

Valeant first made a bid for the company in May, though the bid was rejected. Its new strategy is an “exchange offer for the common stock of Allergan.” This will allow Valeant’s financial partner Pershing Square Capital Management to take over the company.

“We believe Allergan’s stockholders should have the opportunity to express their views and we are confident that Allergan’s stockholders will support this combination,” says J. Michael Pearson, chairman and CEO of Valeant. “This offer, together with Pershing Square’s ongoing efforts to call a special meeting of Allergan stockholders, is part of Valeant’s clear path to complete a transaction with Allergan.”

Allergan stockholders are being offered $72 in cash and 0.83 Valeant common shares in exchange for their Allergan stocks. The deadline for the deal is August 15.

April was a good month for the retail industry, according to Statistics Canada. The organization says after four consecutive months of growing numbers, sales increased by 1.1 per cent to $41.6 billion.

Sales grew in 10 of 11 subsectors, or 98 per cent of the industry. The increase surpassed economist forecasts of a 0.6 per cent increase, according to Thomson Reuters. Most of the gains were seen in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, although sales rose overall in six provinces.

The category that saw the largest increase was the motor vehicle and parts sector, with a sales growth of 2.4 per cent. Clothing and accessories stores saw a sales gain of 1.5 per cent after experiencing a decline in March.

To compete with a growing number of retailers, Target has introduced same-day delivery in three of its markets: the Twin Cities, Miami and Boston.

For $10, customers can place orders at Target.com by 1:30 p.m. and have them delivered by courier by 9 p.m. that same day. The service is only available for approximately a third of the merchandise sold at Target stores.

“I certainly think same-day delivery is part of the future – the open question is how big,” says Jason Goldberger, senior vice president of Target.com and Target mobile. “My hope is that it will be very successful and we’ll then want to expand it to more markets.”

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has appointed Dirk Van den Berghe as president and CEO of Walmart Canada, effective August 1. He will report to Shelley Broader, who held that position until she was promoted to president and CEO of Walmart’s Europe, Middle East and Africa region, as well as Canada. Van den Berghe has 30 years of business experience. In his most recent position, he was CEO of grocery retailer Delhaize Group’s Luxembourg and Belgium operations. “We’re very pleased Dirk will be leading Walmart Canada as we celebrate 20 amazing years of saving Canadians money so they can live better,” says Broader in a release. “Under Dirk’s leadership, Delhaize has been successful in several countries, and his vast experience will allow us to strengthen our growing food business in Canada and complements our highly-successful general merchandise operation.”

The Heart and Stroke Foundation has announced that it is cutting its Health Check program. This comes after the organization has faced criticism for years on its supposed leniency with unhealthy foods.

The program was created 15 years ago to help guide consumers to better food options. Products that met predetermined criteria were awarded a Health Check symbol on the package. However, critics of the program have noted that several products that are Health Check-approved contain a significant amount of fat, sugar and sodium.

The company notes that it is not leaving the health scene altogether, and will instead focus on initiatives catered to helping consumers make better health choices.

CulturedCare Probiotic Gum with BLIS K12 is the first and only Health Canada-licensed probiotic gum in Canada which has been recognized on the claims that it fights bad breath and improves oral health.

“To be the first probiotic gum in Canada approved for licensing by Health Canada is an honour,” says Deborah Callbreath, general manager of Prairie Naturals. “Our probiotic gum is based on decades of scientific research. We chose to use chewing gum as the revolutionary delivery system for this unique oral probiotic to ensure the most effective distribution in the mouth.”

The gum was based on research by Professor John Tagg, a former Professor of Immunology and Macrobiology at the University of Otago in New Zealand. A probiotic researcher, Professor Tagg has published over 50 articles in various scientific journals on the topic.

Infection protection starts in the mouth,” says Professor Tagg. “There are many strains of probiotics for the intestinal tract, but they do not give protection where it is needed most – in the mouth. BLIS K12 (Bacteriocin Like Inhibitory Substance) is an oral probiotic. It provides the mouth with the probiotic protection and resistance it needs to fight the bacteria that cause bad breath.”

Prairie Naturals Health Products is a family-owned Vancouver-based company. CulturedCare Probiotic Gum with BLIS K12 can be found in natural health stores across Canada. To learn more about this product, please visit www.culturedcare.com.

Following the decision of General Mills to take GMOs out of Cheerios and the positive response it received from the public, the sales haven’t been on the same page. According to CEO Ken Powell in an interview with the Associated Press, sales have been down for Cheerios since the brand has attempted to address concerns about GMOs.

“Consumer response has been largely positive, but we really haven’t seen any impact on sales,” a spokeswoman for the brand says. Speaking of the firm’s other earnings, sales for yogurt brand Yoplait were also down eight per cent in the third quarter earnings, and Powell notes that the recent data reflects lower volume and increased merchandising.

Canadian retailers experienced a 12 per cent growth in online sales in 2013 amounting to $136 billion, according to a Statistics Canada report. However, the rate of businesses moving online has remained the same since last year, staying at 46 per cent.

“When it comes to things like selling online, it becomes even more expensive,” says Corinne Pohlmann, senior vice president of national affairs at the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses. “For a smaller company, that can be pretty daunting.”

According to Pohlman, smaller businesses find it harder to face the obstacle of producing an investment to start and maintain a website. Starting an e-commerce site proves even more difficult.

Instead, smaller retailers tend to turn to social media or online shopping sites to create their own web presence. Social media isn’t just to replace a website, though. Several retailers use it as a part of their digital marketing strategy, a number that is steadily growing.

American Express has released its second Canadian Retail Insights Report, which had Nielsen poll 375 senior members of retail organizations, including 54 members of the grocery industry.

Among the findings of the survey, 85 per cent of grocery retailers will offer sales, promotions or discounts this year. 66 per cent of respondents will invest in better customer service while 59 per cent want to expand product choices. In addition, 70 per cent of those polled are optimistic about the grocery industry this year, which is down from last year’s 78 per cent of respondents.

“Given the heightened competition, I’d say the grocery industry is really focused on putting an effort behind keeping current customers,” says Jennifer Hawkins, vice president and general manager of merchant services at American Express Canada.

Although e-commerce is the way of the future, only 11 per cent of the grocery industry polled offer online shopping, yet 54 per cent of those questioned believe it is not relevant to their industry.

“There is an opportunity for grocers to think more seriously about the online space, and expand their customer base by doing that,” says Hawkins. “It’s clear that grocers are very focused on keeping current customers, but there’s more they could be doing.”

Philip Donne has stepped down from his role as president of Campbell Company of Canada, effective July 31. He is taking a break to spend more time with family and friends as he considers new opportunities. Donne was president at Campbell for over 12 years. Prior to this role, he held positions at General Mills, Coca-Cola and Kellogg Co. Campbell is currently searching for a new candidate for the role.