Simons CEO Peter Simons | Willy Kruh former Global Chair Consumer & Retail, KPMG

First up on this episode brought to you by omNovos (realcustomerengagement.com) an exclusive interview with Peter Simons, CEO of La Maison Simons, live from Quebec City. Started in 1840 and still a family owned and operated Canadian department store, Peter talks about the history of this storied retail brand, the expansion out of Quebec across Canada, and brings us up to date on the current state of the business, his perspective on the future of the department store format and tells all about their Fabrique 1840 initiative, which creates a marketplace for bespoke local creators across Canada on the Simons web site and beyond. Next up the one and only Willy Kruh is back on the podcast. The recently retired Partner and Global Chair Consumer & Retail at KPMG International and frequent top ranked presented at RCC’s annual STORE conference, Willy steps back into the ring with his analysis of the current state of retail, what the COVID-19 era means from millennials and other consumers, and wise advise honed by decades of working with c-level retail and brand executives from around the world on how retailers can survive the crisis.