Ontario PCs Announce Beer and Wine for Convenience Stores if Elected
Dave Bryans (CEO of the OCSA) met with Doug Ford last week and Mr Ford said …’ Dave, help is on way for small business and I am going to give your channel beer very shortly’ and he made the announcement on Friday. Backgrounder – Modernize Beer and Wine Sales Alcohol reform is something long […]
7-Eleven Canada to give Consumers more Nutrition Information
7-Eleven Boosts the Informed Dining Program by 600 Locations October 11, 2017 – Vancouver, B.C. – 7-Eleven Canada is making it easier for customers to make informed purchasing choices. Today, 7-Eleven joins the B.C. government’s Informed Dining program, adding 600 participating locations across Canada. 7-Eleven customers will have in-store access to information on calories, sodium and […]
Convenience Retailers concerned with effect of Ontario Labour Changes on Community Stores and Part-time Jobs
In a new member survey published this week, the Ontario Convenience Store Association (OCSA) found widespread concern among retailers about the unintended consequences resulting from Ontario’s surprise minimum wage increase, as well as other proposed labour changes. As a result of the legislation introduced by the Government of Ontario earlier this year, 83 per cent […]
First in Canada: Costco Wholesale Business Centre Opens
Unique concept benefits businesses of all sizes, from retailers to restaurants to offices. Scarborough, ON – Costco Wholesale today opened its first Canadian Business Centre in Scarborough, located at 50 Thermos Rd. in the Warden-Eglinton area. The Costco Wholesale Business Centre concept is new to Canada. The location is vastly different from any current Costco […]
Celebrating Our Neighbourhood Corner Stores
Convenience Stories We found this great story over at ConvenienceStories.org about a video project focusing on the different convenience stores in Toronto. Stina Dios is a student at OCAD who found the stories behind each of the convenience stores that she entered and she wanted to share them with everyone. About her project…. A collection […]
Plain Packaging May Not Be Best Option
Proposed changes to the packaging of tobacco products could have a direct impact on convenience stores throughout Canada. Recently, JTI-Macdonald Corp. Vice President Simon Grenier has penned a letter discussing why plain packaging may not have the positive impact that some officials believe it will. In fact, the downside of such regulation are significant in […]
Voluntary Recall In Place For Some Smokeless Tobacco Products
The NSTC is suggesting retailers voluntarily recall smokeless tobacco products with specific ID numbers.
The OCSA’s Recommendations for Canada’s Plain Packaging Initiative
The OCSA represents over 6,000 Ontario family run convenience stores in every community. Tobacco is our largest customer category; representing 40-60% of daily sales. Convenience stores have a high reliance on tobacco sales as we sell 95% of all tobacco in Ontario and speed of service is an expectation of all customers. Our industry wants to work with […]
Toronto’s Potential Parking Space Levy Reaches Council
A proposed parking spot levy for Toronto could generate millions of dollars for the city. According to KPMG estimates, even $1 per day applied across each commercial spot could net upwards of $383 million. Alternatively, a 5% parking sales tax could yield $32.8 million if given the greenlight. The proposition was initially put forth last December by […]
Energy Drinks: Local Regulations with Big Implications
Since their introduction into the marketplace over a decade ago, energy drinks have been a vibrant category, drawing the attention of convenience store patrons through unique marketing and robust products. Based on a high price point and increasing popularity, energy drinks are a profitable category for store owners. With about the same amount of caffeine […]