Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 19, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE B8 B 8 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015 BUSINESS winnipegfreepress. com long distance 1- 877- 448- 7788 WINNIPEGDODGE. CA 90- 3965 Portage Av e. Wpg. MB 7 7 4 - 4444 We're open 24 hours at www. winnipegdodge. ca * Example: $ 10,995 84 month term @ 3.99%, $ 3,820 APR prices and payments plus taxes, freight & fees. Walt Morris President & Owner $ $ UNDER INVOICE DOWN MONTHS WITH NO PAYMENTS GRAND CARAVAN BRAND NEW DODG DODGE RAM BRAND NEW DODG DODGE JOURNEY DOWN $ DOWN $ DOWN $ YEARS IN A ROW! WE DID IT! SO YOU WIN! The Number One Auto Retailer in all of Manitoba for BR AND N E W ONLY AT HOURS OPEN 9AM- 9PM MON. & TUES 9AM- 6PM WED- SAT SHOP ONLINE SUNDAYS T ORONTO - Aggressive moves by U. S. retailers to lure Canadian online shoppers with perks such as price- matching and free shipping might be just what Canadian stores need to sharpen their e- commerce offerings. " I think ( Canadian) retailers have been complacent - until now. ( But) things are changing with the influx of U. S. competition," says retail analyst Doug Stephens. " Canadian retailers really have to ask themselves, is it not time to at least get on board and do e- commerce like it's 1999?" Stephens said pressure is building for established retailers such as Hudson's Bay Co. and Canadian Tire to beef up their online presence to compete with the U. S. where the online marketplace is developing so fast that last month Amazon, the country's largest online retailer, introduced one- hour home delivery in New York City. Stephens said the amount of experience large- scale companies such as Amazon and Walmart have in e- commerce, as well as the speed online shopping is evolving in terms of technology and product offerings, can put Canadian retailers at a disadvantage. So can perks such as free shipping, according to Craig Patterson of Vancouver blog Retail Insider. " Free is huge and if Canadian companies aren't offering free shipping then they're going to have a challenge competing against American websites," he said. Canadian retailers are challenged with having not enough distribution centres that would allow them to offer incentives such as same- day shipping without hurting their bottom line. Retailers have also been held back by legacy computer systems that may not be able to handle a high volume of e- commerce stocking and distribution, said Sally Seston, founder of Retail Category Consultants. " It's almost like a Band- Aid on a Band- Aid on a Band- Aid," said Seston, whose firm is based in Toronto and New York. " It's a huge expense to make that leap into the technology, to be in the position of where you need to be to add these services." She suggests the goal may not be to mirror the U. S., but rather, countries such in Europe or even Australia. In those countries, in- store delivery or pickup at lockers, which are often located outside stores and accessible after hours, are offered in place of free or cheap shipping. That's the route Canadian Tire seems to be taking. Its customers can pick up web orders in- store. In June, Hudson's Bay CEO Richard Baker emphasized the importance of digital sales. HBC has said its goal is to have online sales account for 20 per cent of overall sales within the next five years. - The Canadian Press PEOPLE Kevin Brite and Mirek Frolek have completed all the requirements for their full Accredited Assessor Manitoba Designation. To achieve this designation, requirements include a combination of education, experience and adherence to a professional code of conduct. Madhav Sinha, P. Eng. president of the Canadian Society for Quality has been appointed the guest editor of a special issue of the journal titled, the TQM Journal , to be published by the Emerald Publishers ( UK) in summer, consisting of selected papers from the sixth Canadian Quality Congress that was held at the University of Manitoba, last September. Sinha is a professional engineer and recognized authority in the field of quality management, who has authored, co- authored and edited 10 books, including a textbook on quality management, and written several ground- breaking research papers on modern management topics. He is the first Canadian ever to receive the highest honour, a distinguished service gold medal, accorded to an individual by world's oldest and largest organization of quality professionals, the American Society for Quality. COMPANIES The Headhunters are pleased to announce the appointment of Marny Barnes to the Winnipeg branch of the Headhunters. Barnes began her career in recruitment for manufacturing and engineering, and then went on to build and develop a very successful recruitment practice for information technology. She will be sourcing and placing top IT and operations professionals for Manitoba companies and supporting recruitment across the firm's offices in Western Canada. Fireseeds North Infrastructure has joined the Eureka Project for access to mentorship and investment to help the company excel in its mission to deliver solutions in transportationasset management, road safety, gender mainstreaming, transport planning and transportation engineering. The Manitoba Writers' Guild is pleased to announce Melanie Matheson has been hired as executive director. Matheson is an award- winning children's writer and graphic designer, with 20 years' experience in the Canadian publishing industry and the Manitoba's arts community. AWARDS Health in Common was awarded the 2014 Gold Commuter Friendly Workplace Award. This uniquely Manitoba award, presented by Green Action Centre, recognizes workplaces that support their employees to carpool, take transit, telecommute, walk or cycle to work through related infrastructure, workplace policies, promotional events, benefits and incentive programs. BOARDS Winnipeg Airports Authority Inc. is pleased to announce the election of Thomas Payne Jr. as chair and BJ Reid as vice chair to its board of directors. Two new members will join the WAA: Kimberley Gilson , partner with Duboff Edwards Haight & Schachter Law Corp., and Gord Peters , president of Cando Rail Services Ltd. Directors: D. Greg Doyle, Don Price, Kim Gilson; BJ Reid, vice chair; Paul Soubry, Gerry Glatz, Thomas Payne Jr. , chair; Ross Robinson, Don Boitson, Eugene Kostyra, Janice Filmon, David Friesen, Gord Peters. Manitoba Non- Profit Housing Assoc. has elected its board of directors and officers for 2014- 15: president, Laurie Socha , S. A. M. ( Management) Inc.; vice- president, Joanne Schmidt, Bethel Place; past president, Menno Peters , Winnipeg Housing & Rehabilitation Corp.; secretary, Laura Devlin , Riverside Lions Estates; treasurer, Karl Falk , DSI Tandem Co- op Resources Ltd. Directors at Large: Lawrence Poirier, Kinew Housing Inc; James Friesen , Eden Health Care Services; Sterling Herntier , North End Housing Project Inc. and Paullette Simkins, Canadian Mental Health Association Thompson Region. Better Business Bureau of Manitoba & N. W. Ontario has announced their 2015 board of directors: chairman, Tom Reimer , CEO Commissionaires Manitoba; past chairman, Ryan Peterson; senior manager of financial Sservices, ON Business Chartered Accountants Inc.; vice- chairman, Tom Russell , principal, 4 Points Financial; treasurer, Gil Harms , Principal, G. D. Harms CMA Ltd. Directors: Arnold Frieman, Advance Electronics; Ernie Nairn , executive director, Assiniboia Chamber of Commerce; Dave Amey , Dave Amey & Associates Ltd.; Mike Gilmour , On Time Group Inc.; Len Andrusiak ; president and CEO. St. Mary's Academy is pleased to announce its 2014- 15 board of directors: chair, Scott Greenlay; vicechair, Wanda Daza ; treasurer, Michael George ; secretary, James McLandress ; past chair, Mark Dufresne ; Leanne Boyd ; parents' guild, Leslie Finch ; Barry Jansen; Kevin Klippenstein; Mark Kulas; Deanne Magnus; Vanessa Mulhern; Mabini Pagtakhan; Leanne Tsai and Sr. Cathy Laviolette. MANITOBA Movers Got a promotion or new contract? Contact Linda Mertin at 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6; email linda. mertin@ freepress. mb. ca. Canadian retailers lack online- sales savvy By Linda Nguyen B_ 08_ Jan- 19- 15_ FP_ 01. indd B8 1/ 18/ 15 6: 01: 36 PM ;