Here in Canada, Wal-Mart, the famously non-union retailer, is expanding its food lines.

In so doing it is putting pressure on unionised grocery retailers such as Loblaws and Metro. How should they respond?

The business commentators and pundits say it is not so much the wage rates that make the difference (though I find that difficult to believe) but flexibility.

Wal-Mart can move people around, extend shifts and so on without worrying about tiresome union agreements. Or, presumably, what their employees think.

Wal-Mart is, of course, a behemoth. It is North America’s Tesco, with knobs on.

So when it trips up, I cheer.

A few days ago, I was down in Stratford, Ontario, home to the famous Shakespeare Festival. (Since you ask, Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate was playing. And great fun too.)

Wal-Mart had just lost an appeal to build a huge mega store close to Stratford’s delightful town centre with its collection of interesting and unusual shops.

The ruling said it would harm Stratford’s central commercial core.

Quite right too!

Wal-Mart in Canada sticks a little maple leaf on the company logo.

Just like most US multinationals with offshoots here.

As if that fools anyone.