Month: May 2015

Roncesvalles area resident Nick Moses has posted enjoyable amateur video of the escaped High Park peacock. Comments of Moses and his neighbors catch the excitement of the incident. Watch for quite long flight between roofs toward end of video. The bird is apparently still on the loose and authorities ask people merely to call police rather than try to catch it. Someone might get hurt. Thanks for the video Nick.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands are received by Ontario Lieutenant-Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell. Below, family from Port Weller excited to see royals. (Twitter photos by Kevin Misener, 680 News)

There is speculation by analysts of the retail drugstore business that Jurgen Schreiber, new chief executive of Rexall Pharma Plus, is a possible agent to a take over of the chain by a U.S. or European drug firm.  Mr. Schreiber was chief executive officer at Shoppers Drug Mart for four years until 2011. He was also previously head of A.S. Watson Group, a European chain of health and beauty stores, which is part of global conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa Ltd.

TO DROP PHARMA PLUS NAME

Mr. Schreiber will become CEO of the newly renamed Rexall Health in August, the company has announced. It is not clear what this means for store signage  Rexall has been without a CEO since Frank Scorpiniti resigned in October. A story in the Globe and Mail says Rexall has been “updating its store design in “pool-side” aqua and concentrating more on health items such as vitamins and alternative medicines and margin-friendly private labels.”  Perhaps the stores managers at South Bayview Rexalls on Moore Ave, Mt. Pleasant and in Sunnybrook Plaza can update customers on the nature of pool side aqua (fins?)  Wendy Evans, of retail analysts Evans & Co. Consultants told the Globe that Schreiber has a strong background in boosting sales of high-margin beauty and cosmetics merchandise. With gross margins of up to 50 per cent or more, beauty products can generate more than twice the margins of other goods, such as toothpaste.

TAKEOVER TALK

As to a possible takeover, Schreiber’s former associations might assist in a takeover by A.S. Watson or U.S. chain Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., she said.  A further quote from the Globe story has consultant Jeff Doucette saying that Mr. Schreiber could make Rexall a potential acquisition opportunity.

Dozens of rich and powerful  soccer sponsors in North America and elsewhere were speaking out against corruption, or perhaps just sitting worrying about the waves of scandal splashing on them. Big sponsors like Coca Cola are demanding reforms. Visa has warned it will pull out if there is not “swift and immediate steps to address” the corruption. Scotiabank (Bank of Nova Scotia) a huge sponsor the North American feeder organization of FIFA known as CONCACAF, has yet to say anything. And there are dozens more. Adidas, Gazprom . Hyundai/KIA, McDonalds and Budweisers. The  indictments unsealed yesterday mentioned a “sportswear maker” among the accused. No name has so far come out. In Europe, there is a building demand that the president of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, resign. He spoke at the FIFA Congress today and portrayed himself as the lone honest man among a few corrupt officials. Most national executives are saying this is not good enough and are demanding Blatter go. Below is a clip with David Gill of the U-K Football Association in which he says he will refuse to service on the FIFA executive unless Blatter leaves.

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