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Interesting facts, events and fundraisers are all in John Thomson's 'Here and there'.
Interesting facts, events and fundraisers are all in John Thomson's 'Here and there'.

Here and there
by John Thomson - Story: 41948
Sep 23, 2008 / 5:00 am

Shoppers Drug Mart, Canada’s largest pharmacy and health and beauty chain with 1090 stores, is opening a new chain of beauty stores this fall. They will feature 200 items in these stores to be called Murale. The idea is to introduce new brands to Canadians that have previously been unavailable...

Some of the dollar stores are finding a need to increase prices due to fuel and everything else that seems to be happening. So you could see increases...

Clearly Canadian, the pop company that got its start on Leon Avenue in Kelowna many years ago, has just signed a national distribution deal with Cott Beverages. Cott will produce the sparkling water drinks and distribute all over North America. Cott is the largest bottler of house brand soda pop in the world...

Wal-Mart is rolling out its Marketside concept of smaller stores in southern California. This means that in the future, small centres, even in this valley, could have a Wal-Mart in future...

The brand identification will get larger as the Jolly Green Giant, known by 96 per cent of the shoppers as the vegetable company, continues to introduce fresh produce with the jolly green fellow on the product...

Procter & Gamble – which sells more laundry detergent than anyone else on the planet - is testing a new product line that actually gives slackers an excuse to put off doing a wash. The new product is Swash and it removes wrinkles, stains and odors from clothes in minutes, without washing...

Lululemon, the yoga-inspired clothing stores, are having a great year so far with earnings more than doubled. The company plans to add thirty-five stores a year for the next three to five years...

Across much of Canada, the most popular brand of juice concentrate, ReaLemon by Canada Dry Mott's, has been out of stock since the beginning of summer. Drought and vicious sirocco winds in southern Europe and severe frost in Argentina, California and Arizona peeled back the world's lemon supply. Compared to last year, the fruit's cost has more than doubled.

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Mark Saturday, September 27th on your entertainment calendar. Robert Fine and the 14 piece Dreamland swinging band are doing two concerts at the Rotary Centre For The Arts at 2p.m. and 8 p.m.. Tickets available at Ticketmaster for $30 including taxes and fees. The B.C. Cancer Federation receives all of the proceeds. It will be a night to remember with music from the American Songbook. It will be terrific. A "don’t miss" entertainment opportunity.

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We have a lot of people living here now that still call Saskatchewan home and their province is bursting at the seams with success in economic growth. The Conference Board ranks Saskatoon and Regina number one and number two as the strongest cities in economic growth in the country. This is their best showing since 1997. Saskatoon leads for the second year in a row. Western cities are in the top seven spots. Almost 3,000 people moved to the provincial capital in 2007.

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Girl Guides of Canada is launching their fall cookie campaign with the always delicious chocolate mint cookies. I do like those mint cookies.
They have new cookie packaging which features images showing just a few of the exciting activities that Guiding offers.

As the their official fundraiser, cookie sales enable them to make a
difference in the lives of young girls across Canada. They certainly did wonderful things for our three daughters. While the world has changed dramatically over the last century, Guiding has remained true to its ideals as a dynamic organization, changing with the times to reflect the needs and interests of today's girls.

The Guides have been selling cookies for 81 years. Don’t they sell a half million boxes a year or is it more than that? It all started when a Regina Girl Guide leader baked and packaged cookies for her girls as a simple way to raise money. It has created a tradition. Now, more than eight decades later, Girl Guide cookies are a time-honoured and an eagerly awaited Canadian tradition. The great tasting chocolate mint cookies are only on sale for a short time. Watch for girls selling cookies in your neighbourhood and buy a case for the family.





About The Author...

John Thomson is the Okanagan's pre-eminent business columnist writing his column, Rumours and Things, for over 19 years. Plugged in to the valley's who's who, John keeps his readers coming back for more with his straight talk and optimistic perspective on where we are headed next.

When John is not writing his column, he runs an eleven year old think tank called the Executive Roundtable and holds his popular "Thomson Presents" quarterly business speaker seminars.

Have a comment, question, or tip for John? Email John at:

john.thomson@castanet.net

or send him a fax at 764-8255.






The views expressed are strictly those of the author and not necessarily those of Castanet. Castanet presents its columns "as is" and does not warrant the contents.



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