Discover proven strategies for retail success in Western Canada and Nationwide at RCC’s Retail West Conference.
Retail West Speakers
The Retail West Agenda is thoughtfully curated in collaboration with the retail experts that make up the Retail West Advisory Council.
Patrick Rodmell
President
Rodmell & Company
Patrick Rodmell
President
Patrick Rodmell is a renowned change agent for retailers worldwide, helping his clients drive
substantive brand and financial performance improvement for more than 20 years.
Patrick leads Rodmell & Company, a consulting and creative agency headquartered in
Toronto, Canada, with clients throughout North America.
From supermarket retailers throughout North America, to fashion retailers in Dubai, to the most
prestigious beauty care brand in the world, Patrick has provided strategic planning, branding,
marketing, and creative leadership in virtually every retail sector.
Patrick has been asked to share his perspective on marketing, branding and the future of retail
at countless international conferences and through leading business and retail publications.
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Steve Mossop
EVP
Leger Vancouver
Steve Mossop
EVP
Steve Mossop is the executive vice-president of Leger’s Vancouver office and leads a team of 20+ researchers in B.C. serving public and private sector clients with full-service market research solutions.
Most recently, Steve was the president of Insights West, which Leger acquired in late 2021. Insights West offered insights-driven solutions via leading-edge tools and normative databases and had 15+ employees and $3M+ in billings annually in the 10 years it operated. Prior to this, Steve was at Ipsos for 17 years and managed 30+ client service staff in multiple cities after starting his career at the Angus Reid Group and TNS.
Steve has released over 700+ public opinion polls on politics; topics from bridge tolls to bike lanes; support or opposition to environmental, social and policy issues; employee satisfaction; social media habits and COVID-19 impacts. He has correctly predicted the outcomes of over 25 elections over his career.
His accomplishments include launching Insights West to be the fastest-growing B.C. market research company, winning Business in Vancouver’s Top 40 Under 40 award in 2006, and winning BCAMA’s 2001 Marketer of the Year Award. Steve was chair of the BCAMA’s Senior Executive Program for 4 years and was a member of Vancouver EO for 5 years.
Steve is a frequent public speaker and media personality in British Columbia, making regular appearances on a wide variety of media outlets as the spokesperson for Leger and in the past for Insights West and Ipsos. Steve holds a BBA degree from Simon Fraser University with a concentration in marketing.
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Kriston Dean
VP Sales and Marketing
Purdys Chocolatier
Kriston Dean
VP Sales and Marketing
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Rachel Mielke
Founder & CEO
Hillberg & Berk
Rachel Mielke
Founder & CEO
Rachel is well known for her leadership and entrepreneurial achievement as Founder & CEO of
Canadian jewelry brand, Hillberg & Berk. The company started from her kitchen table and was
named to honour her great-grandmother, Hilda Bergman. With fourteen stores across Canada, and
global Ecommerce operations, Rachel has grown the H&B brand that continues to attract
international attention and demand. Rachel’s business successes have included a showing at The
Oscars, a deal on Dragon’s Den, partnerships with Olympic ice dance champion Tessa Virtue, model
and activist Ashley Callingbull, Canadian influencer Jillian Harris, and two custom design
commissions for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Rachel has built a successful national brand with purpose and impact baked into the DNA. Since
inception, H&B has donated millions in financial and product contributions to partner organizations
who share the company’s mission to connect women to their power.
Rachel’s accolades and volunteer contributions over the years are impressive, as she passionately
works to recognize and empower women across Canada and around the world. Rachel was
awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for her volunteer work in 2012 and the Queen’s
Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2023, was named an Ernst and Young class of Winning Women in 2015,
was named one of XL’s Canada’s Top 40 under 40 in 2017, was named one of Women’s Executive
Network Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2016 and 2017 and received the Women
Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan Celebration of Achievement Award in 2018.
As a notable alumna from the University of Regina, Rachel received an Honorary Doctor of Laws
Degree in 2022, and supports the Saskatchewan community by generously funding several
scholarships that empower young women. Rachel volunteers her time as an Honorary Captain of the
Royal Canadian Navy and on the national board of Dress for Success Canada.
More recently, Rachel has been very open about her cervical cancer journey, in hopes that it might
encourage other women to access healthcare and undergo regular pap testing, and she channels
this passion into advocacy and philanthropy for medical innovation for women’s health through
Women Leading Philanthropy in Saskatchewan. Rachel is married to her best friend, Zlatan, and is a
proud mom to three children.
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Polly Tracey
Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer
Best Buy Canada Ltd.
Polly Tracey
Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer
As chief communications and public affairs officer, Polly Tracey leads the organization’s public relations, internal communications, community investment, sustainability governance, events, influencer strategy, corporate communications and government relations functions.
With experience across North America, Europe and Asia – spanning some of the world’s best-known brands including American Airlines, Sony Music and Honda – Polly is known for driving creativity and innovation, while guiding companies through periods of significant growth and change. As the founder and executive sponsor of the Best Buy Green Team and the Mentorship and Acceleration Program (MAP) for Black and Indigenous entrepreneurs, she catalyzes cross-functional groups to solve challenges with an enterprise mindset and collaborative approach. She was named Communicator of the Year by the Public Relations and Communications Association (Europe’s largest and most influential communications’ body) for 2013 – 2014, was a judge for PR Week’s Global Awards in 2019 and was named one Ragan/PR Daily’s Top Women in Communications in 2020.
A strong believer in positivity breeding productivity, Polly embraces challenges and relishes building effective strategy to help brands stand out and to enhance employee and community sentiment.
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David Lui
CEO
Kit and Ace, Unity Brands Inc.
David Lui
CEO
David Lui is the CEO and a partner of Unity Brands Inc., a company he co-founded with Joe Mimran and Frank Rocchetti. Unity Brands recently acquired Kit and Ace, where David also serves as CEO.
David has an extensive background in retail with over 30 years of retail and marketing experience and is known for his award-winning brand transformations, e-commerce and digital knowledge along with his passion for scaling businesses.
He has worked and led many retail brands including Esprit, NYGÅRD, Mark’s, Sport Chek and most recently, he was the CEO at KORITE International. In 2022, he was ranked 11th in the Global CEO Awards. His portfolio includes being named CEO of the twelfth Fastest Growing Company in Canada’s PROFIT100, First for Fastest-Growing Company in British Columbia, Canada, winner of the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award, and a Business in Vancouver Forty under 40.
David holds an MBA from the Ivey Business School at Western University.
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Adam Ketcheson
Chief Commercial Officer
MEC
Adam Ketcheson
Chief Commercial Officer
Adam oversees the MEC Label, Merchandising, Marketing and Digital teams. Before starting at Mountain Equipment Company, Adam was the CMO for Canadian tech start-up North (acquired by Google). He has deep experience in the realm of outdoor retail, and has led sales and brand marketing groups at global industry leaders Salomon, The North Face and Arc’teryx. He’s also served on the board of The Conservation Alliance.
Adam has been an MEC member since 1994, and when he’s not working with our staff to develop and bring in new gear, he’s using it outside on backcountry ski tours, mountain bike trails, and running routes in the North Shore mountains.
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Frank Monteleone
Senior Vice President & Chief People Officer
Rexall Pharmacy Group
Frank Monteleone
Senior Vice President & Chief People Officer
Frank Monteleone leads the Human Resources function at Rexall Pharmacy Group. Frank has a reputation as a high-integrity leader with a high say-do ratio. His goal as CHRO is to serve as a cultural architect to champion employee experience and engagement, ultimately driving business results. Since 2018 Frank has also served as the President and Board Chair of the Rexall Care Network.
In 2020, Frank oversaw a collective bargaining process that executed a five-year contract and assured Rexall financial and operational stability in a period of unprecedented uncertainty. Since then, under his stewardship, Frank’s multi-year HR strategy generated Rexall’s highest-ever employee opinion survey results and eNPS scores.
In 2023 Frank’s work was recognized by DiversityCan Magazine as one of the top 10 Chief Human Resources and Chief People Officers. Frank’s team has been recognized with numerous awards, including:
Best Workplaces Canada award and Best Workplaces for Women award (‘22 & ‘23 – Great Place to Work)
Innovative HR Team award (‘21 & ‘22 – Canadian HR Reporter, and ‘23 HRD Canada)
Canadian HR Team of the Year (‘20 & ‘22 for Retail / Hospitality – HRD Canada)
Frank completed his certified human resources executive designation (CHRE) from the Human Resources Professional Association, as well as being Prosci ADKAR certified in change management. He also earned his Masters Certificate in Adult Training & Development from the Schulich Executive Education Centre. Frank holds a Bachelors of Arts, Mathematics for Commerce from York University in Toronto and also has a diploma in Human Resources Management from Humber College.
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Adam Luck
Managing Director
DAC
Adam Luck
Managing Director
Adam Luck is a digital agency leader with 20+ years driving results for clients and agencies alike. Adam focuses on understanding client challenges/opportunities and assembling talented people to help solve the problem collaboratively. Currently Adam is serving as the Managing Director, Canada for DAC, an international digital performance agency recognized by Forrester as one of the top Performance Marketing Agencies globally. Previously Adam has worked at some of Canada’s finest media and creative agencies including Initiative, Reprise, Grip Limited, and Cossette. Adam is an HBA graduate from the Ivey Business School at Western University.
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Stephen Van Xavier
Manager of Consumer Insights and Analytics
London Drugs
Stephen Van Xavier
Manager of Consumer Insights and Analytics
Stephen Van Xavier is a seasoned professional in the world of data-driven decision-making, with a passion for transforming raw data into actionable insights. As the Manager of Insights and Analytics at London Drugs, Stephen plays a pivotal role in harnessing the power of data to drive informed strategies, optimize processes, and enhance overall business performance.
Some of Stephen’s notable experience comes from Nielsen that allowed him to refine his analytical prowess while working on projects that provided critical market insights to clients. He developed a deep understanding of consumer behavior and market dynamics. During his time at Pfizer, Stephen’s analytical acumen played a vital role in optimizing supply chain operations and ensuring the availability of essential pharmaceutical products to patients worldwide. His work contributed to Pfizer’s mission of improving global health. His experience at Co-op involved spearheading data-driven initiatives that optimized the customer experience and streamlined internal operations. His contributions led to enhanced customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
Stephen holds a master’s degree in financial mathematics from La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. He is a Certified Analytics and Insights Professional (CAIP).
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Penny McTaggart Cowan
VP Marketing & Member Experiences
Calgary Co-op
Penny McTaggart Cowan
VP Marketing & Member Experiences
Penney brings almost 25 years of experience in customer research and marketing, as well as a B. Sc. (Biology) and an MBA to the Calgary Co-op team. Having joined Co-op in 2018, Penney is incredibly proud and honoured to be a part of the team, especially because of its deep roots in the community. To her, being local is special not only for the products that Co-op carries, but the organization’s ability to connect with the community and support neighbours when they need it. Penney is currently the chair of the Calgary Co-op Foundation, which is driven by the purpose of enriching Calgary Co-op’s member communities by addressing food security among vulnerable populations.
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Marc Low
Ignition Vancouver Lead
KPMG
Marc Low
Ignition Vancouver Lead
Marc leads KPMG Ignition, KPMG’s hub for innovation and emerging technologies, including digital twins and Generative AI. He has had the good fortune to work with clients across public and private sectors in North America and across Africa, giving him a unique perspective on technology and innovation as forces for good.
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Kevin Lacey
SVP, Consulting Services
Environics Analytics
Kevin Lacey
SVP, Consulting Services
Kevin brings over 25 years of sales and insights experience in Consumer Packaged Goods.
Through his 23 years at PepsiCo, Kevin had the opportunity to work across food and beverage categories and to manage and work with customers across all channels. His experience at PepsiCo includes 7 years leading the Category Insights Team for beverages, where he collaborated with retailers to implement insights-led solutions to drive joint business plan results.
Kevin’s mandate as Senior Vice President of Consulting Services is to work with Environics Analytics’ (EA) clients and strategic partners to help them become more data-driven, leveraging deeper insights and practical applications that get measurable results. This includes leveraging clients’ first-party data in combination with EA’s databases (including big data) to better understand and profile customers, quantify the market potential, locate high-value prospects and activate the insights across the enterprise, including in digital and traditional media.
Kevin holds degrees from Queen’s University, the University of Windsor and York University.
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Jackie Ross
Principal and Founder
JRoss Retail Recruiters
Jackie Ross
Principal and Founder
Jackie is Lead Recruiter and one of the founding partners at JRoss Retail Recruiters, Canada’s leading recruiting agency specializing exclusively in retail, with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal.
Jackie first built a highly successful career as a hands on operator with leading retailers across Canada. She then leveraged that experience to personally recruit hundreds of retail professionals. Since starting JRoss Retail Recruiters in 2002 with Rob Fisher, she’s led a cross country team to successfully recruit thousands more, from the Store Manager to the CEO level.
With her hands on experience as both a retailer, and as a recruiter leading a team of top performing retail recruiters working with leading brands from the executive to field operations levels, Jackie is uniquely positioned to understand the challenges and opportunities involved in recruiting in our “new normal”.
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Jay Lehal
Director - Service Centers, Reverse Supply Chain and Lean
Best Buy Canada
Jay Lehal
Director - Service Centers, Reverse Supply Chain and Lean
In his role as Director – Geek Squad Service Centers, Reverse Supply Chain & Lean, Jay and his team drive the strategy for the movement, test and refurbishment, disposition, and sale of all non-new inventory. This includes open box and refurbished products, secondary market sales, return analytics, vendor programs, reverse operational capabilities, product repair for both Best Buy protection and manufacturer warranty as well as providing Lean support across multiple initiatives to drive operational efficiencies and reduce waste.
Under Jay’s guidance, we have developed the enablement for vendor partners to access our world-class Reverse Supply Chain Operation and Marketplace platform for Circular Economy capabilities. This allowed for growth in the secondhand market while reducing reverse logistics costs, maximizing recovery and doing our part for the environment.
Jay completed his MBA at the University of Derby in the UK and also holds a Bachelor of Science Honors degree, in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Jay is passionate about driving positive change in the circular economy. In his free time, Jay enjoys the outdoors going for walks on Mountain trails and by beaches.
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David Ian Gray
Principal and Retail Strategist
DIG360 Consulting Ltd.
David Ian Gray
Principal and Retail Strategist
David Ian Gray is a recognized expert on retail and shopper trends, consistently producing high-impact knowledge for over 30 years. With his team of experts at DIG360, David provides fresh counsel across Canada to Founders, CEOs and other executives on defining customer-relevance, rethinking customer-experience and tailoring roadmaps for evolving their retail concepts during times of change. He presents on emerging retail trends, the role of retail in a sustainable future, the need for strategic adaptation and management of innovation, and other drivers of transformation. David has taught senior executives globally for the prestigious London Business School, emerging Marketers at the Schulich School of Business and BCIT, and is widely sought for insight by business media. Most recently, he was the co-founder and co-host of The Business of Retail podcast.
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Viktoriia Isler
Group Account Director
DAC Vancouver
Viktoriia Isler
Group Account Director
Viktoriia is a seasoned digital marketing professional with a wealth of experience guiding clients in adopting a data-driven approach, utilizing deeper insights and practical applications that yield measurable outcomes. With a proven track record in increasing revenue, profits, market share, and customer satisfaction, Viktoriia is a results-driven expert in her field.
Viktoriia’s mandate as a Group Account Director at DAC is to work with clients and internal teams to address business challenges through the development of personalized, integrated, and data-driven strategies that align with the needs of consumers at the brand level down to the local.
Viktoriia hold a BComm degree from the University of British Columbia and C.A.A.P. designation from the Institute of Canadian Agencies.
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Lisa Hutcheson
Managing Partner
J.C. Williams Group
Lisa Hutcheson
Managing Partner
Lisa Hutcheson is a seasoned retail expert with a career spanning nearly 30 years having started on the sales floor. Lisa has held senior leadership roles for two of Canada’s largest multi-store retailers where she led internal teams of over 1,000 associates to accomplish major corporate strategic initiatives. Lisa’s expertise and focus today includes developing retail strategy for retailers, shopping centres and mixed-use properties as well as store operations and people.
Lisa is the Managing Partner of J.C. Williams Group, a highly sought after retail consulting firm specializing in retail and foodservice strategy, research and real estate planning. J.C. Williams Group is also the exclusive Canadian member of the Ebeltoft Group, a consortium of global retail experts.
Lisa is a frequent speaker on retail best-in-class retail and innovation and is frequently quoted and sourced for media interviews.
In addition to her extensive retail background, Lisa is a member of the Canadian Research Group for the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC) and a founding board member of the Canadian Retail Educators Association.
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David Waterfall
VP of Marketing
Mr. Lube Canada
David Waterfall
VP of Marketing
David has worked in retail franchise marketing for 25 years, with the last 11 being at Mr. Lube + Tires. Over that time, Mr. Lube has transformed from a business that was primarily focused on convenient oil changes into a full-service vehicle maintenance provider that has branched into tires and light mechanical work such as brakes and spark plugs. As the prevalence of electric vehicles continues to increase, Mr. Lube + Tires will continue to evolve.
David originally trained as a CPA (Chartered Professional Accountant) and brings an analytical view to measuring marketing campaigns and programs. He believes having clear processes and procedures leads to continually improving marketing results. Innovation is not to be feared; it is to be embraced. But to unlock the full potential of innovation, it is important to first be clear about what the end goal of the innovation is and to continuously measure and adjust with the aim of achieving that goal.
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Stella Chung
Account Executive
MicroStrategy
Stella Chung
Account Executive
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Avery Gottfried
Senior Policy Specialist
Environmental Protection Division
Avery Gottfried
Senior Policy Specialist
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Joseph Chung
VP, Account Management
Call2Recycle Canada
Joseph Chung
VP, Account Management
Joseph Chung leads the Account Management team at Call2Recycle Canada, building out the strategy to work with industry steward members and driving battery recycling volume across Canada. He is responsible for all account partner programs to improve awareness and access for end-of-life battery recycling. Joseph leads Call2Recycle Canada’s eMobility and EV battery recycling activity, collaborating with automotive manufacturing and battery recycling industries to provide end-to-end EV battery services and support the booming growth of the Canadian EV industry.
Joseph has 26 years of account management experience in North America across numerous industries, with a successful track record of building and executing strategic initiatives to grow businesses.
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Patrice Mousseau
CEO and Founder
Satya Organic Skin Care
Patrice Mousseau
CEO and Founder
Patrice Mousseau is a member of the Fort William First Nations and the Founder and CEO of Satya Organic, a 100% Indigenous and Woman-Owned skincare company. Founded in 2013, Satya began when Patrice’s daughter was diagnosed with eczema and prescribed a topical steroid by her doctor. A former journalist, Patrice used her investigative skills and dug into traditional medicine, medical research, and the latest academic studies, desperate to find a steroid-free solution. With a $15 crockpot she bought off Facebook, she experimented in her kitchen with the best organic ingredients she could find. Shortly after, Satya was born – a balm that would clear Esme’s eczema up within two days. Today, Satya’s product line has expanded and is sold in over a 2000 stores across Canada, including Shoppers Drug Mart where it became the first Indigenous brand on the shelves.
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Joy Mauro
CEO and Founder
Turnabout
Joy Mauro
CEO and Founder
Joy Mauro, the visionary behind Turnabout, serves as its founder and CEO. Turnabout is an upscale and luxury resale company boasting seven locations in the Vancouver lower mainland and one in Victoria. This venture, born 45 year ago, was sparked by Joy’s desire to work with exquisite clothing and offer the community a financially sustainable solution to seasonal wardrobe transitions.
Turnabout remains at the forefront of the industry, driven by innovation, and ambitious plans for future expansion.
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Katrina Shum
Head of Regeneration & Sustainability
LUSH Handmade Cosmetics
Katrina Shum
Head of Regeneration & Sustainability
Katrina Shum is the Head of Regeneration & Sustainability for Lush, North America. She and her team lead sustainability initiatives across five manufacturing facilities, two distribution centers and 260+ retail shops. She works closely with cross functional teams across the business and value chain to drive initiatives in procurement, operational processes and the built environment toward short and long term goals. Key areas include energy/carbon/climate, packaging/circularity/zero waste, water management, nature and regenerative systems. Prior to joining Lush, Katrina helped build the foundation of a sustainability program for a major food service provider impacting 500+ higher education institutions. Internationally, she has worked on ecotourism and community-based tourism projects in Mongolia, Laos and Malaysia. Katrina holds an MBA from Arizona State University and a BS from Cornell University.
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Sharon Hayles
Owner and President
Diane's Lingerie
Sharon Hayles
Owner and President
Sharon brings with her over 35 years of extensive practical experience in the retail and banking business.
She began her retail career with The Bay where she held many positions in middle and senior management.
She was then hired away from The Bay by Ben Moss Jewelers, to hold the position of General Manager for their 22-store operation in Western Canada.
Following this, Sharon took her experience to the Bank of Montreal where she held the position of Area Manager. She was responsible for managing 220 people in 16 branches.
She left the bank to open her own retail consulting firm – InFocus the Retail Consultancy, working with independent owner retail operations throughout Western Canada.
Sharon Purchased Diane’s Lingerie in December 2012 after working with previous owner as a consultant for 10 years.
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Michael E. LeBlanc
Senior Retail Advisor
Retail Council of Canada
Michael E. LeBlanc
Senior Retail Advisor
Michael is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. He has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions with C-level executives and participated on thought leadership panels worldwide.
Michael is also the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts, including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus the Remarkable Retail with author Steve Dennis, Global E-Commerce Tech Talks and The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, all available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon and all major podcast platforms.
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Western-Specific retail strategies for
- Standing out in a crowded market
- The future of work and hybrid environments
- Economic influence on consumer behaviour
- In-store and operational technology and innovation
- Successful recruitment and engagement
“Retail West is a ‘for retail, by retail’ conference, so I find it tackles real issues, happening right now.”
Brands Presenting
Increase your brand’s relevance and impact on Western Canada’s retail community.
Contact rccsponsorship@retailcouncil.org for more information on opportunities.