The South Bayview Bulldog

This experiment did not last long. Moore Ave is open late, but not all night. The Loblaws store at Moore Ave. and Bayview Ave has quietly shifted to 24 hour business. An employee tonight said it happened Friday, June 17, 2011. “No more shooing people out of the store at 10 o’clock,” she laughed. The story appears to be that Loblaws decided it could no longer ignore the nearly universal move by competitors to open many stores all night. The action has been especially noticeable from Sobeys. But Metro and independent stores such as Tremblett’s Value Mart at Bayview and Davisville are also in the game. This of course doesn’t even deal with the American firms like Walmart who keep the lights on. It is, we think, a remarkable comment on the intensity of competition in the grocery business and the razor thin margins being earned on food. The amount of business done in the middle of the night will be essentially zero. And few experienced shoppers accept the public relations fluff about employees being happy to choose different shifts. Even though the number of staff required each night will be small, very few people want to work all night. It’s interesting to note that many staff members of Shoppers Drug Mart on South Bayview were concerned that the opening of a new store would mean 24 hour operation. In the event, management went for Open Til Midnight. A sensible move.

Sears Canada has replaced its president and CEO, Dene Rogers (right) with a wunderkind executive from Loblaws, 39-year-old Calvin McDonald (left). The move is said to be an effort to improve Sears position before Target Corp. arrives in Canada. McDonald will replace Rogers effective immediately, Sears said in a statement. Rogers is planning to return to the U.S., the company said. The decision to hire McDonald, a highly-regarded executive away from Loblaws suggests that Sears’ U.S.-based owner is serious about reviving the brand. Sears’ losses have been widening as its sales under perform the broader market. The retailer lost nearly $50 million in the first quarter as sales shrank 7.1 per cent to just under $1 billion.

Lot’s of excitement on Manor Rd. east of Mount Pleasant today as contractors knocked down most of the residence at 204 Manor Rd. This knockdown followed a practice common in such work. Large parts of the walls are left in place on the original foundation. This ensures that the bylaws by which this home was originally built remain grandfathered in the new structure. There will be no question about where the walls can go. At upper left, the backhoe at work. Upper right, 204 as seen by Google in recent months. Below left, a peek at the work from the west, and on the right, from the east.

It seems amazing, but there is a lot of serious talk about the end of the Lincoln marque at Ford Motor Company. Lincoln has been in a sales spiral and last year sold fewer cars that BMW. The totals were 85,828 Lincolns to more than 100,000 Bimmers. In an effort to try and stimulate falling sales of it’s North American luxury brand, Ford has announced it will be spending $1 billion in a last-chance revitalization effort. Ford has said that for the time being, it remains committed to revitalizing it’s premier marque, though today, $1 billion doesn’t go a long way in the automobile business, especially for an entire brand.

This 1200 square foot semi-detached home on Merton Street near Mount Pleasant was listed for $599,000 and as is often the case these days, fetched far more. The final price was $687,000. It sold in 2004 for $375,000.