Luxury retailer embraces athleisure during pandemic
Menswear retailer Harry Rosen Inc. built its brand by dressing Canadian men in tailored designer suits, but the mass exodus from offices and boardrooms across the country during the pandemic sent demand spiraling downward. In response, Harry Rosen expanded its casual collections and made a foray into the male grooming and personal care product arena.
Delve - The "New Normal" podcast: Black Swan Event with Saibal Ray
In episode 1 of The ‘New Normal’ hosted by Dave Kaufman, Professor Saibal Ray highlights the successes and failures of the COVID-19 vaccine procurement and global distribution, compares Israel's effort to Canada's, and questions if Canada will want to do all that’s necessary to be prepared should similar incidents arise in the future.
Delve - "New Normal" podcast: Grocery Shopping Anxiety with Yu Ma
In episode 3 of The ‘New Normal’ hosted by Dave Kaufman, Professor Yu Ma discusses how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected our relation to grocery stores, how shopping has changed in the last year, and what can be done from a technological perspective to improve the shopping experience and perhaps even help the consumer make more informed and healthie
The pace of technological innovation picks up in Canada’s retail sector
The retail innovation lab at the Bensadoun School of Retail Management is redefining the way technology and consumer behaviour impacts the retail experience. Professor Maxime Cohen and Charles de Brabant reflect on the push for a safer, more frictionless experience in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canada’s fashion retailers are under pressure to go green
For Canada’s fashion retailers, reinvention is critical to success in a business landscape where consumers are becoming more aware of the impact of the fashion industry on global climate change and other forms of environmental degradation.
Vaccine benefits far outweigh the risks
Professor Saibal Ray, Academic Director of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management, joins the Scott Thompson Show to offer his perspective on the safety of AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines in the wake of health scares.
Predicting the future of domestic vaccine production
Professor Saibal Ray joins the Scott Thompson Show podcast to answers questions about current state of COVID-19 vaccine acquisition across Canada. Recently, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced a substantial provincial investment in the construction of a new, state-of-the-art influenza vaccine facility.
Preparing future retail leaders for post-pandemic world
Anwar White, Program Director for the Master of Management in Retailing (MMR) program, recently joined “The Voice of Retail'' podcast with Michael LeBlanc to discuss everything from the Faculty’s new retail innovation lab to future directions in retail.
He points to social media as the greatest factor in evolving retail trends, stressing that companies must continuously innovate post-pandemic to stay competitive.
Online shopping convenient but isolating
Professor Yu Ma, Academic Director of the Master of Management in Retailing (MMR) program, weighs in on the ongoing impact of the pandemic on Canadian retail trends, particularly the steep rise in e-commerce. From his perspective, the convenience of online shopping comes at the expense of the social aspect that encourages customers to spend their money in-store.
Canadian retail recovering from pandemic ahead of schedule
Emerging ‘shop local’ trends have helped set the Canadian retail industry on a fast track to recovery despite pandemic-induced closures.
According to Charles de Brabant, Executive Director of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management, the sense of community pride that has motivated shoppers to shop local makes all the difference for Canadian retailers that are struggling to weather the pandemic.
McGill’s retail innovation lab tests “frictionless store” concept
Under the leadership of co-director Professor Maxime Cohen, McGill’s new retail innovation lab is experimenting with contactless shopping, a rising trend in retail innovation.
By downloading an app, shoppers can use QR codes to unlock store doors and pick up any items they want without having to check out in the store. Cohen joins Global News Morning Montreal to share more.
Shopping centres face choice between reinvention and extinction
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to reshape consumer preferences in the retail industry, large shopping centres will either pivot or fade into memory.
Package-free stores aim to eliminate waste
A new wave of sustainability-focused retailers are embracing a package-free retail trend to minimize the environmental impact of shopping for groceries and everyday goods.
Professor Saibal Ray, the academic director of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management, applauds the innovative attempts to avoid packaging while pointing out the difficulty of implementation.
Hudson Bay Co. entangled in rent payment disputes as pandemic hurts bottom line
In recent months, property firms behind prominent shopping malls across North America have taken Hudson’s Bay Co. (HBC) to court to claim unpaid rent totaling millions of dollars. While industry analysts question the financial security of the Canadian icon, recently taken private following a months-long process, key HBC executives cite the landlords’ unwillingness to absorb the share the costs of the pandemic as the primary reason for the dispute.
Hope for Quebec retail
Charles de Brabant, Executive Director of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management, is optimistic about the future of retail following a horrendous year for most Canadian retailers. Giants like Amazon and Walmart, who account for 20% of the retail market, still generated profits in 2020, but the remaining 80% fared so poorly that they brought overall industry profits down by 93%.
