Please complete your profile to unlock commenting and other important features.

Please select your date of birth for special perks on your birthday. Your username will be your unique profile link and will be publicly used in comments.
MTL Blog Pro

This is a Pro feature.

Time to level up your local game with MTL Blog Pro.

Pro

$5/month

$40/year

  • Everything in the Free plan
  • Ad-free reading and browsing
  • Unlimited access to all content including AI summaries
  • Directly support our local and national reporting and become a Patron
  • Cancel anytime.

retail

A futuristic new store just opened in the Retail Innovation Lab on McGill University's downtown Montreal campus, and it's so high-tech that you can leave without paying for stuff you take — at least not in the traditional sense. 

The store — a partnership between McGill University and Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. — is designed as a "live testing ground" for retail innovation, including "frictionless technologies" that allows for contactless check-out.  

Keep readingShow less

Health Canada has issued a recall on two styles of candle holders sold at Urban Outfitters in Canada, citing the potential for a fire hazard that could cause injuries and property damage.

The joint recall was publicly issued on December 23 with URBN Canada Retail Inc., which owns brands including Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Free People. 

Keep readingShow less

In a press conference on December 15, Premier François Legault introduced even tighter restrictions in Quebec to slow the spread of COVID-19 around the holidays. 

Most of the new measures will be in place from December 17 to January 11 — a period Legault referred to as a "holiday pause." 

Keep readingShow less

As is the end-of-year tradition, the Office de la protection du consommateur (OPC) has released its list of companies that received the most complaints in Quebec.

The office counted 21,533 complaints between November 25, 2019 and November 24, 2020, according to a report obtained by Narcity Québec.

Keep readingShow less

Millennials in Quebec probably have fond memories of shopping at Le Château, a retail clothing chain — founded in Montreal 60 years ago — that epitomized 2000s fashion in the province. 

However, Le Château Inc. has started the process of liquidating its assets, citing "numerous challenges due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic" in a news release — meaning it will soon be gone for good.

It's not the first Montreal-founded business to halt or change operations during the pandemic.

Keep readingShow less

It's that time of year again! With Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas fast approaching, shopping in Montreal is about to get hectic.  

While retail stores are open in Montreal as part of Quebec's red-zone protocols, shopping in any enclosed space can be risky, as coronavirus cases are on the rise.

Keep readingShow less

Montreal's retail industry is the most common source of COVID-19 outbreaks in workplaces in the city, says the regional public health department.  

According to data provided to MTL Blog by the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal (CIUSSS), as of September 28, the city logged 98 COVID-19 cases in 38 workplaces.

Keep readingShow less