March Break

My visit to Austin as a “snowbird” was marked by a few distracting phases. The first was taken up with getting my laptop working and culminated in my installing Windows 7 when Vista began repeatedly breaking down. The second was the point at which I ran out of medication. Whether or not my erstwhile doctor would find it wise to quit blood pressure pills cold turkey he made the decision by default by prescribing 6 months worth of meds for a 10 month trip. Well he had said that he expected I could quit once I retired, but he certainly wasn’t around to monitor it. Finding a doctor here proved impossible. The third phase began the day my RV wouldn’t start. Turned out a squirrel had invaded my engine compartment. After all these years driving I now own both jumper cables and a fancy new battery charger. Fortunately the rewiring job didn’t bankrupt me.

It’s ironic that after travelling south to avoid it I got snow here in Austin before they got it back home in Oakville. While the municipalities in the GTA rejoiced in the savings they’ve made in their snow budgets Texas experienced its coldest winter on record. Although we didn’t get a White Christmas there were snow flurries. My bicycle didn’t see as much use as I’d have liked and flooding closed the Barton Springs Pool Basin for much of February. Plenty of rain had the arroyos filled to capacity, luckily very little flooding.

I’ve been thinking of visiting San Antonio to see the Alamo and Riverwalk but every time I considered making the trip rain was in the forecast. Since March 15 was the date I’d set for my departure from Pecan Grove it was now do or die and wouldn’t you know it. It would be nice if there were a few breaks in the widely scattered showers the forecasters predicted. It has poured steadily since nightfall yesterday. When I do visit the Riverwalk I’d prefer not to feel at one with the water.

Tim Hortons to add 900 outlets by 2013

New menu offerings coming

Last Updated: Friday, March 5, 2010 | 10:33 AM ET Comments182Recommend52

CBC News

Tim Hortons will pilot a new restaurant concept as part of a large expansion.

The Tim Hortons coffee chain plans to add 900 new outlets over the next three years across North America as part of an ambitious strategy the company announced Friday to grow profits and expand product offerings.

The Oakville, Ont.,-based company told an investors conference it hopes to add 600 outlets in Canada by 2013. It already has more than 3,000 outlets across Canada.

Its Canadian growth strategy will focus on Quebec, western Canada and urban markets, as well as in Ontario.

In the U.S., it plans to add 300 new restaurants to its existing complement of 563 American locations.

Its U.S. growth will focus mainly in its existing markets in New York, Ohio and Michigan. But it said about 90 of its new U.S. store openings are being targeted for neighbouring states.

Canadian visitors to a few of the U.S. Tims may have trouble recognizing some aspects of the familiar brand.

Tim Hortons executives said they plan "to significantly differentiate the brand through a new concept design" that will be tested in at least 10 existing U.S. locations. The changes include making the outlets fancier and adding new items to the menu.

New menu offerings

But menu changes seem to be on the way for all Tims. The company said it plans new hot and cold beverage offerings as well as an expanded sandwich and soup menu.

The company also said it is thinking of expanding outside North America in the longer term.

"Our strategies will continue to transform Tim Hortons, not only adding significant scale but also introducing important additional growth layers to our business platform to extend our position as a leader in the North American restaurant industry," said chief executive Don Schroeder.

Tim Hortons said it would convert up to 60 Canadian locations this year to include Cold Stone Creamery offerings. Tim Hortons signed a development agreement with the U.S.-based ice cream company last year.

The expansion should allow Tim Hortons to report earnings per share (EPS) of $1.95 to $2.05 this year and is targeting EPS growth of 12 to 15 per cent annually through 2013.

Same-store sales should grow three to five per cent in Canada this year and two to four per cent in the U.S.

The company estimated it will spend up to $200 million rolling out its new strategy in 2010.

Tim Hortons shares were up 79 cents to $32.71 in early Friday trading on the TSX.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/03/05/tim-hortons-growth.html#ixzz0hKDzgjt3