Sheer pants 2.0? Another recall at Lululemon

THE#BCBIZDAILY
Plus, blueberries in China and marijuana job cuts in Nanaimo

Partial recall
Lululemon has announced another recall, this time for about 300,000 women’s hoodies. Elastic drawstrings, present in hoodies from around 2008 to 2014, were apparently hurting some wearers when the hard plastic or metal tips bounced backward and hit them. So, how bad is this? Sheer pants 2.0? (After which Lululemon’s stock began a 50-per-cent plunge.) Unlikely. This latest recall, done in conjunction with Health Canada and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Thursday, won’t cost Lululemon much. It’s simply a matter of sending customers new, non-elastic drawstrings. “We assessed and accrued for the financial impact,” Lululemon said in a release, “and do not consider this to be material to our business.” As for bad press? “My hunch is that because of the amount of coverage they are going to get out of this story, the Lululemon brand in the end will be net winners,” SFU marketing professor Lindsay Meredith told the Vancouver Sun. As of Friday, Lulumon’s stock price was on par with its five-day average (around $67). So, no, probably not sheer pants 2.0.

Million of blueberries
About $65-million worth of B.C. blueberries could soon be on their way to China, announced International Trade Minister Ed Fast and B.C. Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick on Wednesday. The deal is expected to be finalized this fall.

Up in smoke
Nanaimo-based Tilray, which grows medical marijuana, had also grown a significant employee headcout: about 200, which in Nanaimo is big enough to have made it a considerable employer. Alas, the pot grower announced Thursday that it’s laying off 61 people. Tilray said this won’t affect the patients/customers it serves.