With the holidays rapidly approaching, Retail Council of Canada’s third annual Retail Holiday Shopping Forum arrives just in time for retailers as they make the crucial, final, strategy adjustments to their holiday retail plans before the busy end-of-year campaigns kick into full gear.
A half-day virtual event on October 13, 2022, the Retail Holiday Shopping Forum promises attendees exclusive insights ahead of the busiest (and most wonderful!) time of the year – starting with a series of high-profile speakers that will help Canadian retailers adjust to the holiday season’s ever-changing makeup.
The virtual format is designed to ensure retailers from across Canada can participate in the information-packed event that will be filled with actionable tips on how to leverage the latest learning to optimize their assortments for the end-of-year sales surge.
Eric Morris, Managing Director and Head of Retail with Google Canada, presents part two of Navigating the Holiday Season, first shown at RCC STORE Conference 2022. Eric delivers a timely follow up with category specific insights, recommendations around in-store vs ecommerce, and suggested decision-making tactics.
Luc Dumont, Leger’s Vice President Research and Innovation, highlights the most critical insights from the much-anticipated RCC x Leger Annual Holiday Shopping Survey – which features intended shopping behaviours from over 2,500 Canadians across the country. This survey, now in its 5th year, will provide trending learnings and dig into how Canadians’ decisions for their holiday shopping compares to how they buy at other times of the year.
Samir Kulkarni, CEO at Showcase will be dropping big insights on a holiday strategy that hinges on the October surprise. Samir shares the most important factors in this customer-centric strategy, how data is leveraged for timely insights, and what enables the Showcase team to act with agility ensuring the year’s must-have gift is ready for customers.
Retail Insider’sCraig Patterson sits down with The Voice of Retail producer & host Michael LeBlanc to discuss retail prospects coast-to-coast, the impact of changing commuter and working patterns on the industry, the challenges of the mall economy and what retailers need to know today to thrive tomorrow. Retailers will also get the inside scoop on real estate and shopping centres and walk out of the Retail Holiday Shopping Forum more prepared to tackle what’s ahead!
Retail Insider is streamlining its Canadian retail news from around the web to include a handful of top news stories that can be viewed quickly during the day. Here are the top stories from the past 24 hours.
Video Interview: Retail Insider Evolving To Meet The Growing Demand For News
Craig Patterson, Founder, CEO, Publisher, Retail Insider, discusses some recent changes the publication has made to meet the growing demand for news in the industry.
Patterson talks about some key management role changes, why they were made, the content the publication is looking for, trends in the industry, the publication’s reach and his vision for the future.
The Video Interview Series by Retail Insider is available on YouTube.
Connect with Mario Toneguzzi, a veteran of the media industry for more than 40 years and named in 2021 a Top Ten Business Journalist in the world and the only Canadian – to learn how you can tell your story, share your message and amplify it to a wide audience. He is Senior News Editor with Retail Insider and owner of Mario Toneguzzi Communications Inc. and can be reached at mdtoneguzzi@gmail.com.
Also check out the other series offered by Retail Insider, including The Weekly podcast and The Interview Series, which are both available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Podcasts, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Simplecast and other podcast players.
Hudson's Bay at 585 Saint-Catherine St W, Montreal (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Toronto-based department store retailer Hudson’s Bay announced Monday that it will have a new President as Wayne Drummond announces his retirement. Sophia Hwang-Judiesch will replace him — she’s a Canadian who most recently was with Ulta Beauty. She’s taking the reins of Hudson’s Bay at a time of change and at a time when the retailer requires investment more than ever.
As part of the announcement, Hwang-Judiesch will now report to Richard Baker, Governor and Executive Chairman of the Hudson’s Bay Company and join The Bay’s Executive Committee led by Iain Nairn, President and CEO of online division The Bay.
Most recently, Hwang-Judiesch was Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at US-based Ulta Beauty. Prior to that she was Senior Vice-President at Carter’s Oshkosh and before that she was with Esprit de Corp as China Country Manager – Retail, Wholesale & E-commerce, China Brand, overseeing the most important market for Esprit globally.
Sophia Hwang-Judiesch, photo suppliedHudson’s Bay in Downtown Vancouver (Image: Lee Rivett)
Hwang-Judiesch said in a statement, “I am excited to return home to Toronto, as I already hold a deep connection and affinity for Hudson’s Bay, so I am thrilled by the opportunity to lead Hudson’s Bay stores. This is an incredibly exciting time in the industry, when brick and mortar retail is redefining itself. I look forward to building on the transformation already underway at Hudson’s Bay, to elevate and shape the customer journey and drive growth across the business.”
The Bay’s Iain Nairn said, “Wayne Drummond is retiring from Hudson’s Bay. The company is grateful for his leadership and dedication over his esteemed 34-year career with HBC.”
Hudson’s Bay is the physical network of 84 department stores in Canada — the retailer’s e-commerce division was spun off as its own division, The Bay, a bit over a year ago. The online division sees millions of page views annually and is a driver of growth, while stores are seeing elements of the online business integrated with new digital initiatives. The Bay division is responsible for shared functions including brand direction, marketing, buying, planning and technology for both businesses.
Big changes are coming to Hudson’s Bay stores, and Hwang-Judiesch will be taking over operations at a time when the traditional department store model is needing a refresh. Concessions are being added including a second-hand retailer in Winnipeg and a beauty retailer in Ottawa. Hudson’s Bay also recently announced partnerships with MEC as well as the revival of Zellers as shop-in-stores, having some scratching their heads.
Future MEC at Hudson’s Bay Queen Street (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Hudson’s Bay Queen Street (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
The MEC partnership will involve MEC shop-in-stores being introduced within Hudson’s Bay stores via a concession model, while the new Zellers division stores will also operate as separate locations within Hudson’s Bay stores — Zellers is also expected to feature an online marketplace portal. The move to reintroduce the Zellers name is part of an effort to gain the loyalty of Canadians at a time when the perception of the physical department stores is less than positive.
Millions of dollars of investment are required to bring many Hudson’s Bay stores into a format and look that is in line with the contemporary consumer. And consumer feedback about the appearance of some Hudson’s Bay stores, particularly suburban units in smaller cities, is often less than positive. Years of wear-and-tear have left some stores in a disheveled condition at a time when shoppers are expecting more.
The department store itself has become less relevant. In decades past, department stores were an avenue for consumers to discover new brands. Now with the internet and social media, the physical department store model is less relevant in terms of being a place of first discovery, though Hudson’s Bay is attempting to counter this with its significant push with its digital channels. Hudson’s Bay has also been introducing many new brands to its physical stores while dropping others.
Future Hudson’s Bay Store in Vancouver (Image: Perkins & Will-Hudson’s Bay Company-Streetworks Development)
Changes are being seen at some Hudson’s Bay stores to address the digital shift — for example, the Londonderry store in Edmonton saw updates last year that included single checkouts in each floor and a reduction in the retail footprint partly to create storage space for online fulfillment. Despite the fact that several Hudson’s Bay stores have shut since the start of the pandemic (including downtown Edmonton, downtown Winnipeg, Bloor/Yonge in Toronto and last weekend, Laurier Quebec in Quebec City) it is expected that most of the remaining store fleet will be kept open at least for the real estate potential.
The Hudson’s Bay Company is also capitalizing on its real estate in Canada’s downtown cores with the redevelopment of some stores. Included will be smaller retail department stores along with the addition of mixed-uses including restaurant and office space. So far the downtown Montreal and downtown Vancouver Hudson’s Bay flagships have been announced for redevelopment and several other downtown stores could also see big changes.
We’ll be reporting more on Hudson’s Bay in the weeks to come including speaking with analysts on the future of the retailer.
Too Good To Go, the world’s largest marketplace for surplus food, has partnered with the Longo’s grocery chain to accelerate their mission to reduce food waste across Ontario and across the planet.
All 36 Longo’s grocery stores are part of the initiative.
“Longo’s is leading the way, showing the importance of major retailers to take the issue of food waste as seriously as the problem demands,” said Sam Kashani, Too Good To Go Country Manager. “As the largest Canadian grocery store to join us in the fight against food waste, Longo’s joins more than 165,000 businesses across the world who have pledged to be part of the solution. We’re thrilled to partner with them and know that they will have a measurable impact on the future of food waste reduction in Canada.
“We connect consumers and stores that have surplus food at the end of the day. Users can essentially fire up our app and go to their local neighbourhood and then reserve what we call a surprise bag. And the surprise bag is essentially surplus food that the establishment and food store has left for the end of the day. Users reserve it and then go in during a defined pickup window and pick up that surplus food for one-third of the cost.
Image: Too Good to Go x Longo’s
“Why it’s worked in Canada and really around the world is because it’s super simple and it’s win, win, win. Users win because they get perfectly healthy, delicious food for one-third of the price. The businesses win because they get to drive incremental traffic to their stores but also drive incremental revenue for food that they otherwise would have thrown out which was ultimately surplus to them. And we’re a social impact company. We save food from being thrown out and we’re ultimately helping to reduce food waste which is where the planet wins on our overall mission to help eliminate and reduce food waste.
Sam Kashani
“Longo’s is a wonderful partner. I think they have bold ambitions around their diversion plans and around their sustainability agenda. And we are one of many partners to be able to help them achieve that and ultimately we’re helping rescue any surplus food that they have across their 36 locations on a daily basis. It’s a wonderful partnership with Longo’s and Anthony Longo and his team in really bringing that to life and making sure they are on that mission and ambition to get to zero waste.”
Too Good To Go, a certified B Corp, was founded in 2016 and says it has saved more than 158 million meals from more than 165,000 partners in 17 countries.
The company’s global headquarters is in Copenhagen, Denmark with its Canadian base in Toronto and regional offices in Vancouver and Montreal.
Image: Too Good to Go x Longo’s
Longo’s is a family-operated Canadian business that started in 1956 when three brothers, Tommy, Joe and Gus, opened their first fruit market. It operates stores in communities across Toronto and the GTA, as well as Grocery Gateway, the leader in online sales of home-delivered groceries.
Anthony Longo
“Food waste is a global issue that cannot be ignored. Too Good to Go is an incredible organization working to be a part of the solution,” said Anthony Longo, President and CEO of Longo’s. “Partnering with Too Good To Go supports our goals to reduce emissions, contributes to our bold zero waste ambitions, and gets us closer to achieving our goal of reaching 90 per cent landfill diversion by 2025.
“Longo’s is committed to reducing our environmental impact and partnering with like-minded organizations like Too Good To Go helps us to move closer to achieving our sustainability goals. We strive to give our guests and team members the best experience possible, and try to set an example in our industry to highlight the importance of fighting food waste and reducing carbon emissions for a happier and healthier planet.
Image: Too Good to Go x Longo’s
“Longo’s and Too Good To Go’s missions are akin to each other. We are both committed to identifying sustainable solutions to reduce food waste, which is a significant problem in Canada – Canadians waste the equivalent of $1,800 of food per year. Our partnership with Too Good To Go allows us and our guests to be a part of the solution. Purchasing a surprise bag saves the equivalent of 2.5 kilograms of CO2 emissions, lowering their carbon footprint; and we can all feel good about that.”
In its recent 2021 Sustainability Report, the grocery chain identified key pillars to fulfill Longo’s purpose and mission, of which Environmental Stewardship is one, added Longo.
“We’re committed to achieving those goals including diverting 95 per cent of waste from landfills by 2025. Our partnership with Too Good To Go can play a critical role in getting us there,” he said.
“Reducing food waste has always been top of mind as a grocery retailer because we recognize it can help us dramatically reduce our environmental impact. In addition to Too Good To Go, Longo’s operates several programs to keep the food in our stores from going to waste. As an example, we are able to transform our products into ingredients for multiple uses. And, in 2021, we are proud that we diverted more than 71 per cent of waste from landfill by donating more than 203,000 kilograms of surplus food from our stores to organizations in need and sponsoring a community food waste reduction pilot project in Guelph.”
Image: Too Good to Go x Longo’s
Kashani said his mission is around democratizing the fight against food waste.
“So anywhere, in any establishment, whether a single, family-owned business or a national chain with thousands of stores, is on our platform and we’re working with them,” he said.
“Anywhere that there is food we ultimately work with them . . . and across verticals, retail, restaurants, hotels that certainly have food, canteens and cafeterias, etc, etc.”
He said currently Too Good To Go has more than 3,400 businesses on its platform.
Mezza Lebanese at Scotia Square (Image: Crombie REIT)
Mezza Lebanese Kitchen has partnered with Crombie REIT to create a recipe for success as the restaurant group continues to expand its footprint across Atlantic Canada.
It is part of the foodservice company’s growth strategy as it looks to reach more consumers in Atlantic Canada and eventually beyond with a growing franchising model.
Peter Nahas
Peter Nahas, Vice President of Business Development and Franchising, said the company has a total of 14 locations currently with four more under construction, bringing it up to 18 by the end of the summer and another five under development for early next year.
“Over 20 locations in the next 12 months. Certainly been growing. It’s been quite the success over the last 30 years but just in the last five or so have really been the franchise growth.”
Currently, it has eight corporate stores and six franchise stores but everything going forward will be franchise. Nahas said five locations are currently in Crombie properties with three under construction and a ninth next year.
Mezza Lebanese Kitchen (Image: Fathom Studio)
Nahas said the relationship with Crombie began in 2014 when it opened its first location with the REIT in the Scotia Square food court in Halifax.
“Quickly thereafter we opened up our second with Crombie in Downsview Plaza in Lower Sackville and then really it just started going from there,” said Nahas.
“It’s just been a great partnership that we’ve had with them where they really have a great power centre and usually a good retail mix that we’re looking for that does well for our brand. It’s been a great recipe for us to work with Crombie where we know who is usually going to be in the mix, we know what we can expect from our landlord. I think it’s a good partnership for the long term.”
Crombie has 294 properties across Canada totaling 18.5 million square feet. Retail comprises about 15.4 million square feet of the REIT’s overall portfolio.
Andrew Watt, Vice President, Retail Leasing for Crombie, said Mezza is a great fit for Crombie’s properties.
Andrew Watt
“They generally nicely augment our existing tenants at many of our plazas which are focused on combining need space retail with food and other retail that fills gaps in the various communities that we’re in,” said Watt.
Watt does see further expansion of the relationship in the future.
“What makes them so successful is they have a really strong brand and they back it up with a great product combined with many, many years of experience,” he said. “I’ve seen them replicate this over the nine properties that they have with us.
Mezza Lebanese Kitchen (Image: Fathom Studio)
“They’re very consistent in their branding, they’re consistent in the products that they deliver. It will be a challenge coming into markets like Ontario where you already have several similar established brands . . . but they really do own the market I would say in Atlantic Canada right now.
“Once you have a partnership like we do with Mezza and you’re able to come up with a precedent lease – they understand what our requirements are and we understand theirs – I think it’s very easy to replicate across the portfolio. We’re doing that not only with independents but we also do it with nationals as well.”
Mezza has its roots serving up fresh, authentic Lebanese food more than 30 years ago. In 1990, it began with the parents of Nahas opening the family-run business after immigrating from Lebanon to Halifax where they opened their first restaurant in the Halifax Shopping Centre food court.
“It wasn’t Mezza at the time but it was a location that we actually still have today 30 years later,” said Peter Nahas.
TONY AND PETER NAHAS. IMAGE: FACEBOOK.
Today, Peter and Tony Nahas own the company. Tony is the company’s President and CEO.
“Tony and I obviously grew up in the business. Being a family-run business, your typical immigrant story where the two sons, the two daughters, the mother and the father, they all work in the business and they make it what it is. So you essentially put food on the table,” said Peter Nahas.
“While Tony and I grew up in it, we took over the business in 2012 and at the time we had three different restaurants with the family, all under different brands, all under different menus, one was fine dining, one was a food court, one was in a downtown late night pizza shop. But it was in 2012 that Tony and I decided to open up Mezza Lebanese Kitchen with the menu that you see today, with the branding. We revamped everything.
“And it blew the doors open. We did great. Sales were fantastic. We opened in a business park in Dartmouth. With the first location obviously came the second and the third and we started rebranding what our existing ones were and by essentially 2016 we had six corporate locations all under the Mezza Lebanese Kitchen brand. In 2017, we began to start franchising and had four locations franchised in basically six months. We really took an aggressive approach pretty quickly.”
Mezza Antigonish at 26 College St (Image: Facebook)
Peter Nahas said the company has eventual plans to grow beyond Atlantic Canada.
“That’s always been the plan and I’ll say it’s the longer-term plan that’s turned into the short term. Where most of the Maritimes is now sold other than Newfoundland being the biggest opportunity still available in Atlantic Canada, we’ll be moving westward pretty quickly. PEI has been sold. Major markets other than Saint John, New Brunswick have all been sold and Nova Scotia is all gone.
“So for territories all that’s going to be left outside of Atlantic Canada and the Maritimes. So certainly the plan is to keep growing westward for Ontario, Alberta and everywhere in between.”
Mezza has a lengthy history of winning awards including Business of the Year with the Halifax Chamber of Commerce and Tony Nahas capturing Entrepreneur of the Year with Ernst & Young, in Hospitality and Tourism, in 2016.
Retail Insider is streamlining its Canadian retail news from around the web to include a handful of top news stories that can be viewed quickly during the day. Here are the top stories from the past 24 hours.
Current Aritzia and Future Expansion at Yorkdale Shopping Centre (Image: Craig Patterson)
Retailer Aritzia is planning to open its redesigned and redeveloped store in the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in time for the holiday shopping season.
And the location will include its unique new A-OK Café concept.
Karen Janes
“Our current boutique is approximately 10,000 square feet, and we are increasing its square footage by almost 9,000 square feet for a total of almost 20,000 square feet. We have been in the Centre since 1999. Our space at that time was nearly 5,000 square feet and in 2017 we moved to our current space,” said Karen Janes, Executive Vice President, Real Estate boutique Development, for Aritzia.
“The biggest key feature will be the large wrap-around video screen at the exterior of the boutique. Other key features include Aritzia’s exclusive A-OK Café and two-storey brick arches on the boutique front facade, one-of-a-kind vintage furniture from Italy, Denmark and France, open concept fitting rooms with two private shopping areas, and hand painted sales floor and ceiling covered murals.
“The construction for the expansion will be phased, but we are aiming to open the majority of the space by the holiday season this year.”
Future Aritzia Expansion at Yorkdale Shopping Centre (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Nike, Old Navy, H&M, Zara, Massimo Dutti and the Future Aritzia Expansion at Yorkdale Shopping Centre (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Janes said the retailer currently has 112 boutiques, with 68 permanent boutiques in Canada and 44 in the United States, complementing its digital boutique Aritzia.com.
In the past year it has opened one new boutique in Canada at Montreal Premium Outlets in Mirabel, Quebec and six new boutiques in the United States.
She said the company has a total of six planned openings for the rest of 2022: three expansions which include the Markville Shopping Centre in Markham, Ontario; CF Polo Park in Winnipeg and Washington Square in Portland as well as three new boutiques at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, California, Fashion Outlets of Chicago and Shops at La Cantera in San Antonio.
“With every expansion and opening, our goal is to provide our clients with an aspirational environment. Many of the elements and design ideas will be integrated in future boutiques in an organic way,” explained Janes.
“When we think about expanding our footprint, we look at premier locations that provide us the runway to connect with both new and existing clients through engaging service, beautiful product and aspirational environments. As we look ahead, we are well-positioned and excited for continued growth through the expansion of our boutiques across both Canada and the US.
“We opened our first boutique in Ontario at Yorkdale in 1999 and have gained many loyal clients here. By expanding our Yorkdale location, we are able to share our beautiful product, aspirational space and provide a one-of-a-kind Everyday Luxury shopping experience with our clients. The opportunity to expand in place allows us to offer our clients greater product assortment, more tailored services, and the addition of our A-OK Café concept.”
A-OK at Aritzia Somerset (Image: Aritzia)A-OK at Aritzia Somerset (Image: Aritzia)
The retailer describes itself as a design house with an innovative global platform.
“We are creators and purveyors of Everyday Luxury, home to an extensive portfolio of exclusive brands for every function and individual aesthetic. We’re about good design, quality materials and timeless style – all with the wellbeing of our People and Planet in mind,” added Janes.
“Founded in 1984, in Vancouver, Canada, our world-class team creates immersive, and highly personal shopping experiences in our 100+ boutiques throughout North America and at aritzia.com to everyone, everywhere.”
The new Levis pop-up store in the Hudson Bay building in downtown Vancouver, B.C., on Friday, August 19, 2022. CPimages / Jimmy Jeong
Levi’s has opened a new premium shop-in-shop experience at Hudson’s Bay in Downtown Vancouver.
Nicolas Versloot, Managing Director of Levi’s Canada, said the total selling space is more than 6,000 square feet and is located in a high-traffic lower ground floor level with several access points immediately entering the store.
Nicolas Versloot
“We chose this location because we saw an opportunity to deliver an elevated Levi’s experience in a high-traffic downtown location in Vancouver. This complements our Park Royal-owned and operated store and gives us the space to house a tailor shop to give customers the opportunity to make an individual statement on the products they buy, be it with patches or embroidery or a design of their own,” he said.
“This is the first of its kind in that we have added more digital technology to provide better customer service and appeal to the more fashion-conscious consumers for whom digital is a constant in their lives. Not only do we have style advice and continuous communication with the stylist from the fitting room, but we also have locations for social media or image sharing with friends which is a shopping habit of the Gen Z customer.”
The new Levi’s pop-up store in the Hudson Bay building in downtown Vancouver, B.C., on Friday, August 19, 2022. CPimages / Jimmy JeongThe new Levi’s pop-up store in the Hudson Bay building in downtown Vancouver, B.C., on Friday, August 19, 2022. CPimages / Jimmy Jeong
The retailer describes the new location as a “6,600 square foot immersive experience that offers styling, product tailoring and customization, tech-enabled fitting rooms and a larger assortment of the brand’s favorite products.”
Levi’s says it has reimagined and digitized its fitting rooms for a seamless and effortless experience interacting with stylists on the floor to ask for an alternative style or fit, request heels or a belt to help visualize how the look will wear after purchase and to offer additional inspiration on pieces that help complete the wearers’ look – all at the touch of a button.
At the heart of the experience is the Levi’s Tailor Shop, where customers can work with a skilled Levi’s Tailor to make sure the jeans fit exactly the way they want them to —whether that means simply cropping a hem, tapering the leg or adjusting the waist. From coloured shank buttons and rivets to patches, to pocket linings, to chain stitching and embroidery, the Levi’s Tailor Shop offers a full range of customization options that ensure each pair of jeans can be a one-of-a-kind creation, adds the company.
“As this is a first we are evaluating the consumer’s response before we commit to further expansion,” said Versloot.
The new Levi’s pop-up store in the Hudson Bay building in downtown Vancouver, B.C., on Friday, August 19, 2022. CPimages / Jimmy JeongThe new Levi’s pop-up store in the Hudson Bay building in downtown Vancouver, B.C., on Friday, August 19, 2022. CPimages / Jimmy Jeong
“As a leading retailer, we have a duty to the industry and the category to provide reasons to shop in a brick-and-mortar environment. We know how important fit and feel are to our fans. Post-COVID, which saw a huge swing to the convenience of online shopping, we had to innovate in a way that reminds shoppers of the benefits of trying on products, of having styling options to create an individual look, and an experience that is innovative, different, and worthy of repetition and recommendation.
“With consumer behaviour shifting in the ever-changing retail landscape, Levi’s continues to prioritize how we deliver our iconic products and impactful brand experience. Our goal was to provide a premium one stop shop in a coveted, high-traffic area, perfect for engaging with Levi’s fans who want to connect with the brand, and who are searching for a retail experience as well as their dream pair of Levi’s.”
In a statement, Laura Janney, Chief Merchant, The Bay, said: “Levi’s is a brand that has transcended generational fashion eras and remained a must-have wardrobe staple in our customer’s closets for years. This shop represents Levi’s continued innovation, quality and latest fashion in an environment that inspires shoppers as they discover and connect with an iconic brand.”
Future Levi’s Pop-up at Yorkdale Shopping Centre (Image: Craig Patterson)
A second similar Levi’s storefront is set to open soon at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre as well. Construction hoarding has been up for several months now.
Video Interview: What Are The Current Challenges Facing The Retail Industry in Canada?
Carrie Kirkman, President, Kirkman Consulting, and Executive Director, Sympli, discusses the current challenges faced by the retail industry in Canada.
Kirkman talks about the retail landscape today, issues such as labour, supply chain and inflation, what are consumers looking for, the future of retail, her background in the industry and why she chose retail as a career path.
Over her career, Kirkman has had leadership and executive roles at Nine West, Global Brands Group, Sears Canada, Jones Apparel, Hudson’s Bay and Liz Clairborne.
The Video Interview Series by Retail Insider is available on YouTube.
Connect with Mario Toneguzzi, a veteran of the media industry for more than 40 years and named in 2021 a Top Ten Business Journalist in the world and the only Canadian – to learn how you can tell your story, share your message and amplify it to a wide audience. He is Senior National Business Journalist with Retail Insider and owner of Mario Toneguzzi Communications Inc. and can be reached at mdtoneguzzi@gmail.com.
Also check out the other series offered by Retail Insider, including The Weekly podcast and The Interview Series, which are both available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Podcasts, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Simplecast and other podcast players.
