Deanna Nicola

Vallarta Supermarkets deploys in-store retail media screens. The partnership with Quad/Graphics Inc. rolls out at 15 locations this summer http://ow.ly/B4Kh106fZQK

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Maple Leaf Foods Inc. announced that the company’s spinoff of its pork operations known as Canada Packers is expected to close on Oct. 1, 2025, after receiving the required shareholder and court approvals for the transaction. Under the terms of the arrangement, Maple Leaf Foods will retain a 16% ownership interest in Canada Packers, with the balance of the shares being distributed pro-rata to existing MLF shareholders. More details here. 👉 https://ow.ly/N75l50X4j9a 📸: CNW Group/Maple Leaf Foods #pork #meatcompany

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If you've seen my posts regarding milk prices in Canada over the past few years you know that I am not a big fan of supply management in the dairy industry as it causes higher consumer prices and big discrepancies in prices from one market to another. Dr. Sylvain Charlebois has a well written article in Canadian Grocer about this issue - check it out... https://lnkd.in/gGZBrSdk

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Learn how the Regina Food Bank connects industry partnerships with community impact, moving the organization from a traditional beneficiary model to a value-add partner in product development and supply chain innovation. Presented by John Bailey, Regina Food Bank. #SKEconSummit2025 #prosperity https://lnkd.in/gtMq3Vpt

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👀 Rub your eyes, blink twice, and yes, it’s real—the 🍔 McVeggie has arrived at McDonald's’s Canada. The new TVC captures attention instantly with its bold simplicity: music, name reveal, and the line “Now at McDonald’s.” But while the spot sells the name of the sandwich, it leaves viewers curious about what’s actually inside. That intrigue works to spark conversation. So what is the McVeggie? It’s McDonald’s first burger designed specifically for veggie lovers in Canada. The patty is a blend of vegetables and soy protein, paired with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mayo, and a spicy habanero sauce, served on a classic sesame seed bun. For those seeking a vegan option, it can be ordered without mayo and sauce. Francesca Cardarelli, Chief Marketing Officer at McDonald’s Canada, summed it up perfectly “Canadians asked for more options to meet modern lifestyles, and we listened. The McVeggie isn’t just a sandwich, it’s a celebration of bold flavour and our commitment to serving all guests and their evolving tastes.” Why This Ad Works 🌱 Mystery Marketing: The ad doesn’t reveal ingredients, creating curiosity. 🎥 Minimalist Production: Clean, simple, and memorable. 🍔 New Product Appeal: McDonald’s first veggie-focused burger in Canada. 🔊 Catchy Sound Design: Music-driven with no voiceover beyond the name. 📝 Clear Message: Ends with one goal—drive consumers in-store to discover it. We see this as a masterclass in how a short, minimalist video ad can fuel brand intrigue and conversation—before customers even take their first bite. This ad proves you don’t always need over-the-top visuals or heavy storytelling to make a splash. Sometimes, saying less makes the audience lean in more. #foodadvertising #advertising #ctv #fastfoodmarketing #brandstrategy #videoadvertising #foodanddrink

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Scaling smarter, not harder. 🎯   Kraft Heinz was already seeing strong performance with Sponsored Products on Metro.ca — but they wanted to reach more value-driven shoppers across Metro Inc. Group’s full banner portfolio.   So they expanded their Retail Media strategy with Criteo and Metro Group to run Sponsored Products across Metro.ca, Super C, and Food Basics — all managed in one place with clear, unified insights.   The impact speaks for itself: 📈 +201% sales 💰 +207% ROAS 🛒 +215% units sold ✨ Big lifts in engagement, too   See the full story here: https://lnkd.in/d6RmR23w   #RetailMedia #CPG #AdTech 

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Lost in Translation. That's the phrase that keeps coming back to me after a deep dive into 24 months of wholesale order data in BC's beverage alcohol industry. Industry voices everywhere are pointing to the same shift: consumer preferences are changing, retailers and restaurant operators are changing with them, and suppliers need to get more data-driven. All true. But there's a layer underneath that gets less attention. The wholesale buyer is changing too. And what the data shows is that buyers — like the consumers they serve — are increasingly drawn to products that speak to them in their language and tell them more than just what the product is. There's no perfect formula, but the products that index higher tend to combine a few things: A story about the product or the supplier (origin stories punch above their weight) A clear sense of who the consumer is A meaningful point of difference — and in BC, where most price bands contain hundreds of competitors, "meaningful" is the operative word A business case grounded in profitability, rate of sale, and awareness support All of it has to be factual. All of it has to sound like a real person wrote it. The moment buzzwords and marketing speak show up, trust drops. The gap I see in the data is this: most product support is either non-existent, limited to a name/picture/price, or just tells the buyer what the product is. Meanwhile the buyer is asking "why this one, why now, why for my customer?" Suppliers and buyers aren't speaking the same language. Everyone is Lost in Translation. The opportunity isn't more content. It's the right content, in the buyer's language, backed by fact. If you're a supplier or agent working through how to close this gap for your portfolio, I'm happy to share what the data is showing and help think it through. Send me a DM. #BeverageAlcohol #BCLiquor #WholesaleData #B2B #Liquify

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Standing behind Canadian agriculture and food. The Let's Grow Canada | On sort du rang movement recognizes the people and work behind what nourishes our country, and why it matters now more than ever. The foodservice industry purchases $41B in food and beverage products each year. Restaurants play a vital role in supporting Canadian agricultural output, and Restaurants Canada looks forward to continuing to work with the government to strengthen Canada’s food future. FCC/FAC has secured $5B in investor commitments over the next 4 years to fuel innovation in farming and food, supporting ag-tech, domestic manufacturing, and new capital solutions for producers.

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The GrowCanada partnership is pleased to welcome three new members: Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada FHCP, the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) and Spirits Canada | Association of Canadian Distillers.   “Since its creation in 2009, the GrowCanada partnership has united the sector with a vision for Canada to be a global leader in innovation. Welcoming new voices from further along the value chain strengthens our ability to show how agriculture and food can drive growth, sustainability, and innovation at a pivotal time,” says Pierre Petelle, president and CEO of CropLife Canada. This year’s conference, taking place December 2–4, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Calgary, will focus on the theme Meeting the Moment, exploring how to create the conditions for the sector to thrive and position Canada to lead with purpose. Read the full news release: https://lnkd.in/eMDTsZ4W Registration for this year’s conference is now open and the full conference agenda is available here: https://lnkd.in/g-nCsn25 Proudly presented in partnership with BIOTECanada, Canada Grains Council, Canadian Canola Growers Association, Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Fertilizer Canada, Canadian Seed Growers' Association (CSGA), Canola Council of Canada, Cereals Canada, CropLife Canada, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada - Producteurs de fruits et légumes du Canada, Grain Growers of Canada, Pulse Canada, Seeds Canada, SOIL CONSERVATION COUNCIL OF CANADA and Soy Canada.

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Are Hidden Fees Eroding Your Bottom Line?⁣ ⁣ In the fast-paced Canadian foodservice industry, every dollar counts. Yet, many restaurant owners are unknowingly losing thousands per year to ambiguous charges on their merchant service statements.⁣ ⁣ These "hidden fees" are designed to be overlooked. We've compiled a list of the 8 most common culprits to watch for.⁣ ⁣ Your 10-Minute Audit Checklist:⁣ ⁣ • Monthly/Annual Fees: Are they waivable?⁣ • Statement Fees: Demand these for free.⁣ • Gateway Fees: Do they align with the value you receive for online orders?⁣ • Batch Fees: Are these negotiable?⁣ • PCI Compliance/Non-Compliance: Are you completing your questionnaire on time to avoid penalties?⁣ • Chargeback Fees: Are you tracking these, even the disputes you win?⁣ • Early Termination Fees (ETF): Are these capped or waived in your contract?⁣ • Miscellaneous Fees: Challenge any AVS, dormant account, or markup fees you don't understand.⁣ ⁣ Protecting your profit margin starts with vigilance.⁣ ⁣ At Accountific, we specialize in financial clarity and cost optimization for Canadian restaurants. If your statement audit reveals confusing charges, it's time to talk.⁣ ⁣ #RestaurantIndustry #CanadaBusiness #RestaurantFinance #AccountingServices #Bookkeeping #CostSaving #FinancialHealth #MerchantServices #POS #PaymentProcessing #Accountific

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Sales in food services and drinking place rise: Statistics Canada. In February, the largest increase in sales came from full-service restaurants (+1.4%). Mario Toneguzzi Statistics Canada | Statistique Canada #RetailInsider #Business #MarioToneguzzi #News #restaurants #retail #StatisticsCanada

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The NEW NO|BS Report this week focuses on Thunder Bay, Ontario, foodservice and hospitality opportunities, plus a practical look at marketing. We’re rolling out these smaller-city reports in our daily NO|BS Newsletter, covering the other 95% of the industry, real operators in real towns, not only the big six. Ashton Media (Network) A NEW way of building your brand with untraditional media activations. All our reports are on Amazon... Just search NO|BS Reports. Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/gbD4Rcpr Canada's Restaurant Guy Jay "Canada's Restaurant Guy" Ashton 🇨🇦🍁 Domenic Pedulla

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🎙️ Radio National | Nov 17–23, 2025 Retail, QSR, and pharma dominate Canada’s radio landscape this week. McDonald's jumps to the #1 spot with 7,840 airings — a strong rebound that puts QSR back on top. Spence Diamonds holds steady at #2, while Shoppers Drug Mart climbs into #3, reinforcing retail’s consistent presence in national radio. Novo Nordisk moves to #4 after last week’s lead, followed by Tim Hortons at #5. Canon Canada sits in the mid-Top 10, while Toyota Canada Inc. makes a notable rise to #7. New entry Forzani Group Ltd lands at #8, adding fresh retail energy to the chart. SEPHORA and Sleep Country Canada round out the Top 10, further highlighting how lifestyle, retail, and home categories continue to shape weekly radio activity. 📊 Adease tracks the advertisers driving Canada’s broadcast landscape every week. Contact us for custom insights, competitive tracking, or category-specific trends or visit adeaseai.com to learn more. #Adease #RadioAdvertising #TopAdvertisers #Canada #MediaInsights #MarketingTrends #RadioAds

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Ontario’s expansion of alcohol sales has been a “real game-changer” for convenience stores, driving higher foot traffic and replacing revenue lost due to a “huge” decrease in cigarette sales, says the Convenience Industry Council of Canada. https://trib.al/Q6xG02i

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Earlier this month, the federal government announced an extension of the 50% excise tax reduction for the first 15,000hL of beer brewed. This announcement means tangible change for Canadian craft breweries, allowing them to invest in their local communities. “Extending the 50% excise rate reduction on the first 15,000 hL is meaningful for us. Over the next two years, it translates to more than $60,000 staying in our business instead of leaving it. That capital stays in Alberta, where we reinvest it into our team and continue building the Tool Shed brand in our home market. It also plays an important role in allowing small craft breweries to stay competitive in an ever evolving beer market alongside much larger breweries. Policies like this don’t just support breweries, they strengthen local economies and the communities around them.” James Costello, CEO, Tool Shed Brewing Company, Calgary, AB The CCBA applauds the federal government’s decision to give Canada’s 1,200 small independent craft breweries a break. This 50% excise reduction on the first 15,000 hL of beer brewed sends a clear signal that government understands the pressures facing independent brewers. Thank you liberal MP Ben Carr for your support.

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🚗💡Turning Fuel Stops into Grocery Visits: Calgary Co-op’s Cross-Banner Strategy Love seeing great examples of retailers using their full ecosystem to create value for customers and drive visits across banners. Calgary Co-op continues to do this really well. They’ve long offered two-tiered pricing at their fuel stations for loyal members, who earn a 6-cent-per-liter discount when using the Calgary Co-op app: 2 cents in Bonus Cash and 4 cents toward Member Earnings. On top of that, they recently ran a smart cross-banner promotion: spend $75 on fuel and get $10 off your next grocery purchase (see picture for example). I love this type of campaign, simple, relevant, and effective. It shows how grocery retailers can leverage their entire retail network to create win-win outcomes: customers get real value, while the business drives cross-banner traffic and loyalty. 🌟 A great reminder that some of the most powerful loyalty mechanics come from connecting what customers already do every day. #RetailInnovation #CustomerLoyalty #Omnichannel #GroceryRetail Penney McTaggart-Cowan Fadi Nasr

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The latest announcement brings the long-time Ontario beer retailer's total number of closures to 34 stores over the coming weeks. Read here https://lnkd.in/gdZn2XdN

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