Cross Border Pro

U.S. Based Atlas Roofing Corp. Opens B.C. Plant

Atlas Roofing Corp. based in Georgia, U.S.A has announced plans to open a 140,000 square foot manufacturing plant on Annacis Island in Delta, B.C.  Atlas manufactures roofing and wall insulation materials.  Atlas stated the good highway access to the U.S. and ocean ports for shipping as reasons for locating in B.C.  This plant will serve Western Canada, and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon.  Atlas already has one plant in Canada located in Toronto

Surrey BC Based Wok Box to Open US Locations

Surrey, B.C. based Wok Box has announced plans to expand crossborder into the U.S. by opening locations in Oregon, Arizona and Minnesota.  Wok Box currently has 65 quick-serve casual Asian restaurants mostly located in smaller Canadian towns.

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Announces Move Into Canada

U.S. based Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc. has announced that they will be building their first Canadian mega-outlet mall in Ottawa.  Tanger has partnered with Canadian based RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust.  Tanger plans to develop 10 to 15 American-style outlet centres across Canada.  Tanger Outlets are well known to crossborder Canadian shoppers and offer discount brands such as Adidas, Dockers, Ecco, Levis and Nine West. With U.S. retailers racing to enter the Canadian market and financially strong Canadian shoppers looking for American products this is likely a good move for Tanger.  American retailers with locations in Tanger Outlets in the U.S. might feel more comfortable moving into the Canadian market if they can locate in a familiar location format such as the Tanger Outlets.

Nordstrom looks to the North

Seattle Washington retailer Nordstom has announced that they are looking at expansion into Canada. Locations haven't been announced and speculation is that they are waiting for just the right spot to become available.  Nordstom is known for being very selective in its store location choices.  Until now, Nordstrom has focused growth within the United States.  However, they know they have a customer base already in Canada and with the strong Canadian economy and limited expansion opportunities in the U.S. right now, Canada becomes a viable option.

JELD-WEN, Inc. Acquired by Canadian Company

Publicly traded Canadian private equity firm Onex Corp. acquired a 58% interest in family-owned and professionally managed JELD-WEN, Inc., an Oregon-based manufacturer of doors and windows.  The total investment amounted to $871 million.

Canadian Economy Lures International Retail Interests

Target Corporation's late-2010 announcement of expansion into Canada leaves Kroger, Walgreens, and CVS Caremark as the only top-10 retailers who have not publicly announced plans to open stores in Canada.  Some of the U.S. major brands rumored or confirmed to enter the Canadian market include:  Marshalls, J.C. Penny, Topshop, J.Crew, Kohl's, and Dick's Sporting Goods.  It is expected that some of the most familiar Canadian brands will disappear as U.S. retailers expand into Canada.  This push into Canada is driven by the stong Canadian dollar, strong Canadian economy, and strong Canadian consumer.  http://issuu.com/knowledgeleader/docs/fall2011?mode=embed=true&pageNumber=6

 

B.C. Exports to U.S. rebound in August

Exports to the U.S.expanded 6.6% to $1.2 billion in Auugst, recovering from the slow down seen a month earlier.  Highest increase in exports to the U.S. where seen in agriculture and fish and industrial and consumer products.

U.S. Payday Loan Companies Expand Into Canada

Vancouver B.C. based Credilogic recently sold to Kansas based QC Holdings Inc. for US$12 million.  QC operates 500 payday loan stores in the U.S. and announced that this purchase helps them diversify their revenue stream by expanding to Canada. 

In May Kansas based Speedy Cash expanded its online payday loan business when it bought Ontario based CashMoney for approximately $100 million.

Lowe's Moves into BC

Lowe's Companies Ltd. has joined the growing list of U.S. retailers looking North to the strong Canadian economy.  Lowe's plans to open its first B.C. store in New Westminster, B.C.  This comes after recent announcements by Lowe's of the closure of 20 U.S. stores and the lay off of 1,950 U.S. employees.  As the U.S. economy continues to falter more and more U.S. retailers are looking at the strong Canadian economy and purshasing power of the Canadian consumer.

Browns Socialhouse expands to Bellingham

Vancouver B.C. based Browns Socialhouse is expanding in Bellingham with the announcement of a new restaurant near the Bellingham airport named Scotty Browns.  Browns already has one restaurant in Bellingham located in Barkley Village which was opened in 2009. This new restaurant will be located in the recently completed 20,000sqft area of the airport.  Browns opened its first restaurant in 2004 in North Vancouver B.C.