Author: MB Magazine

Convenience and gas (C&G) in Canada is at a crossroads facing an opportunity to evaluate their value proposition and competitive set in food and beverage. In this article, we’ll explore C&G’s opportunity to invest in foodservice offerings and compete more directly with quick-service restaurants (QSR). Under rising costs of living, even more affluent consumers are scrutinizing their spending. While consumers tell Ipsos that cutting back on quality food and beverages is not their first choice, concessions must be made. Among the first tactics customers use to continue enjoying the things they love is to find it cheaper at a different…

Many food items are significantly more expensive at the grocery store today than they were a year ago in Canada. Leading the pack is rice, with a year-over-year increase of 48.9%, according to Statistics Canada. The spike is largely driven by export restrictions in key producing countries such as India and Thailand. Grapes come second with a 34.1% jump, likely the result of Canadian grocers pivoting away from U.S. suppliers this past winter—many stores carried grapes from South Africa, Peru and Chile instead. Other notable price increases are linked to Ottawa’s retaliatory tariffs, especially on U.S. goods such as coffee…

As Canada leads the world in remote work, the kitchen has quietly become our new boardroom, grocery bills our new budget battleground—and what we eat, a reflection of how we live, work and adapt. Canada now leads the world in remote work among college-educated professionals, with nearly two full workdays per week spent at home, according to the latest Global Survey of Working Arrangements. That’s more than the United Kingdom, the United States, India, or Nigeria. This might appear to be just another workplace statistic, but it carries significant implications—not only for how Canadians work, but for how they eat,…

Canada continues to fall behind on efforts to build up a network of electric vehicle charging stations, even as the rising number of chargers along key corridors makes it easier for Canadians to take their EVs on longer trips, researchers say. There are a little more than 35,000 charging stations across the country right now — well short of the 100,520 Canada needs to meet its policy goals for electric vehicles, researchers with the Montreal-based consultancy Dunsky Energy and Climate said in a report released last year. In a 2021 analysis commissioned by Natural Resources Canada, Dunsky estimated Canada needed…

You’d expect these numbers from a national (maybe even global) retail brand: over 1 million TikTok followers and 21.8 million likes; Instagram posts reaching up to 167,000 likes from 73,000 followers; and more than 26,000 fans on Facebook.  7-Eleven Canada, perhaps? Not quite. While 7-Eleven Canada has an impressive social media following—23,000 on TikTok, 35,000 on Instagram and 228,000 on Facebook—the viral powerhouse is Ed’s in Brookswood, a modest-looking neighbourhood corner store in Langley, B.C.  The store is co-owned by brothers Amit Sharma (aka Ed) and his older brother, Narender Puri. Since launching on TikTok in 2021, Ed’s has blown…

Jamie Parker and Mike Wenzlawe were sitting around a campfire during an elk-hunting trip in 2014 near Willmore Wilderness Park in Northern Alberta when the idea to start a coffee company was sparked. The idea came to Parker, inspired by the pair’s work as wildland firefighters. “We learned to roast coffee in a cast iron pan on the fireline,” he explains. They wanted to embody that same connection to the outdoors in a business. “Our cause and our goal is to unite Canadians to pursue outdoor experiences,” says Wenzlawe. “Coffee is a conduit and a vessel that we use to…

Nestled in the heart of Toronto’s Roncesvalles Village, Arbequina Restaurant is more than just a new dining destination—it’s a bold reimagining of Levantine cuisine, brought to life by Chef Moeen Abuzaid and his wife and business partner, Asma Syed. Together, they have crafted an experience that seamlessly merges rich cultural heritage, fine dining and local cuisine. For Chef Moeen, the journey to Arbequina began far from Toronto, in the bustling kitchens of Amman, Jordan. With little more than ambition and a dream, he moved to New York City in 2009, where he worked alongside some of the world’s most revered…

Research from the IMARC Group indicates Canada’s dairy market was worth US$15.4 billion in 2024. While tried-and-true formats for fluid milk, yogurt and ice cream will always have a place in refrigerators and freezers, Canadian consumers are increasingly demanding more and more variety from dairy products. This wish list, which ranges from health benefits to bold new flavours to plant-based alternatives, is driving innovation and changing the dairy shopping experience.  Research from the IMARC Group indicates Canada’s dairy market was worth US$15.4 billion in 2024 and projects a rise to $22.9 billion in 2033, suggesting strong continued growth in the…

In case parents and children have forgotten the fleeting nature of summer, retail stores of all kinds will soon be here to remind them. Along with the dog days of the season, August and September brings with it back-to-school displays, deals and purchasing decisions, as consumers load up for another academic year. Anticipating the school lunch and snack needs of customers has become a retail rite of late summer. Or, more accurately, early spring, as stores and food manufacturers prepare well in advance for one of the most important sales periods of the year. According to Ipsos FIVE research, 80%…

There are about 2.7 billion front-line employees worldwide—more than double the number of desk-based workers, according to Gartner. Many report feeling disconnected or unable to get up to speed with important work-related information, so it’s no surprise that keeping engaged and productive employees is an ongoing challenge.  C-store and gas retailers often struggle when hiring, onboarding, scheduling and managing deskless employees. One potential solution? Swapping whiteboards, timecards or sticky notes for an agile mobile app that simplifies everything from training to time tracking. Here’s why your organization should consider diving in. A wide range of options  When workplace apps first…