Retail Council of Canada's STORE 2017 retail conference tackles how retailers can thrive in a global environment affected by technological and political disruption and skyrocketing consumer demands - Retail Council of Canada

Retail Council of Canada’s STORE 2017 retail conference tackles how retailers can thrive in a global environment affected by technological and political disruption and skyrocketing consumer demands

With technology, evolving consumerism and political disruption reshaping retail, retailers’ needs for inventive approaches are unsurpassed. These highly topical concerns will be explored by the most respected retail leaders from across North America at Retail Council of Canada’s (RCC) STORE 2017 Conference on May 30 and May 31st at the Toronto Congress Centre.

The much-anticipated details of the full agenda have just been released. To see full agenda, click here.

STORE 2017 is Canada’s biggest retail event of the year, and is the must-attend conference for the retail industry and their partners.

Packed with more than 80 speakers – representing the “who’s who” of retail in North America – this year’s two-day conference will bring together over 2000 delegates, identify critical trends and shifts in retail and provide retailers and their partners with information, contacts, strategies and tactics for ongoing success.

“What’s more prevalent this year is how the global impact of technology, changing consumer shopping preferences and political disruption is directly affecting retailers in Canada”, said Kyle Tomlin, Vice President Education and Events. “This year’s conference topics and speakers will talk to some of the really tough questions and provide a range of unexpected perspectives that retailers can immediately bring to their teams.”

The conference has been structure to provide retailers with the choice of attending both provocative keynote presentations that cover matters affecting all retailers – including a special interview with Matt Shay, President of the National Retail Federation, the largest retail association in the world – as well as concurrent sessions that focus on store operations, marketing, merchant and supply chain, and digital and mobile. Content at STORE 2017 is also developed so regardless of a retailer’s size or type, whether large, medium or and independent, mass merchant, apparel or grocery, there is a stream with relevant topics. For example, the entire afternoon on the second day of the conference dedicated to grocery.

Speakers at STORE 2017 will include:

Duncan Fulton, President, FGL Sports who will talk about preparing for the new world of retail.
Sylvain Prud’homme, President & CEO, Lowe’s Canada, will talk publically for the first time since Lowe’s acquired RONA.
Kamy Scarlett, Senior Vice President, Retail and Chief Human Resources Officer and Thierry Hay-Sabourin Senior Vice President, eCommerce from Best Buy will talk about how they built Best Buy’s “clicks and bricks” strategy by bringing vertical business lines together and the role it plays in driving staff, customers and business strategy forward.
Matt Shay, President, National Retail Federation will discuss global forces, times of change and their influence on retail.
Doug Stephens, Founder of Retail Prophet will explain how the customer journey will need to be re-invented so it is unique, multi-layer, personal and impactful.
Michelle Romanow, CBC’s Dragon’s Den “Dragon” and Co-Founder of Snap by Groupon will talk to three current retail disruptors about their business models, why they work and why disruption will continue in retail for the foreseeable future. Michelle will speak with Nicole Tapscott, General Manager, Casper, Deborah Poole, General Manager, Wayfair Canada, and Ben Zifkin, Founder & CEO, HUBBA.

Record numbers of participants have already registered for STORE 2017, which will be held on May 30 and May 31 at the Toronto Congress Centre. For full information and to register, visit https://www.storeconference.ca/

About Retail Council of Canada:

Retail is Canada’s largest employer with 2.2 million Canadians working in our industry. The sector annually generates payroll of $60 billion and approximately $350 billion in sales (excluding vehicles and gasoline). As of 2016, Retail Council of Canada (RCC) members represent more than two thirds of retail sales in the country. RCC is a not-for-profit industry-funded association and represents small, medium and large retail business in every community across the country. As the Voice of Retail™ in Canada, we proudly represent more than 45,000 storefronts in all retail formats, including department, grocery, specialty, discount, independent retailers and online merchants. www.RetailCouncil.org