TIMBER MART Sponsors Justin Hines’ Vehicle of Change Tour
July 11, 2013 (Calgary, AB) – Justin Hines, a prominent singer and songwriter, is on a North American tour playing charity concerts. In each town on the tour, Justin will partner with a different charity, participating in a local event. Justin will provide the entertainment at no cost and 100% of the funds raised at each show will go to the local charity. TIMBER MART is a key sponsor of Justin’s tour. A large number of tour events are planned in communities throughout Canada where there are TIMBER MART locations. The new TIMBER MART logo will be displayed prominently on Justin’s RV as it...
Read MoreBob Rae, Anthony Stokan to Headline Hardlines Conference
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Michael McLarney, 416-489-3396 TORONTO, July 9, 2013 — Retail Guru Anthony Stokan is the latest retail expert to join the Hardlines Conference, October 23 and 24, 2013. Joining Stokan this year is a range of speakers that reflects the varied range of challenges facing retailers and vendors alike in today’s tough business environment. The incredible range of speakers comes from both within and outside the retail home improvement industry. James Ryan, Vice-President, Home and Hardlines at Sears Canada, will offer a perspective on retail from the...
Read MoreBuilding Permits, May 2013, published July 8
Municipalities issued $7.3 billion worth of building permits in May, up 4.5% from April and 3.4% higher than in May 2012. Fine provinces reported a growth in permits over a year ago led by Ontario (+20.6%), Manitoba (+16.2%), and Quebec (+10.0%). Double-digit annualized decreases over April 2012 occurred in four provinces. Saskatchewan suffered the largest loss (-29.6%) followed by New Brunswick (-25.7%) and Prince Edward Island (-25.3%). Builders took out residential building permits worth $4.6 billion in May, up 4.2% from April and 7.6% higher than in May 2012. Five provinces...
Read MoreLabour Force Survey, June 2013, published July 5
Employment in June was unchanged from May. The unemployment rate was also unchanged from May at 7.1% Construction employment grew by 0.1 from May while manufacturing employment increased 0.2% from a month earlier. In June, employment stood at 17.7 million, up 1.4% from June 2012. Full-time employment fell by 32,400 from May, while part-time employment increased by 32,200 from the previous month. Full-time employment was up by 188,400 from June 2012, while part-time increased by 53,900 over the same period. Employment over the past year grew in eight provinces, led by Saskatchewan (+3.6%),...
Read MoreRetail Trade, April 2013, published June 21
Retail sales in April 2013 were $39.5 billion, an increase of 0.1% from March and up 1.5% from April 2012. Excluding sales by motor vehicle and parts dealers and by gasoline stations, retail sales were up by 1.6% from April 2012. Retail sales in volume terms were up 0.5% from March. Increases in month-over-month sales were reported in 6 of 11 sectors representing 51% of total retail sales. Total retail sales for the first four months of 2013 were $157.8 billion, up 1.0% over the same period last year. Sales in the building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers sector in March...
Read MoreConsumer Price Index, May, 2013, published June 21, (2002=100)
The Consumer Price Index rose by 0.7% in May compared with May 2012 following a 0.4% increase in April. Gasoline prices decreased 1.5% from May 2012, after falling 6.0% in April. The decrease in April had been the largest year-over-year decline in gasoline prices since October 2009. Overall, energy prices rose 1.0% between May, 2012 and May 2013, following a 1.9% decrease in April. Excluding energy, the Consumer Price Index rose 0.7% in May, the same rate of annualized increase as in April. Natural gas prices advanced 15.4% in the 12 months to May, the largest increase since December...
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