Zellers relaunch Canada has two new Ontario locations and a plan to go national slowly. Bruce Winder has questions about whether slowly is fast enough.

Bruce traces the structural challenges facing the new Zellers: limited buying power at three locations, a retail landscape where every major competitor has already absorbed the categories Zellers is re-entering, and mall landlords so eager to fill Bay and Nordstrom vacancies that the rent deals available now may not last. The window is real. So is the pressure to use it.

The conversation lands on private label as the lever that could make the economics work. Without it, Zellers is selling branded product at margins that make it hard to survive. With it, the brand has a price point and an identity that none of its competitors can copy.

Topics: Zellers relaunch Canada, retail nostalgia, mall real estate vacancy, discount retail strategy, private label

GUEST: Bruce Winder | brucewinder.com

Originally aired on 2026-06-03

Zellers relaunch Canada has two new Ontario locations and a plan to go national slowly. Bruce Winder has questions about whether slowly is fast enough.
Bruce traces the structural challenges facing the new Zellers: limited buying power at three locations, a retail landscape where every major competitor has already absorbed the categories Zellers is re-entering, and mall landlords so eager to fill Bay and Nordstrom vacancies that the rent deals available now may not last. The window is real. So is the pressure to use it.
The conversation lands on private label as the lever that could make the economics work. Without it, Zellers is selling branded product at margins that make it hard to survive. With it, the brand has a price point and an identity that none of its competitors can copy.
Topics: Zellers relaunch Canada, retail nostalgia, mall real estate vacancy, discount retail strategy, private label
GUEST: Bruce Winder | brucewinder.com
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-06-03

Shane Hewitt & The Nightshift is your late-night companion for real talk, bold ideas, and unfiltered conversations that matter. Hosted by Canadian radio veteran Shane Hewitt, each episode dives into the headlines, human stories, and hidden truths shaping our world—always with curiosity, compassion, and a sharp edge.

From politics and pop culture to mental health, technology, and everyday life, this podcast is where night owls, deep thinkers, and curious minds come to connect. Featuring expert guests, passionate callers, and Shane’s signature style—thoughtful, fearless, and refreshingly real.

If you crave meaningful dialogue, smart perspectives, and late-night radio energy in podcast form, subscribe now and join The Nightshift.

Shane Hewitt &amp; The Nightshift is your late-night companion for real talk, bold ideas, and unfiltered conversations that matter. Hosted by Canadian radio veteran Shane Hewitt, each episode dives into the headlines, human stories, and hidden truths shaping our world&mdash;always with curiosity, compassion, and a sharp edge.
From politics and pop culture to mental health, technology, and everyday life, this podcast is where night owls, deep thinkers, and curious minds come to connect. Featuring expert guests, passionate callers, and Shane&rsquo;s signature style&mdash;thoughtful, fearless, and refreshingly real.
If you crave meaningful dialogue, smart perspectives, and late-night radio energy in podcast form, subscribe now and join The Nightshift.

Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift

Shane Hewitt is known for his engaging and relatable on-air personality, which captivates listeners. His ability to blend insightful commentary with humour and empathy creates a genuine connection with listeners.  Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift provides relatable content, informative discussions and expert insights – along with a balance of anecdotes and entertainment.

Shane Hewitt is known for his engaging and relatable on-air personality, which captivates listeners. His ability to blend insightful commentary with humour and empathy creates a genuine connection with listeners.  Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift provides relatable content, informative discussions and expert insights – along with a balance of anecdotes and entertainment.

SHIFTHEADS: Three Stores, No Diner, and a Lot of Competition. Can Zellers Pull It Off?

Canada economy recession talk is landing at the same moment a beloved discount chain is rising from the ashes of Hudson's Bay. The hosts are not sure that is a coincidence.

Zellers, Loyalty Points, and the Nostalgia Economy

A Quebec retail group has acquired the Zellers name, logo, and Zeddy the bear, and plans to go national. The hosts dig into what the revival actually signals about where Canadian consumers are right now, and whether optimum points, Canadian tire money, and aeroplan rewards are doing more for the economy than anyone wants to admit.

Trump, Forced Labor, and the Technical Recession Nobody Wants to Name

Sixty countries are now accused of forced labor violations under a tariff authority American courts have already struck down once. The hosts trace the Uyghur supply chain connection, weigh whether Canada's recession is technical in name only, and land on one uncomfortable agreement: Trump may have done Canadian defence spending a favour nobody asked for.

Topics: Canada economy recession, Trump tariffs forced labor, Zellers relaunch, technical recession Canada, loyalty points

GUEST: Jamie Ellerton | conaptus.com

GUEST: Lindsay Broadhead | broadheadcomms.ca

Originally aired on 2026-06-03

Canada economy recession talk is landing at the same moment a beloved discount chain is rising from the ashes of Hudson's Bay. The hosts are not sure that is a coincidence.
Zellers, Loyalty Points, and the Nostalgia Economy
A Quebec retail group has acquired the Zellers name, logo, and Zeddy the bear, and plans to go national. The hosts dig into what the revival actually signals about where Canadian consumers are right now, and whether optimum points, Canadian tire money, and aeroplan rewards are doing more for the economy than anyone wants to admit.
Trump, Forced Labor, and the Technical Recession Nobody Wants to Name
Sixty countries are now accused of forced labor violations under a tariff authority American courts have already struck down once. The hosts trace the Uyghur supply chain connection, weigh whether Canada's recession is technical in name only, and land on one uncomfortable agreement: Trump may have done Canadian defence spending a favour nobody asked for.
Topics: Canada economy recession, Trump tariffs forced labor, Zellers relaunch, technical recession Canada, loyalty points
GUEST: Jamie Ellerton | conaptus.com
GUEST: Lindsay Broadhead | broadheadcomms.ca
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-06-03

NEW - Zellers Is Back and Canada Might Be in a Recession. Coincidence?

Oil inventories are at historic lows. Demand is strong. The price keeps dropping. Dan McTeague says the futures market is being driven by headlines, not reality, and the pain at the pump is far from over.

Dan breaks down why a litre of diesel costs forty cents more in Ontario than Alberta, why the weak loonie adds roughly forty cents a litre regardless of where crude is trading, and why provincial tax relief is
largely being cancelled out by HST windfalls governments are quietly collecting on higher prices.

The deeper problem is supply. Dan puts the net loss at fifteen to sixteen million barrels a day, with emergency reserves already eighty percent drawn down. Even if the Strait of Hormuz opened tomorrow, he says, prices would not return to pre-crisis levels for several months at minimum.

Topics: gas prices Canada, oil supply crisis, Canadian dollar fuel costs, fuel tax relief, Strait of Hormuz

GUEST: Dan McTeague | http://affordableenergy.ca

Originally aired on 2026-06-03

Oil inventories are at historic lows. Demand is strong. The price keeps dropping. Dan McTeague says the futures market is being driven by headlines, not reality, and the pain at the pump is far from over.
Dan breaks down why a litre of diesel costs forty cents more in Ontario than Alberta, why the weak loonie adds roughly forty cents a litre regardless of where crude is trading, and why provincial tax relief is largely being cancelled out by HST windfalls governments are quietly collecting on higher prices.
The deeper problem is supply. Dan puts the net loss at fifteen to sixteen million barrels a day, with emergency reserves already eighty percent drawn down. Even if the Strait of Hormuz opened tomorrow, he says, prices would not return to pre-crisis levels for several months at minimum.
Topics: gas prices Canada, oil supply crisis, Canadian dollar fuel costs, fuel tax relief, Strait of Hormuz
GUEST: Dan McTeague |<a href="http://affordableenergy.ca"> http://affordableenergy.ca</a>
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-06-03

NEW -  Why Gas Prices Make No Sense Right Now (And When They Will)

Skinwalker Ranch is one of the most surveilled properties on earth. Dr. Lee Kuhnle wants to know why the footage never quite delivers.

Lee walks through decades of ownership, research, and television production, including the defence-funded program that quietly paid for cryptid hunting while telling Congress it was doing something else. He also names the independent analysts who went to the ranch, saw genuinely
strange things, and came home with explanations involving Starlink satellites and camera apertures.

None of that makes the ranch boring. Orbs through hillsides, GPS mapping drones underground, fence posts burned overnight. Lee's framework for thinking through what counts as real evidence makes the unexplained parts sharper, not smaller.

Topics: Skinwalker Ranch, paranormal evidence, UFO investigation, government defence contracts, disconfirmation

GUEST: Dr. Lee Kuhnle | http://amazon.ca/Uncover-Up-Think-Clearly-Conspiracies/dp/1770418873

Originally aired on 2026-06-03

Skinwalker Ranch is one of the most surveilled properties on earth. Dr. Lee Kuhnle wants to know why the footage never quite delivers.
Lee walks through decades of ownership, research, and television production, including the defence-funded program that quietly paid for cryptid hunting while telling Congress it was doing something else. He also names the independent analysts who went to the ranch, saw genuinely strange things, and came home with explanations involving Starlink satellites and camera apertures.
None of that makes the ranch boring. Orbs through hillsides, GPS mapping drones underground, fence posts burned overnight. Lee's framework for thinking through what counts as real evidence makes the unexplained parts sharper, not smaller.
Topics: Skinwalker Ranch, paranormal evidence, UFO investigation, government defence contracts, disconfirmation
GUEST: Dr. Lee Kuhnle |<a href="http://amazon.ca/Uncover-Up-Think-Clearly-Conspiracies/dp/1770418873"> http://amazon.ca/Uncover-Up-Think-Clearly-Conspiracies/dp/1770418873</a>
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-06-03

SHIFTHEADS: Three Stores, No Diner, and a Lot of Competition. Can Zellers Pull It Off?

In 1 playlist(s)

Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips