Susan Krashinsky Robertson

Six months after a tariff exemption expired, small businesses scramble to cope with a labyrinth of rules Navigating the system to avoid tariffs on smaller orders is just too time-consuming or difficult for many entrepreneurs

Since the Trump administration eliminated the "de minimis" exemption last year, small Canadian businesses have been scrambling to understand complex trade rules they never had to worry about before. For some, the uncertainty is too much.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art... #retail

Dozens of online-pharmacy ads, including for weight-loss drugs, appear to violate federal rules By making certain promises to customers, some companies are running afoul of Canadian drug advertising laws

Online pharmacy services have boomed, and advertisements for quick access to in-demand drugs are all over social media. But many of these promotions are violating Canadian regulations on prescription-drug advertising, a Globe and Mail analysis has found.

www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

Toys “R” Us filing leaves a slew of creditors in its wake Small businesses and major toymakers left with sizable unpaid bills

From a small Toronto liquidator left holding a bill for $200,000, to major toy brands like Mattel, Lego, Spin Master and Hasbro that are owed millions -- the financial collapse of Toys "R" Us Canada has reverberations across the industry.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art... #retail

Ontario pharmacy regulator dismisses complaint about restrictions on teachers’ drug plan Ruling goes against regulator’s zero-tolerance policy on preferred pharmacy networks, advocates say

Ontario’s pharmacy regulator has dismissed a complaint about a specialty-drug pharmacy created for the Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan that takes away teachers’ choice of where they fill prescriptions if they want to keep their drug coverage.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

Multiple Toys “R” Us locations closing, landlords say they are owed unpaid rent Shuttering of stores across Canada add to a contraction that has shrunk the chain by more than half in less than five years

Signs of financial distress are mounting at Toys “R” Us Canada, with multiple locations closing in recent weeks and landlords saying they are owed unpaid rent.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art... #retail

I went inside the vault housing the Hudson's Bay archives, to talk to conservationists about what it will take to care for the oldest item in the collection – the 1670 royal charter.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

Thomson and Weston families’ $18-million bid for Hudson’s Bay charter set to succeed, source says Families’ plan to donate historical document to four cultural institutions to move forward pending court approval

Two of Canada’s most prominent families, the Thomsons and the Westons, are set to prevail in their $18-million bid to buy the 1670 Hudson’s Bay charter, and will donate it to four cultural institutions to keep it in Canada and accessible to the public.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

Molson Coors accuses former Canadian staff of ‘complex’ embezzlement scheme Lawsuit alleges ex-employees and Firkin Hospitality Group president orchestrated plan that led to at least $9-million in losses

Brewing giant Molson Coors Canada has uncovered an alleged embezzlement scheme that led to losses totalling at least $9-million. The details were revealed in a lawsuit naming former Molson employees, the president of Firkin Hospitality Group, and others.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

At Hudson’s Bay art auction, prospective buyers vie for a piece of history Some items sold for hundreds of thousands dollars more than estimates because of high interest

Hudson's Bay auctioned off the highlights of its art collection yesterday. Here's what it was like inside the sale room:
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

How Ruby Liu’s contentious play for Hudson’s Bay stores fell apart The B.C. billionaire’s team has portrayed her as a rags-to-riches business savant who would ‘save Canadian retail.’ But her opponents tell a story of an ill-conceived plan that was bound to fail

I spent months following Ruby Liu's contentious bid for 25 former Hudson's Bay stores. This is the story of how the deal fell apart.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art... #retail

Knix, pioneering maker of women’s underwear, branches out with new men’s line MNTD is a line of products for guys from the company known for leak-proof undergarments

Since its founding in 2013, Knix has built its brand by focusing squarely on women. Now, the retailer is branching out with men’s products for the first time.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art... #retail

Ontario to ban exclusivity deals between insurers, pharmacies Move follows Globe reporting on closed preferred pharmacy networks that restrict where patients can buy medication

The Ontario government will introduce a bill to ban closed preferred pharmacy networks, a kind of exclusivity deal between insurers and pharmacies that restricts where patients can buy medication.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/eco... @hannay.bsky.social

Canadian Tire to launch limited Hudson’s Bay holiday collection next month Launching Dec. 5, the collection will be sold in stores only, under signs featuring the Hudson’s Bay brand name

After its $30M deal to acquire the Hudson's Bay intellectual property, Canadian Tire is launching a collection decorated with the HBC stripes for the holidays.
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art... #retail

Oxford Properties, RioCan in showdown over future of Bay store at Toronto’s Yorkdale Mall If Oxford refuses buyout offer, RioCan threatens renting space to downmarket fashion store Les Ailes de la Mode

Two of the country’s largest real estate owners are in a showdown over the future of the former Hudson's Bay store in Toronto's Yorkdale mall, the latest in a series of disputes triggered by the retailer's bankruptcy.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art... #retail

Popeyes franchises shut down over unpaid wages placed into receivership Franchisee Irfan Memon is a defendant in lawsuit against Popeyes for allegedly buying ‘unsafe’ chicken from an unauthorized source

A Popeyes franchisee whose restaurants were shut down last month over unpaid wages is also a major defendant in a lawsuit against the fast-food chain and its restaurant owners, which alleges some franchisees bought "unsafe" meat from an unauthorized supplier.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

Canadian Tire to bring back the Hudson’s Bay blanket Retailer will direct all profits from sale of blankets to Downie-Wenjack Foundation, continuing Hudson’s Bay initiative

Canadian Tire will soon begin selling the distinctive Hudson’s Bay point blanket. It will direct all proceeds – at a minimum of $1M/year – to Indigenous-led initiatives, ensuring a program HBC launched with the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund will continue.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

Auction for Hudson’s Bay charter further delayed after late offer from unknown bidder A Monday court hearing to approve the charter’s auction was adjourned after the failed retailer received a late bid for the document

A surprise late-night bid that emerged Sunday for the 355-year-old royal charter that launched the Hudson’s Bay Co. has further delayed a legal process governing the auction of the historic document.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

Son of DavidsTea founder calls for leadership overhaul, accusing company of poor governance The company has lost money since seeking creditor protection, but forecasts a return to profitability this year

The son of the late DavidsTea founder Herschel Segal is calling for an overhaul of the retailer’s leadership, accusing the company of “abysmal corporate governance and management,” and saying his half-sister is not fit to continue as chief executive officer.
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

The multimillion-dollar fight over a piece of Canadian history The Bay’s charter is its founding document, dating back to 1670

On the Globe's podcast today, talking about the competing bids to buy the Hudson's Bay charter -- and who gets to determine the fate of a one-of-a-kind piece of history.

www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/the...

Hearing to approve sale of Hudson’s Bay charter to Weston family adjourned Advisers handling sale need time to develop process because of interest from other bidders

A deal to sell the 1670 Hudson's Bay charter to the Weston family was scheduled to go before a court hearing for approval tomorrow. But it's been adjourned, after other parties have expressed interest in the historic document.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

Manulife is steering Wegovy and Mounjaro patients to Shoppers pharmacies The insurer has been directing patients to pharmacies owned by Loblaw, despite facing backlash for its preferred provider networks deals with the retailer

Manulife is steering patients who take the popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Mounjaro to Shoppers Drug Mart to fill prescriptions, just a year after cancelling a similar “preferred provider” arrangement that triggered public backlash.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/eco...

This week, I get to work with the amazing team that produces The Globe's daily podcast, The Decibel. For my first ep as guest host, I spoke with @jasonkirby.bsky.social about how the Air Canada strike tested Canada's labour laws, and what it could mean for future disputes.

pod.link/thedecibel/e...

First Nations groups raise questions about lack of consultation before sale of 1670 Hudson’s Bay Company charter The Globe and Mail first revealed in April that the charter was included in a confidential memo distributed to potential bidders for the assets of Hudson’s Bay

Groups representing First Nations and cultural institutions are raising questions about the transparency of the process to sell the 1670 Hudson's Bay charter -- a document that played a foundational role in Canada’s history.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

Weston family sought to avoid auction in bid for Hudson’s Bay charter The billionaire family presented a $12.5-million offer for the 1670 royal charter, with plans to donate it to the Canadian Museum of History

While offering $12.5M for the 1670 royal charter that launched the Hudson’s Bay Co. – a one-of-a-kind document in Canada’s history – the billionaire Weston family urged those overseeing the sale not to allow the artifact to go up for bidding at auction.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

Fowl play: Inside a chicken processor’s tangled battle with Popeyes Clandestine surveillance, allegations of unsafe chicken and a broken business relationship: the story behind a Canadian lawsuit against Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

Clandestine surveillance, allegations of unsafe chicken and a broken business relationship: the story behind a Canadian lawsuit against Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

The new court documents are also seeking a “super monitor” to take over the operations of the failed retailer, arguing Hudson's Bay has mismanaged the wind-down of the business to the detriment of lenders.

Hudson's Bay countered that it has been "responsible and diligent" in managing the process.

Hudson’s Bay lenders file motion to terminate Ruby Liu lease deal Investment firm ReStore Capital asked court to appoint ‘super monitor’ to control the closed retailer, saying that it mismanaged the business wind-down

Some Hudson’s Bay senior lenders are asking the court to terminate a contentious deal to sell store leases to Ruby Liu, arguing that landlord opposition means the deal is unlikely to succeed and is wasting cash that should be used to repay the company’s debts

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

Court approves Hudson’s Bay name change, sale of three leases to B.C. mall owner Changing Hudson’s Bay’s name is a requirement of a $30-million deal to sell its intellectual property to Canadian Tire

B.C. mall owner Weihong (Ruby) Liu will move forward with plans to open department stores in 3 former Hudson’s Bay locations, after receiving court approval to take over the leases. But Ms. Liu still faces opposition from landlords for 25 other leases.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

Landlords for 23 former Hudson’s Bay locations oppose plans for Ruby Liu department stores Ms. Liu was unable to provide details about how stores would operate, sources say

Landlords at 25 former Hudson’s Bay stores decided to oppose B.C. mall owner Wiehong Liu’s deal to take over their leases, after recent meetings in which Ms. Liu was unable to provide details about how she will operate the stores, according to sources.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

Hudson’s Bay to change its name, landlords express ‘concern’ over lease deal Returns to court Monday to seek approval to rebrand corporate entities as part of deal to sell intellectual property to Canadian Tire

Billionaire B.C. mall owner Weihong Liu has agreed to pay $6-million to take over three leases at former Bay stores located in shopping centres she controls. But an offer to acquire up to 25 additional locations has raised "concerns" among some landlords.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...