RETHINK RETAIL
RETHINK Retail
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When Tariffs Hit, Calgary Co-op Doubled Down on Local
$27.6 billion in American goods now enters Canada facing a new tariff, 15%, 25%, or 50% depending on the product, as part of Canada's counter-tariffs on US goods. Dairy, general merchandise, and health and beauty are all caught in it, while Alberta's "Buy Alberta" campaign is pushing grocers to make Canadian products impossible to miss on the shelf For most retailers, that's a scramble. For Calgary Co-op, it's a confirmation. In this episode of the Global Lens podcast, Lavina Suthenthiran sits down with Walter Roth, Director, Digital Commerce & Retail Systems at Calgary Co-op, to find out what a sudden trade shock actually looks like on the ground, and why a 70-year-old, member-owned grocer says the tariffs haven't forced a single strategic pivot. INSIDE THE EPISODE: - Local sourcing isn't a response to tariffs; it's a head start Calgary Co-op was running "Best From the West" long before this trade war started: Alberta beef, Alberta chicken, Western Canadian goods, built into the business for years. So when tariffs hit, there was no scramble to relabel shelves. There was already a campaign running. - "Made in Canada" is a less reliable label than it looks "Made in Canada" turned out to be more complicated than a flag on a package. Some suppliers manufacture the same product in both countries so that identical packaging can carry a different origin week to week. Roth explains why Calgary Co-op built its strategy around regional sourcing instead of a label that couldn't always be trusted. - There's a fourth option beyond absorb, pass on, or swap Most retailers facing new tariffs pick from three familiar levers. Roth argues there's a fourth: wrap the product in enough customer education and experience that the tariffs become almost beside the point. Listen above to hear why Roth believes the real lesson, for any retailer, anywhere, is turning supply chain disruption into a customer story instead of a customer complaint.
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