$60bn spending lift the key for retailers JB Hi-Fi chief executive Richard Murray believes retailers will never forget the key number of ‘$60 billion’.
Business by ELI GREENBLAT
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Subscriber only JB Hi-Fi chief executive Richard Murray believes retailers will never forget the key number of $60 billion , an estimate of the amount spent by Australians travelling overseas before COVID-19, with that money now staying within our borders and up for grabs by stores. Addressing the Australian Retailers Association Leaders Forum on Wednesday, Mr Murray said that while international travel remained off the agenda, low interest rates, which were helpful for the property sector, were also very good for retail.
WINNIPEG Construction has officially begun on a new Ronald McDonald House in Winnipeg, that will help provide a haven for Manitoba families with sick or injured children. The new 40-bedroom house will be located on Juno Street, close to the HSC Children’s Hospital, and will serve all pediatric disciplines. The house will help Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Manitoba help more families, address unserved families and wait times, and increase its ability to support more families in need of pediatric mental health, rehabilitation, bone marrow and organ transplants. “We are growing our mission by 186 per cent,” said Wendy Galagan, CEO of RMHC Manitoba.
WINNIPEG The City of Winnipeg will be offering some Leisure Guide programs this spring, including dance, gymnastics, yoga, pottery, spring break camps and outdoor activities. According to the city, the Leisure Guide will be made available online on March 19, with registration beginning at 8 a.m. on March 23. Residents can register online, by calling 311 or in-person at 395 Main St. The city is reminding anyone that wants to register in-person that they must wear a mask and maintain physical distancing protocols. The city expects to release the Leisure Guide swimming and skating brochures later in the spring.
POOLS REOPENING On March 29, the City of Winnipeg will be reopening a number of its indoor pools at 25 per cent capacity.
Vendasta files for public listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange
Saskatoon-based Vendasta, which has created a cloud commerce platform for small and medium businesses, has filed its preliminary long-form prospectus to go public on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX).
The filing was made public on Tuesday after it was first reported by The Globe and Mail that the company had confidentially filed documents with regulators earlier this month.
Vendasta has yet to price the offering. It is set to be listed on the TSX under the symbol ‘VND.’
The company’s offering is being underwritten by CIBC World Markets, TD Securities and National Bank Financial (as joint bookrunners) as well as BMO Nesbitt Burns, Canaccord Genuity, Desjardins Securities and Paradigm Capital.
Updated Mar 17, 2021 | 11:22 IST
The monthly survey by the Retailers Association of India shows that sales have reached 93 per cent of pre-Covid levels. Retailers are hopeful of reaching pre-pandemic levels in the first half of 2021. Representational Image
Key Highlights
Consumer durables and electronics and Quick Service Restaurants segments continue to see growth over last year
While sales in other categories are still below February 2020 levels, there has been an improvement in comparison to January 2021
Retailers across categories are seeing signs of recovery as the quantum of negative sales growth has seen a gradual reduction with sales down seven per cent in the month of February 2021 as compared to February last year. RAI s January survey showed that overall sales were down 17 per cent in comparison to January 2020. The survey by the Retailers Association of India (RAI) says that businesses are hopeful of achieving pre-pandemic level sales in