Welcome to Retail Insider “The Interview Series” podcast listing for all of the exclusive interviews conducted with primes from the Canadian retail industry.
The discussion includes how Hayes brought the brand into the market, what makes it so popular, wholesale expansion, and what's in store for new locations in Canada including one at CF Toronto Eaton Centre opening in late June.
Craig interviews Toronto-based jeweller Alan Anderson, who discuses how he got started in the jewellery industry, his new atelier on Jarvis Street, and future plans which will include the launch of a handbag line. They also discuss the recent Royal Coronation and jewellery seen on various attendees.
Craig and Randy Harris, President and Founder of Trendex North America, discuss the success of international retailers entering the Canadian market at a challenging time for the economy. That includes Nordstrom exiting Canada, and some success stories.
Craig has a discussion with Jenn Gregory and Linda Farha about consultancy Retail Strategies and its expansion into Canada. Jenn Gregory is President of Downtown Strategies at US-based Retail Strategies Group, and Linda Farha is Founder and head of Zenergy Communications in Toronto, as well as Chief Connector at pop-up go.
Craig speaks with Sarah Power, Founder and Creative Director of INLAND, about the new Canadian designer marketplace launching later this week. The conversation also includes a discussion of experiential pop-up retail and its benefits.
Craig speaks with Matt Crowell, Founder and CEO of GetintheLoop, about AI and its implications on malls and the retail industry as a whole. It's an interesting discussion on what the future of AI might look like as it becomes accessible to the public.
Craig and Ashkan, founder of St. Ash, discuss some of the challenges seen in Toronto's downtown luxury zone, the threat of Yorkdale, Nordstrom's exit from Canada and what's happening with Saks Fifth Avenue, and what's being seen with luxury retail in Paris and Milan.
Craig and Larry discuss retail at airports in Canada, including the need to improve the customer experience and offerings in terminals. Leung says airports are missing out on major opportunities to drive consumer sales to grow revenue.
Craig Patterson sits down with Craig Pike of Craig's Cookies. They discuss how Pike got started, how the business grew into multiple stores, and how he’s planning to expand the business under a new franchise model.
Craig interviews the team at J.C. Williams Group, who share their experiences at the new Zellers 2.0 locations. The conversation includes what The Bay has done right with the first 25 Zellers shop-in-stores locations, as well as some concerns and what could be improved.
Craig sits down with Mark Cohen, Director of Retail Studies at Columbia Business School and CEO of Sears Canada between 2001 and 2004. They discuss why Nordstrom failed in Canada, what might happen with the spaces as well as a revelation that HBC attempted to get Sears to acquire it twice during Cohen's tenure.
Craig sits down with Grace Yan, Commercial Consultant at Blackstone Commercial, to discuss the departure of Nordstrom store in CF Chinook Centre in Calgary.
Craig sits down with Martin Moriarty, Senior Vice President at Marcus & Millichap, to discuss the departure of Nordstrom store in CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver. The conversation includes a discussion of what could be done with the space, the revitalization of Granville Street, and how things are in terms of retail leasing in downtown Vancouver.
Craig and Brian discuss how Clip Money works and who's using it, as retailers get onboard with this innovative new deposit solution. Craig and Chris discuss how Pepper Palace has seen benefits from using Clip.
Craig speaks with Sonya Gill, founder of the world's first global fashion/beauty eCom marketplace to only represent ethnically diverse indie brands called THE LNK.
Craig and Lisa discuss the new Ebeltoft Retail Innovations Book which is in its 18th year of production. Four Canadian retailers were among the top innovators.
They discuss the December job numbers in Canada and how they pertain to retail. They then discuss what Suzanne anticipates will happen with retail staffing in Canada for 2023 as we continue to see the industry’s challenges unfold amid a labour shortage.
Craig sits down with Suzanne Sears, founder and President of Best Retail Careers International and Luxury Careers Canada, to discuss staffing at a challenging time for retailers in this country.
In a special edition podcast, Craig interviews Rafael Lazer, CEO of Almadev. The discussion includes Almadev's transformation of the Galleria Mall in Toronto into a complete community with housing, as well as a general discussion of why mall owners are intensifying sites amid a housing crisis in Canada.
Craig interviews two special guests: Neill Ashe, Senior Director, Payments & Commerce at RBC, who talks about PayPlan by RBC and how it functions. Craig then speaks with Troy Skinner, Parts Asset Manager at Martin Motor Sports, about how the retailer is seeing success with PayPlan.
Craig and James Yurichuk, Founder and CEO of Wuxly, talk about the brand and where it's going in terms of new retail stores, wholesale, and collaborations including a recent one with iconic Canadian musician Bryan Adams.
Craig interviews Éric Blais, President of Headspace Marketing, about how Bill 96 will impact retailers with rules around signage on stores and other businesses. They also discuss language laws generally and how consumers are greeted in stores — and what the penalties might be for businesses in Quebec not complying.
Craig sits down with The Behar Group's CEO Avi Behar and President/Broker of Record Greg Evans to discuss The Behar Group's history, some notable deals, and where the Toronto-based brokerage sees food halls and retail going over the next several years.
Craig sits down with the staffing expert to discuss the most recent jobs report showing record-low unemployment. Retailers continue to struggle to find employees and an emergency situation could take place and stores may not be able to remain open if things don't improve.
Craig sits down with Justin Cohen, Chief Commercial Officer of edgy menswear brand Psycho Bunny. They discuss the plans to open more Psycho Bunny stores in Canada as well as the fact that the brand could even be considered Canadian with its operations in Montreal.