Shopping

It's official: fashion forward shoppers in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) will get their first upscale outlet centre this summer. Toronto Premium Outlets will open on August 1, 2013, with a bevy of shops that are firsts in Canada for a number of designers and leading brands. The mall will bring together top brands offering a wide range of high quality merchandise at savings of 25% to 65% every day, including Ted Baker, J Crew, Brooks Brothers, Restoration Hardware, Cole Haan, and Kate Spade. Additional brands will be announced over the coming weeks. The centre will be anchored by a Hudson's Bay Outlet.

With easy access off Hwy 401 at Trafalgar Road, the centre is also close to Lester B Pearson International AIrport, downtown Toronto and key areas in Southern Ontario.

But it's not just shopper excited about the new outlets coming to the Halton Hills region of southern Ontario; there are also 800 full and part time jobs being created by the new mall. To fill these positions, a job fair will be held on Thursday, June 6, 2013, in Milton, Ontario at the sports centre. For complete details on the job fair as well as additional store announcements, head to the Toronto Premium Outlets website.

Click through the slideshow to get a sneak peek at shops opening at the Toronto Premium Outlet:

According to the Daily Mail, women spend a whopping five days a year literally standing in front of a mirror, getting ready for their closeups. Time is money, but what about the actual dollars and cents we spend in order to look good everyday?

A recent Canadian study by Leger Marketing indicates that women spend 600 dollars annually on daily facial cosmetic products and beauty treatments. Over one's lifetime that adds up to $24,000. And that doesn't include all the other costs of looking good - haircuts, manicures and waxing. So we estimated the lifetime price tag for putting ourselves together - plus all the little pleasures and conveniences we buy along the way - and it ain't pretty. Remember: these are services and things we don't need to buy; it's discretionary spending. Prepare to be shocked at how much it all costs and how doing without (or doing it yourself) can mean a whole lot more money you could be saving for your retirement.

SLIDESHOW: SHOCKING LIFETIME SPENDS

%Gallery-158009%

J.Crew is a fashion label known for making affordable designer-style ruffled tees, pencil skirts and "boyfriend" blouses accessible to the masses. It's created its own look -- a mix of feminine/masculine chic -- and in doing so, created its own devoted following. With constant online sales campaigns, drawing in fashion-conscious buyers who love a deal, plus smart marketing that promotes the brand as a glamorous yet laidback lifestyle, J.Crew fashion has become in demand at a time when many retailers are struggling to find an identity. Here are 10 things you might not have known behind J.Crew's success story:


RELATED LINKS:
10 Things You Didn't Know About Indigo
17 Things You Should Always Buy New
15 Things You Should Never Pay For

By Michael Comeau
Minyanville

To say it's been a great couple of weeks for Tesla Motors (NASDAQ:TSLA) would be putting it lightly.

On Wednesday, May 8, the rapidly-growing manufacturer of electric cars became a Wall Street darling after its announced its first-ever quarterly profit, driven by significantly better-than-expected sales.

But even more importantly, the highly-influential Consumer Reports gave the Tesla Model S luxury sedan a stunning 99/100 score, making it the highest rated car of all time.

That wasn't the only source of praise for the Model S.

Motor Trend named it the 2012 car of the year (as did many other outlets), and extremely positive reviews have streamed in from everyone from Edmund's to Yahoo Autos to the Wall Street Journal.

So I'll get right to the point. I think Tesla is right where Toyota (NYSE:TM) was with the Prius hybrid at the turn of the millennium.

By Adam Widerman
Motley Fool

Although the economic potential of echo boomers may not be as promising as some are expecting, there are several ways investors can actually profit from their behavior.

Echo boomers are the demographic group comprised of baby boomers' progeny. They're slightly larger as a group than their parents (80 million compared to just 77 million baby boomers) and better educated. But this is a generation that's saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in debt -- something that will likely stunt their economic growth as they age.

However, while echo boomers work their way through these challenges, savvy investors stand to make hefty sums by investing in their consumer behaviors.

By Matt Brownell
Daily Finance

Walmart reported weaker-than-expected sales figures Thursday morning, sending shares falling in early trading.

Total revenue in the first quarter came in at $114.2 billion, up just 1% over last year and short of analyst expectations. And the all-important comparable stores metric likewise holds bad news: Same-store sales actually fell 1.4% versus the same period last year.

The poor sales don't come as a complete shock. Last quarter's sales likewise came in a bit lower than expected, and same-store sales rose just 1%. Walmart predicted at the time that sales would remain flat through the remainder of the quarter, blaming the expiration of the payroll-tax holiday and delays in tax refunds for softening customer spending. This morning's report echoed that line, noting that "Comp sales performance was impacted by a delay in income tax refund checks, challenging weather conditions, less grocery inflation than expected and the payroll tax increase."

It's the largest book retailer in Canada and some even blame the demise of the independent bookstore in our country on the book retailing giant. It's core business is books and - to a degree - music, but the store also has become known for selling lifestyle products, including toys and decorative home accessories. It's become a haven for people who want to take their time browsing magazines and fiction and who might want a Starbucks latte while they're at it. But despite the obvious, there might be a few things you didn't know about Indigo's story and the top people behind it. Have a look at 10 things you didn't know about Indigo:

These days, it seems talent isn't enough. Celebrities have to get their name and image out there as well, hawking so many products with their faces on them that it can be utterly nauseating. Toys, clothes, fragrances, jewelry, food, drinks, accessories and more: the list goes on ad infinitum.

But some things celebrities lend their name and image to are downright dangerous, particularly when they get in bed with the credit and debit card companies largely responsible for so much debt around the world.

More and more the public is able to apply for credit and debit cards with their favourite celebrities face on them, but the fees and interest charges are often so high that only the rich and famous who endorse these cards can afford them.

​Ahead, we'll show you whose promoting what cards and pull back the curtain on what the card companies are charging you to have them.

You're tired of dreading summer because it means more time in shorts and a swimsuit so you've made a commitment to get back into shape. That's great but... How? Unless you're part of the one per cent, personal trainers may be out of the question. Gyms are fine but at $60-$100 a month they add up too. Even purchasing home exercise equipment can mean spending a large sum of money at first. Here are five ways you can re-discover your best bod without having monthly fees or investing big money into a home gym.