Leons Headlines Jan 27: Warm week; January ends with mild temperatures 10-12°C above normal, but bitter cold returns Sunday with highs of -18°C.
-Brandon City Council reduced the 2025 budget’s property tax increase from 11.7% to 6.9%, thanks to surplus cash, provincial support & budget scrutiny.
-A Retail Insider Report says Peavey Mart is not just shutting down in Eastern Canada, but may shutter nationwide. The company operates locations in Brandon, Swan River, Winkler, Steinbach, and two in Wpg, however the company has yet to confirm.
-OpenTable reports MB restaurants saw a 20% rise in reservations following the GST holiday implemented in December, part of a nationwide trend led by Ontario’s 23% increase.
-Roughly 750 employees at CN Rail, who work in signals and communications, will be on strike as of tomorrow.
-MB government is investing $1M in the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium for upgrades and to ensure long-term viability.
-Almost 800 Westman residents are on wait lists because of a shortage of occupational therapists. PMH says it’s actively working to recruit and retain occupational therapists.
-An Air France flight from Paris to Denver was diverted to Wpg Sunday morning for “operational reasons,” though no emergency or hazard was found, but the flight was ultimately canceled.
-‘A country that should be a state’: Trump renews Canada comments in weekend press Q&A.
-Jets drop Flames 5-2.
While RETAIL INSIDER continues to report Peavey Mart may be closing across the country, we’ve make several calls to the Red Deer head office to confirm and cannot get confirmation. However at this point the reports are sourced from un-named sources that appear to be close to the company. Being one of Canada’s oldest retail operations, starting in Winnipeg back in the 60’s, this would certainly be a blow to the nation’s retail landscape, not to mention a loss of jobs and a sad day for Westman farmers who quite frankly love this store.
Retail headwinds are overwhelming 2025. Store closures are at their highest level since the pandemic, with retailers like Walmart gaining ground while others like Celo and Bootlegger are closing locations or filing for bankruptcy. The trend shows a growing divide in the retail market.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/23/store-closures-rise-led-by-party-city-big-lots-walgreens.html
Football Follies. Swifties are hoping the Kansas City Chiefs lose to the Buffalo Bills so Travis Kelce can attend the Grammy Awards with Taylor Swift. This would give the couple a public appearance together, fueling speculation about their relationship.
Watching TV while on your phone is the new normal. Netflix is adapting its original content for background viewing as more people use their phones while watching TV. This shift began with the rise of tablets and smartphones, turning TV into a second-screen experience.
NO TRIANGLES?!?!?! Doritos is changing its iconic triangular shape to square chips for a limited-time UK collaboration with A Minecraft Movie. The new chips come with the chance to win prizes, but the change is temporary.
https://www.eatthis.com/doritos-square-chip-minecraft
CAUTION Customers! Costco shoppers are frustrated by people opening and using items before returning them, especially in the warehouse chain’s generous return policy. This leads to potentially harmful products being resold to unsuspecting customers.
https://www.eatthis.com/costco-worst-customer-habit
WOW. HUGE CREDIT CARD BILL for Video Games: Kids mistakenly charged $1,567 to their parent’s credit card while playing in an arcade on a family cruise. The error happened because the kids’ room keys were linked to the parent’s credit card without realizing it.
Can you go blind from eating chicken nuggets? Apparently so, as one young person found out. However there were only 3 foods in his diet he ate each day. There’s being a picky eater then there’s being ridiculous.
