DCI Digital Newsletter Volume 4 Issue 4
Autumn Edition
October 2020
We are all in this together. One day at a time.
BOARD NEWS
From the East coast to the West coast, our CIGBA Board of Directors:
Top Photo: CIGBA Board of Directors 2020-2020 (Absent: Rocco Commisso)

Individual Portraits From Left To Right:
Top Row: Chairman David La Mantia (J&B La Mantia Ltd.), Vice-Chairman Robert Galati (Galati Market Fresh Inc.), Treasurer Nigel Oliver (Vince's Market)

Middle Row: Past-Chair Dave Powell (Atlantic Grocery Distributors Ltd.), Director Rocco Commisso (Commisso's Fresh Foods), Director Gordon Dean (Mike Dean's Super Food Stores)

Bottom Row: Director Tony Cataldi (Cataldi Fresh Market Inc.), Director Rick Rabba (The J. Rabba Company), Director Craig Cavin (Island Independent Buying Group Ltd.)
Are you a DCI Retail Member? Interested in learning more about a Board of Director position? Email Barry at barry@distributioncanada.ca to discuss the opportunity!
MESSAGE FROM BARRY LANTEIGNE, DCI PRESIDENT
The Board of Directors and myself would like to thank our CIGBA/DCI Members, Supplier Partners, and Industry Partners for your ongoing support. It continues to be an interesting and challenging year with the COVID-19 pandemic. Having said that, it has been absolutely amazing to see our members interacting with one another, sharing ideas and supporting each other through this unprecedented time! We at CIGBA/DCI have been working with our Members and Supplier Partners to continuously find, source, and provide necessary products and resources to aide your company through this pandemic. To all our front-line workers who have continued to work so diligently throughout this pandemic, I want to say thank you and we appreciate all that you do!

As you may have been aware, the Annual CIGBA/DCI Business Summit was originally postponed back in June and rescheduled for October 26th to celebrate with our Partners at our Annual Gala Dinner. Unfortunately, as we had announced in August, this rescheduled date was cancelled once again due to COVID-19 guidelines. We have tentatively rescheduled next years event for June 15th, 2021. With this event being postponed once again, we have been diligently working on our DBX Virtual Networking Event, which will be taking place from October 19-23th, 2020. Communications have been sent to your inboxes since the beginning of September to get everyone ready for this event, as it will provide a safe and interactive way to connect and develop business from the comfort of your home or office!   

The Annual Charity Golf Classic which was to be held at Crosswinds Golf and Country Club in Burlington on Wednesday, September 23rd was cancelled for 2020 and we have confirmed a new date of Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021. Please mark this date in your calendar and we look forward to hosting this tournament again next year!

We have launched our new Partners of the Month initiative that started September 2020, and we have been working with our Supplier Partners to share special opportunities/innovations for our members on a monthly basis. If you have not already taken advantage of this opportunity please contact me to discuss! The more opportunities that we can provide our members, the better for all! This will be done on a first come first serve basis. This initiative provides a maximum of 10 partners per month the opportunity to participate in offering our members opportunity buys, or a space to highlight and communicate new product launches or innovations.   

As always, I am here to support our Members and Supplier Partners so please reach out to me as required and I will be more than happy to help you in any way possible! I can be reached at 905-681-3933 or through email at barry@distributioncanada.ca.
DCI NEWS
DBX VIRTUAL NETWORKING WEEK
Are You Business Matching?

The DBX facilitates a series of fast and focused speed networking encounters among Canadian Retailers and Supplier Partners. It allows for discussion on new products and promotions, individual business reviews, overview of DCI programs, and next steps to strengthen business relationships. This year, the format has been extended to accommodate meetings over a period of a week, and will be conducted virtually with our DBX partner, Advanced Business Match. After the conclusion of the business week, every participant is encouraged to follow up with their meetings post-DBX, as it is an essential part of maximizing the value of the process.

Be active, business match, invite others to apply and win CASH!

The most engaged profile who utilizes the platform the most effectively will win $250.00 CAD!

Once registered, you can start business matching. Both Members and Partners can request meetings with each other via the online platform. You do have the ability to block times that you are not available (i.e. shipping days, market days, high traffic hours), which allows for effective scheduling and avoids no-shows and unnecessary scheduling requests. As well, all parties have the ability to accept or decline meetings so you can meet with exactly who you would want to. Meetings are held completely virtually and you must login and connect via the ABM platform.
NEW MEMBERSHIPS AND SUPPLIER PARTNERS
We would like to welcome Drayton Food Market (Drayton, Ontario), Pusateri's Fine Foods (Toronto, Ontario), & IC Foodworld (Mississauga, Ontario) to our growing Membership. If you are a Supplier Partner, and require an updated membership list, please contact the CIGBA/DCI office.
DCI has been continuing to on-board and create fresh opportunities with new Supplier Partners to better serve our retailer membership!

The new Supplier Partners are:
Imported various cheese, domestic cheese, deli meats, pre-packaged deli meats, fresh pasta, dry pasta, other various grocery products

Imported various cheese, domestic cheese, deli meats, pre-packaged deli meats, fresh pasta, dry pasta, other various grocery products

DBA Supremium International
All clean natural sanitary wipes

Rice, Dry Beans, Can Beans, Can Vegetables, Sauces, Can Tomatoes, Can Fruits, Spices, Seasonings, Oil, Vinegar, Flour, Sugar, Salt, Honey

HVAC & Refrigeration Design and Optimization for Significant Energy Savings and Performance

Fresh and frozen seafood products

Wild smiles face masks, toys and stuffed animals that foster curiosity about wildlife, Wonder of Nature PDQs, boxes in/out programs, countertop, and free-standing displays

Specialty Top Quality Seasonings & BBQ Rubs

Fresh and frozen cake donuts, instore mini donut road shows

Purolator's suite of shipping solutions to Canada, the U.S. or Internationally

Cottage Country Packaged Candy, Chocolate, Trail Mix and Nuts

St. Hubert Retail, Swiss Chalet, Montana's Bonne Maman, Loney's Major Gourmet, Laura Secord, Fine Cuisine, SuWong

Tooth Brushes, Charcoal Facial Rounds, Cotton Swabs, Bamboo Utensil Kits, Bamboo Straws

Stay tuned for more Supplier Partner agreements currently in negotiations! All information will be posted onto the DCI Intranet Portal.
RETAILERS, STAY CONNECTED WITH DCI!
We at DCI understand that keeping up with emails and announcements can be difficult at times due to busy stores and peak seasons. Below is a breakdown to understand where you can access DCI related content and news.
Email Campaigns
Breaking news, industry announcements, new agreements and power buy/opportunity buys are always sent out through email. This allows us to target our communication by location, type of store, and relevancy as well as give us detailed reporting on who is opening the announcements, which links they have clicked on and where to allocate our efforts for outreach if members haven't opened up these communications.

We strongly encourage you to dedicate a member of your management team to be your communications liaison for your company, especially for those owners who tend to be super busy and don't check their emails daily. You could be missing incredible buying opportunities, programs, or helpful industry tips to better the success of your company.

Please email Matthew Brown to see which members of your company currently receive our communications (we segment by multiple lists, so be sure touch base with Matthew if you aren't aware as to who is receiving which communications).
Social Media
Only have a couple of minutes? Check out the DCI Social media pages on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Major public announcements are always posted on our social media and you can often find other industry bits of information shared on our pages.
DCI Intranet Portal
By logging into the portal, you will get access to your company's rebate reports. As well, any important announcements regarding changes in agreements will also be posted internally on the portal.

What else does the portal provide?
  • new supplier partner agreements
  • new programs and promotions
  • revised supplier partner agreements and rebate scales
  • your member reports
  • the DCI by-laws
  • the CIGBA by-laws
  • summary of volume rebates
  • AGM information

If you don't have login credentials to access the Intranet Portal, click here to email Michele at DCI.

Once you've checked the portal for information and still don't see what you are looking for, please email or call the DCI office with your inquiry.

Please note: the DCI Intranet Portal is for Retailers only.
BUSINESS SUMMIT 2021
Date:
June 15, 2021

*New Location*
In light of the recent developments surrounding COVID-19, the CIGBA/DCI board, the Events Committee and Management will be monitoring any and all upcoming social distancing regulations. We are working on the most optimal logistics to ensure that we can adapt to a new format for the Summit, if necessary, and to integrate a virtual element for 2021.
THE CIGBA/DCI STAR AWARDS NOMINATIONS WILL OPEN AGAIN IN JANUARY 2021. ALL NOMINATIONS THAT WERE RECEIVED DURING THE 2020 YEAR WILL BE ADDED TO THE NOMINATIONS FOR 2021.
CHARITY GOLF CLASSIC 2021
Date: September 22, 2021

Location

Interested in providing product or sponsoring a hole? Email matthew@distributioncanada.ca
Independents and Supplier Partners are encouraged to come out and network, engage in new business leads, enjoy on-course and take-home product samples, and compete in several hole contests sponsored by various Supplier Partners and grocery industry media companies.
*NEW* PARTNERS OF THE MONTH PROGRAM WITH DCI
Let DCI help you with any seasonal programs, new item or product launches, and quick sells. Introducing our new "Partners of the Month" program, highlighting up to 10 different Supplier Partners each month, will provide DCI members with monthly deals and incentives. This program is great for an increase in exposure (as a Partner) and to capitalize on great product deals (as a Member).

Email matthew@distributioncanada.ca to get started and become our next DCI "Partner of the Month" and start promoting your company and or Power Buy deals to our Members! Learn more about the program here.

Power Buys: Have a staple product that you know members would love to purchase in volumes or want to get your product in the doors of members? Consider running a Power Buy or a similar opportunity buy.

What are Power Buys?

Power Buys are Exclusive dci Deals negotiated with our Supplier Partners to provide Members with significantly reduced costs on key products. Power Buys include aggressive pricing and/or rebates on specific products to incentivize volume of purchases through our Members.  

Power Buys allow for members to stock up before important peak season periods, as well as giving members a chance to feature promotions in their flyers and build better brand loyalty.

*New for 2020*: Power Buys have been migrated onto an online platform using Order Ease. Now review pricing, product details, images, and request shipping dates all at once! Look out in your emails for upcoming Power Buys using the new online platform!

*MEMBERS* Current Partners of the Month will always be featured in the DCI Member Portal and on the DCI Website under "Partners". Ordering period is always the first two weeks of every month. Contact the DCI office for more information.
Did you know the CIGBA/DCI office put together COVID-19 resources just for our members? Log into the membership portal to get access to:

  • COVID-19 related infromation, including government resources, HR practices, insurance and grants

  • Sanitation Supplies and PPE: sanitation stations, face shields, disposable masks, N95 masks, washable masks, disposable vinyl gloves, thermoplastic elastomer hand gloves, sanitizer sprays and gels, forehead thermometers, no touch solutions, PPE safety prep stations, social distancing floor markers, name tags, standing signs, social distancing mats, rolls & labels

  • Services: in-store announcements for COVID-19 and store practices, pandemic coverage information, Mighty Oaks DCI online grocery delivery software, sanitation services for deep store cleaning pre-and-post outbreak, short term labour solutions for absent/sick employees
BACK TO SCHOOL WITH MAPLE LEAF FOODS AND WESTON FOODS!
From August 21-October 3rd, 2020 CIGBA/DCI teamed up with Maple Leaf Foods and Weston Foods to provide a Back To School program to encourage selling incentives and display promos!

The draw for prizes will be held on October 27th, 2020. Keep an eye out in your mailboxes and our social media for updates!

How did the program work?

Members had a great chance to win a new Apple MacBook Air 2020 or 1 of 5 Best Buy Gift Cards by participating in this DCI, Weston Foods and Maple Leaf Foods Promotion. They were encouraged to build a display with Partner POS materials, feature the products in a flyer, and use the Ad Mat and create consumer excitement!

GRAND PRIZE WINNER: Apple MacBook Air (2020) 13.3” with Touch ID – Space Grey Colour Intel Core i3 1.1GHz/256GB SSD/8GB RAM

BEST DISPLAY PRIZES*:

1st Place - $400.00
2nd Place - $300.00
3rd Place - $150.00
4th Place - $100.00
5th Place - $50.00

Keep an eye out for this promotion as it will repeat again in January 2021!
SUPPLIER PARTNER? If you are interested in running a promo or contest with DCI and the independent retailers, please email matthew@distributioncanada.ca
FROM OUR SUPPLIER PARTNERS
Federated Insurance Donation Matching Program
Did you know that Federated Insurance Company of Canada is providing a donation matching program of up to $1500.00 CAD?

Below is a quick recap of the program:
 
What types of organizations are supported by the program?
 
It’s important to us that the organization can clearly demonstrate and measure the social impact of their activities.
Organizations must be:
  • A not-for-profit, with a charitable Registration Number
  • A Canadian organization, with the donated funds being applied in Canada
  • Able to provide a tax receipt for the full amount of the donation
 
What types of organizations are not supported by the program?
  • Elementary and secondary public/separate schools
  • Private schools or clubs
  • Religious organizations
  • Organizations that discriminate based on race, gender, religion or lifestyle
  • Pageants
  • Sports teams and sporting events
  • Support for individuals’ or individual families’ pursuits/fundraising initiatives
  • Political donations
  • Recreational groups (lodges, fraternal clubs, self-improvement organizations, etc.)
  • Conferences, trade shows, fairs
  • Golf tournaments
  • Production of videos, DVDs and television shows

If you would like more information, please do not hesitate to reach out to:
Mauro Di Tullio, FPAA/FCIP
Directeur, Partenariats avec les associations|Manager, Association Partnerships
Les assurances Federated|Federated Insurance
3100 Boul. Le Carrefour Suite 660, Laval, QC., H7T 2K7
Tél: [450.687.8650 x3175] | Mobile: [514.730.6781] |SF/Toll: [800.361.0790]
Important Infection Control Tips for Retailers
As provinces are slowly starting to reopen non-essential services, including retail shops, the question of how to do so while keeping staff and customers safe has sprung up. Before ushering customers back into stores to peruse your shelves, consider the following infection control steps.

Communication is key
Start by clearly communicating any new practices and policies that will affect employees and the customer experience. A small boutique, for example, might ask customers to book an appointment ahead of time because only one person is allowed in the shop at a time. Post these policies on your website and social media, as well as on the front door of your establishment.

Some general best practices
For retailers, the rules may differ depending on geographic location and type of business. To make this easier to navigate, the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) has put together an interactive chart of regulations and health and safety guidelines for retailers in all provinces and territories. It also has a 117-page Road to Retail Recovery playbook with a comprehensive list of best practices.
But there are some general best practices for infection control in retail regardless of jurisdiction:
  • Enhance your cleaning schedule and ensure staff are practising proper hygiene, such as frequent hand washing.
  • Have clear signage in multiple locations that indicates the maximum number of customers your store can accommodate at any one time.
  • Monitor the number of customers entering and leaving your store. Once the maximum number is reached, allow one person in for every person who leaves.
  • Control lineups by using crowd control cordons at entrances and in checkout lines.
  • Post signs or use markings to designate entrances and exits, to mark the direction of travel, and to identify pickup zones.
  • Place alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers near doors, cash registers, and other high-touch locations.
  • Clean high-touch surfaces such as cash registers, bagging areas, carts, or baskets between customers.
  • Install plexiglass barriers in front of and in between cash registers.
  • Limit the handling of credit cards and loyalty cards, and encourage tap payment over pin pads.
  • Communicate to customers that wearing masks should be standard practice, especially if social distancing cannot be practiced all the time.

Returns: While returns are allowed in most jurisdictions, it’s recommended that retailers clean hard-surfaced products with disinfectant and store soft-surfaced products for a period of 24 hours prior to resale (and use hand sanitizer after handling returns). Best practices on how long to keep returned items before offering them for resale is still evolving, according to the RCC, but the suggested time period varies from 24 to 72 hours.

Bagging: Most jurisdictions are permitting the use of reusable bags, but it’s not a recommended practice since employees don’t know how often customers are washing their reusable bags. If customers bring their own bags, they should also pack their purchases.

What about masks?
Health Canada guidance for essential retailers recommends the use of non-medical masks or face coverings, as well as barriers between customers and staff. But a common complaint is that personal protective equipment (PPE) is hard to find—and expensive. The RCC has a Retail Supplier Directory to help source PPE and some provinces have also set up provincial PPE supplier directories.

If employees are sick or are exhibiting any COVID-related symptoms, they should stay home. Follow steps from the Public Health Agency of Canada for self-assessment.

What about screening?
Some retailers may want to roll out passive screening (asking health-related questions at the door before letting a customer inside) or active screening, such as temperature testing. “Individual screening, such as temperature testing, is technically permissible, yet must be approached very carefully,” recommends the RCC in its guidelines for retailers. If it’s felt that temperature testing is advantageous, “take great care to do so in accordance with Canadian privacy principles” such as obtaining consent and protecting personal information.

How Federated can help
As retailers get back to work, it’s important to maintain infection control protocols to help keep workers and customers safe. For more resources about the pandemic and how to protect yourself and your business, visit our COVID-19 resources page.
To learn more about protecting your retail business, visit our retail insurance page today.
 
New Flavour From The East Coast!
Covered Bridge Potato Chips has just introduced a new product/flavour as a limited edition highlight! In collaboration with Chris Brothers, their new flavour is limited edition Fried Pepperoni! Contact your Covered Bridge Potato Chip rep for more details!
SUPPLIER PARTNER SPOTLIGHT:
DIVERSITY ON YOUR SHELVES
See below for some opportunities for you to consider for your businesses during the Summer season!

Retailers, you can review their CTAs & volume incentives by clicking on their logos and signing into the Members Portal!
Bani Halal Food & Dips

Products: Hummus in 5 flavours, 4 sizes to choose from: classic, pepper jalapeno, lemon, basil & garlic
Lee's Food Products (China Lily Brand)

Products: Soya Sauce
Medrar Holding Co. (Fateel)

Products: Grab and Go snacks (apricots, figs, mixed fruit) organic. Karak chai (cardamom, ginger, masala), healthy and energy snack grab and go (coffee & hazelnut, hazelnut & coconut, cocoa & hazelnut), fruit bar dates (banana, mango & strawberry), dates and date cookies
Korea Food Trading

Products: food distribution and wholesaler
Solmaz Foods

Products: Processed raw and cooked halal certified meat products (beef, chicken, turkey), olive oil and other imported products from Turkey (Palmero brand)
Member News
Oxford Foods Set For Retirement
“We’re resilient,” Louie said of the operation. “We’re family owned and we do what we can [to serve the community].”Louie’s grandfather, Jew-Nam Louie, opened Fairfield Produce on the corner in 1951 and gradually expanded his offerings, ultimately building a new structure with apartments overhead. The business became Oxford Foods in the early 1970s, when Ed’s father Tommy took over. While he’s been retired for some time, Tommy still spends time in the store keeping an eye on things and visiting with longtime customers.
Having worked in the store from a young age, Ed, now 59, is looking forward to having more time to visit his kids in Vancouver and relax in the Cook Street neighbourhood that has been his lifetime home.

The CIGBA/DCI Office would like to wish Edmond Louie and family a very happy retirement!

Vince’s S.O.S. Food Drive raises $12,000 for local shelters
Supporting families with a Powell’s Food Bank BUNDLE!
In addition to the holiday season, back to school time is a demanding period on local food banks. Many families struggle with getting all the things needed for a new school year- and no student or family should go hungry as a result.

Powell’s Supermarket in Bay Roberts and Carbonear asked customers to support local food banks by purchasing a FOOD BANK BUNDLE conveniently at the cash. Three affordable donation amounts were available and each bundle included items on the food bank wish list totaling $10, $15 or $20 depending on the bundle chosen. Customers simply purchased a bundle and the Powell’s team took care of the rest- from gathering those items and then delivering them directly to the food bank. Given that so many of our customers are shopping via our ecommerce site as well, we made those Bundles available online. They simply added a bundle of their choice to their shopping cart as part of their online grocery order, or if they simply wanted to donate a bundle from the comfort and safety of home, they could visit Powellsnl.ca to do just that, and standard assembly fees were not applied to the final total.

Due to the generosity of our customers we were able to raise over $400 worth of goods in a short time to The Helping Hand Foodbank- Bay Roberts and the SSVP Carbonear Foodbank.
Powell's Supermarket's Working towards a WISH!
While COVID-19 has halted many things, one thing that remains unchanged is the fact that children in our province who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness are still wishing. That’s why our supermarkets wanted to find innovative and safe ways to continue fundraising for a cause that is very close to our hearts- The Children’s Wish Foundation – Newfoundland and Labrador.

For the last several years, Powell’s Supermarket has set a goal of granting a wish annually for a local child by collaborating with the Children’s Wish Foundation NL. That partnership and the overwhelming support from vendors, customers and Powell’s staff, has resulted in some incredibly rewarding experiences. From giving one wish child an opportunity to feel the wind in his hair and he sped around a race track, to sending another deserving child from our area on his dream trip to the Big Apple. Our hope was to grant another wish in 2020 once again through our annual fundraising events- “Tons of Toonie Fun” during the summer, and “Fall Fun for a Wish” in the fall. These community engaging events had to be put on hold, but thanks to our incredible vendor partners and the Children’s Wish Foundation NL, our fundraising efforts have continued.
For a six-week period in our supermarket, when a customer purchased a Ben’s Bread product, $0.10 from each product is donated to the Children’s Wish Foundation. During that same time, our friends from Coca Cola committed to helping as well by donating $0.25 from the sale of every 12/355ml pack of Coke and flavours.

On top of that, our ongoing “Wish Cloud” fundraiser in store gives customer a chance to purchase a “wish cloud” window cut out for just $2 conveniently at the cash with the grocery order, or online at powellsnlca. For those shopping online, giving is as simple as adding the donation to their virtual shopping cart.
We are proud to say that because of these initiatives and the unwavering support of our patrons, we are very close to our $10,000 goal! 2020 is not over yet and we have more plans in the works – we WILL grant another wish in 2020 for a local child! 
Spooked From Covid-19?

"With cases of COVID-19 on the rise, experts expect retailers to see soft demand for Halloween supplies as plans are scaled back and trick-or-treating is questioned altogether."

Article Snippet: Canadian Grocer Magazine
If you would like to submit news from your company (Retailers & Supplier Partners) or would like to feature an ad (Supplier Partners) please email matthew@distributioncanada.ca


Click below to stay connected with CIGBA/DCI!
On behalf of the DCI Management Team, Happy Autumn and Holiday Season to you and your company! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email us! 

Barry Lanteigne - President:

Michele Vermeltfoort - Administration & Accounting: 

Matthew Brown - Events, Communications & Technologies: