Good evening everyone.
If you’re looking for the opposite of a slop bowl, the guys at Wilbur are doing some amazing work. I hadn’t been in a while but stopped by earlier today for a carne taco, which came with a side of retail news: Steve Chan, a co-owner, told me they’re opening a second location (after ten years in business) in Liberty Village soon, which I’m only sharing because BlogTo already covered it.
I’m excited for them, but kind of worried about the Chipotle down the street?
NEWS:
Fairgrounds raised funding to open 30 new pickleball and padel clubs across Canada. Drummond Munro (formerly Superette) and Matt Rubinoff (currently Stackt Market) closed their Series A (led by Back Forty) to expand their fun, free-to-join racket club for millennials. Pickleball is not a part of my reality so I actually can’t speak to what’s happening or who their target is, but they’ve done a great job with branding and programming.
Aritzia’s revenue in the U.S. rose 41% this quarter. Two days before the U.S. removed its de minimus rule (which allowed for duty-free shipments under $800) Aritzia pivoted to fulfilling all American orders out of an expanded distribution centre in Ohio, leaving the company mostly unaffected. Remarkable timing.
Aritzia says it now “sees a chance” to expand its retail footprint in the U.S. from 70 to 200 stores. Do we buy?
Kevin O’Leary is starring in a movie opposite Timothée Chalamet and Gwyneth Paltrow. Supposedly he did not need acting lessons to play a “a real a**hole” in Marty Supreme, the comedy-drama inspired by the life of champion ping-pong player Marty Mauser.
In most places Celsius is “cheaper than a cup of coffee.” It’s also now the best-selling energy drink in America after RedBull and Monster. In Canada, Guru has similarly positioned itself as a *health* drink backed by *real science* and seems to be doing quite well: last quarter, sales grew by 35% to $8.7 million.
Heffel’s November 19 auction will included 27 works from the collection of Hudson’s Bay. Marrakech, an oil painting by Sir Winston Churchill is estimated to sell for $400K-$600K. Until now, the auction house required an NDA to view the catalogue.
An Ontario judge approved the auction process last month, which covers 1,700 artworks and more than 2,700 artifacts.
A judge has dismissed Drake’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group. Over that song by Kendrick Lamar that I won’t get into.
