The retail industry is used to facing a constant raft of challenges, from shifting economic conditions that impact operations, to evolving consumer tastes and behaviours that are often reflected in sales and performance. However, it could definitely be argued that the multitude of issues that retailers are dealing with today, and their potential significance, is unlike anytghing businesses have ever seen before. With this in mind, Retail Insider the magazine, with the help of our stable of industry experts, set out to explore some of the current challenges, as well as some of the opportunities, that lie ahead for those that are prepared to continue working toward growth and success in the midst of adversity.
20 incredible years
Our cover story features a company that has seen just about everything throughout the course of its history. Amachris, retail construction specialist and one of the retail industry’s most trusted partners, has been in successful business for more than 20 years. We celebrate this incredible milestone by sitting down with the company’s Founder and President, Franco Pignotti, to discuss Amachris’ humble beginnings, rise to the top, and current trajectory that is solidifying its legacy as one of the top luxury retail builders operating. We also take the opportunity to speak with Alessia Pignotti, Amachris’ Marketing and Business Development Manager about the stunning Sephora build at Union Station in Toronto – a build that continues to turn heads nearly two years following its completion.
A connected ecosystem
Industry expert and President of consultancy Bottom Line Matters, Stephen O’Keefe, contributes a dynamic read that delves into the scourge of retail crime, and the need for more effective solutions to help keep the people and assets of retail organizations safe and secure. By creating a connected loss prevention ecosystem, he suggests that processes can be made more efficient and that outcomes for loss preventers everywhere have the potential to improve dramatically.
The power of AI
We speak with Michelle Grant, Director, Strategy and Insights, Retail and Consumer Goods at Salesforce Canada, about the digitization of the world around us, and how the smart use of artificial intelligence can help retailers transform the traditional retail experience. However, she explains how its use, particularly with respect to data collection, necessitates brands to do everything they can to maintain consumers’ privacy.
Mounting pressure on grocers
To get a beat on the canadian grocery sector, we catch up with food and grocery guru Sylvain Charlebois who paints a rather bleak picture of the current landscape. He says that a slow economy and a cautious consumer cannot be ignored as contributors to the mounting pressures being faced by grocery industry players operating across the country. Despite the challenges they face, however, Charlebois says that Canadian grocers are well-versed when it comes to adversity, suggesting that there’s still opportunity for the savviest to capture a consumer that’s currently trading down to maintain their budget.
Going under
From adversity to insolvency, we take a look at the alarming rise inbankruptcies currently happening across the country. Lingering pressures from the pandemic, combined with inflation and the rising costs of doing business, have had a devastating impact on a number of Canadian companies. We dive into the concerning statistics.
Online retail
And, we chat with online expert and President of Ecommerce Canada, David Nagy, about the current state of digital sales and performance in the country. He shares his perspectives concerning some of the trends impacting online retail, the range of challenges facing the e-commerce efforts of brands, and how differentiation from competitors is perhaps more critical today than it ever has been before.
We also provide contributions from our excellent roster of regular columns, including George Minakakis, the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses, Retail Council of Canada, and Restaurants Canada.
Retail Insider the magazine, Volume 3, Issue 1 will launch next week. Don’t miss your copy.
