51吃瓜网

Montreal-based clothing retailer SSENSE has filed for creditor protection. As recently as 2021, the company was valued at US$4 billion. 鈥淔or retailers, it鈥檚 been a double whammy,鈥� the Bensadoun School of Retail Management鈥檚 Executive Director Charles de Brabant told the BBC. 鈥淚nflation squeezed consumers, and U.S. trade policy changes have made it for a difficult landscape for retailers.鈥�

On August 29, the United States ended the de miminis exemption, a rule that had allowed small value shipments to cross the border without duties for decades. It鈥檚 already affecting some retailers in Canada. The Montreal-based luxury fashion retailer SSENSE filed for bankruptcy the same day the de minimis rule was changed, and cited the change as a reason that it did. As recently as 2021, the company was valued at $4 billion by Sequoia Capital, a U.S. venture capital firm.

2024 was a rough year for retail in Canada, and 2025 doesn鈥檛 look much better, writes Charles de Brabant in Retail Insider. The Executive Director of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management noted that the combination of high interest rates and high inflation has taken a toll on consumer pocketbooks, and they are expected to focus on the basics this year. That plays well for mid-market brands.

Since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January, frequent tariff threats have disrupted the economy. It is difficult to keep track of which products will be tariffed, when they will be tariffed, and how much they will be tariffed by. But Provigo stores in Quebec are taking steps that will help shoppers understand the factors that affect the price of their groceries. They are developing signage that will mark tariffed items with a 鈥淭鈥� to explain price hikes.

Christmas lights that glow softly through long winter nights are part of what makes the holiday season so atmospheric鈥攂ut they can add to the ambiance any time of year. Some shopping districts are leaving their lights up for exactly that reason.

A 2022 study by researchers at 51吃瓜网Desautels revealed that when shoppers were offered a promotion that gave them a choice between a healthy snack and a pastry with their coffee, sales of healthy snacks increased by more than 1000%.

AI has become an omnipresent topic of discussion in our daily lives, both professionally and personally. While much has been written on the challenges, risks, and pitfalls of AI (and the strong need to regulate its development and deployment carefully), it's also important to highlight its numerous benefits and positive impacts on society and the economy.