QUEBEC GROCER WILL ALLOW CUSTOMERS TO SHOP WITH REUSABLE CONTAINERS
Metro, which is a major Quebec grocery store chain is taking a step toward reducing single-use plastic packaging. The grocer has announced that it will allow customers in Quebec to use their own reusable containers for ready-to-eat meals, meat, seafood and pastries. Sylvain Charlebois, a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University, says Metro’s decision is a game changer. “It was just a matter of time before we saw a main grocer moving forward on this issue,” Charlebois told CBC Montreal’s Daybreak. “It’s really good news for the industry — it is now a benchmark.” Metro is the first major grocery store chain in Canada to allow reusable containers as concerns about food safety have stopped companies like Loblaws and Sobeys from following suit. However, Metro has to follow specific conditions set out by Quebec’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture, but this is a move in the right direction for the industry that is continually being pressured by those interested in a zero- waste lifestyle. So, Metro’s decision will be a game changer for not only Quebec but for the industry as a whole as others are sure to follow in other provinces across Canada.
FALLING MALL TRAFFIC MAKES OWNER MORE CREATIVE Foot traffic at some of the best shopping centers across the country that peaked around August 2018 and has since started to fall, after rebounding for much of last year, according to a new report from data analytics firm Thasos, which uses more than 100 million mobile phones to track when con- sumers enter and leave certain trade areas. U.S. retailers so far have announced they will shut 5,994 stores, while opening 2,641, according to real estate tracking done by Coresight Research. That’s more locations slated to go dark than during last year. In 2018, there were 5,864 closures announced and 3,239 openings, Coresight said. Mall and shopping center owners, looking for ways to fill empty space, have in turn been forced to
negotiate on lease terms with tenants and settle on cheaper rents. With more store closures likely on the horizon, consumers can expect to start seeing hotels, gyms, apartment complexes, more food halls and grocery stores at traditional malls, turning them into more like city centers. The new Hudson Yards mall, which opened in New York last month, is the perfect example of this mixed-use model.
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APRIL 2019 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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