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CTV News
6 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Ottawa jewelry store robbery latest in trend of ‘concerning' incidents, experts say
The boarded up window of an Ottawa jewelry store after a robbery on May 30, 2025. (CTV News Ottawa) A brazen daytime robbery at an Ottawa jewelry store is just the latest in series of similar concerning incidents in recent months. A video captures a stolen pickup truck ramming the front of Rafidain & Co. on Bank Street last week where four or five masked men broke through the store's front entrance before stealing items and driving off in a getaway silver SUV. Police are also investigating similar smash-and-grabs at jewellers in Place d'Orléans Shopping Centre, Bayshore Shopping Mall and Tanger Outlets. One person was arrested following the Bayshore Mall robbery but so far, few charges or arrests have been announced. 'These jewelry store robberies are getting more and more brazen and the risk to public safety is very concerning,' said CTV News public safety analyst Chris Lewis. It's something that isn't just happening in Ottawa, he says. Other similar robberies have been happening with an 'alarming frequency' across Canada, including Toronto and western provinces. 'They're concerning because the risk to public safety is increasing every time. These are happening because it's relatively low risk and relatively high gain. Jewelry is obviously worth a lot of money. These are largely controlled by organized crime,' he said. Retail analyst Bruce Winder agrees the issue has become increasingly problematic. 'This has become sort of an epidemic of crime against particularly jewelry stores,' Winder said. 'Some folks sort of run into a mall with hammers and smash and grab. Other folks are starting to use vehicles, to back into these stores.' He says stores can hire more protection through armed security guards during business hours, but admits those services are pricey. 'This isn't cheap, and you would have to build that into your prices of your jewelry,' he said. Winder also suggests using some form of parking blockades, such as bollards or posts, to keep a truck or vehicle from being able to smash through. The store manager of Raidain & Co. did not want to appear on camera but told CTV News Tuesday that the suspects were in his store for less than 30 seconds. He says after crashing the vehicle through the front, the suspects used hammers to smash through a display case. The owner of the Bank Street jeweller says that just last month, he placed large cement flower planters directly in front of the store, but it appears the suspects rammed the window at an angle. The business re-opened at noon on Tuesday. The store owner also says that customers' merchandise left for repair or appraisal is safe from the incident. The Ottawa Police Service is investigating the incident. With files from CTV News Ottawa's William Eltherington
CTV News
25-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Can the sale of 28 store leases make Hudson's Bay more viable?
Watch Retail expert Bruce Winder provides his insight on Hudson's Bay to sell 28 store leases to B.C. mall owner.
CTV News
15-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Price increases coming to thousands of grocery products: Here's why
Price increases coming to thousands of grocery products: Here's why Retail expert Bruce Winder says product inventory is depleted and new shipments will be subject to Canadian counter-tariffs.
Toronto Star
02-05-2025
- Business
- Toronto Star
Canadian Tire bidding on Hudson's Bay's intellectual property, may include iconic stripes and logos
Canadian Tire Corp. has expressed interest in purchasing Hudson's Bay's intellectual property, which may include its iconic stripes and logos, according to a source close to the beleaguered retailer's restructuring plans. The source told the Star that Canadian Tire, the stalwart retailer of automotive and home products, has submitted a bid in a sales process that is putting Hudson's Bay's leases, real estate and IP up for grabs. The deadline for bid submission was Wednesday. The once-venerated Hudson's Bay filed for creditor protection in early March and has since been granted permission to liquidate half-a-billion dollars worth of inventory in more than 80 stores across the country. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The Star first reported on Wednesday that Weihong Liu, a British Columbia-based billionaire mall owner, has placed a bid on 25 Hudson's Bay stores after publicly disclosing her intent on Chinese social media Rednote. Multiple parties are participating in the bidding process and are primarily interested in the IP. Canadian Tire 'seemed quite excited' about it, according to the source, who the Star is not naming because they are not authorized to speak about the bidding process. Star Exclusive Billionaire mall owner Weihong Liu says she's bid on 25 Hudson's Bay stores Estella Ren Hudson's Bay's trademarks 'could make for a nice sort of private label addition to Canadian Tire control brand edition,' said retail analyst Bruce Winder, adding that if Canadian Tire wins the bid, they could put it on any product they want and choose the manufacturer to produce it. Canadian Tire has a history of creating private labels — brands exclusively distributed by the company — including purchasing the rights to Raleigh bicycles and Noma known for its Christmas lights. Winder added that Canadian Tire could open up 'a little shop within the shop' to sell Hudson's Bay products or embed the brand name into different categories within the store. It's unclear whether Canadian Tire is bidding for the retailer's stores as well. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Hudson's Bay declined to comment, and Canadian Tire did not respond to the Star's request for comment by the time of publication. 'We have received multiple bids and are evaluating them,' Adam Zalev, managing director at Bay financial adviser Reflect Advisors, told the Star on Thursday. If a buyer is solely interested in Hudson's Bay leases, the bid is due Thursday. When asked Wednesday morning whether she had submitted a bid, Liu, an immigrant from China, said 'money has already been paid.' She also said she will hold a press conference in 10 days. According to the court order allowing the sales of Hudson's Bay assets, a 'final qualified bid' must include a refundable deposit of no less than 10 per cent of the purchase price, as well as written proof that financing has been committed for the purchase. Each bid must also include a proposal for how many Hudson's Bay employees the bidder hopes to retain. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'We need to hire workers, recruit people and attract investment, so the time is tight to get the work done,' Liu told the Star in Mandarin over the phone. '(The landlords) will hand over the keys in June and charge me rent.' She said in a video on Rednote previously that she wanted to acquire Hudson's Bay to 'revive the retail industry' in Canada. Winder said Canadian Tire could compete head-on with Liu if the West Coast billionaire wanted to run the 25 stores under the Hudson's Bay name. Which bid is chosen depends on its dollar value, Winder added. Business 'A kick in the head': Hudson's Bay shoppers hunt for liquidation deals and reflect on what the chain's downfall means to them Consumers pounced at locations of Canada's beleaguered oldest company on Monday morning. 'It's all about money now, just paying down creditors' who are owed more than $1 billion. A Toronto-based investment firm Urbana Corp. has also made an offer for Hudson's Bay assets, but the company's bid is for intellectual property, not store locations. Since the news of the financial woes facing Hudson's Bay broke, Canadians have flooded stores, scrambling to snatch up anything bearing the Hudson's Bay logo, mourning the loss of the Canadian company with a 355-year-old legacy. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Despite the better-than-expected sales in the liquidation process, the company decided it was 'unlikely' to find a restructuring solution to save its business and put six stores that it was hoping to keep operational into liquidation last Friday. Hudson's Bay is clinging to the hope that a successful bid will come through the sales process, and reserves the right to withdraw some stores from liquidation sales. If the retailer receives multiple offers for its stores and intellectual properties, it could hold an auction around May 16. Hudson's Bay is required to return to court by May 30 for approval of the sales of its assets.
