SFP Canada

SFP Canada, a Mississauga, Ontario-based company that operates 76 retail stores across Canada under the Papyrus, Carlton Cards, and Paper Destiny brand names, filed for protection under the CCAA on January 23, listing approximately $11.8 million in liabilities. The company is owned by Schurman Fine Papers ("SFP", and together with SFP Canada, the "Schurman Group"), the leading privately held American retailer of personal expression products in North America. American Greetings Corporation previously supplied the majority of products sold by the Schurman Group. In the past few years, the Schurman Group has faced various liquidity pressures caused by, amongst other things, the general downturn in the brick-and-mortar retail industry; the decline in the value of the Canadian dollar since 2009; and a significant price increase in American Greetings' products. As a result of these financial challenges, the Schurman Group fell behind on payments to American Greetings, and American Greetings terminated their agreements in December 2019. The Schurman Group can no longer operate as a going concern. On January 22, SFP filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US. Similarly, SFP Canada cannot continue operating without the full support of its US affiliates, on whom the company is entirely dependent. Richter was appointed monitor. Canadian counsel is Osler for SFP Canada, Stikeman Elliott for the monitor, and Blakes for American Greetings.