The best part of retail? The people.
Yesterday the Retail Council of Canada united Canada’s vibrant retail community at RCC STORE25.
Even as AI permeates the industry, retail is all about relationships.
Here are some highlights from Day 1.
❤️ “Thank you for making my job not a job.”
~ RCC President & CEO Diane Brisbois (who will retire this year after more than 30 years leading the organization)
📉 “Uncertainty can have a chilling effect on investment … It’s very difficult to do my job right now.”
~ Dr. Ira Kalish, Chief Global Economist, Deloitte
🤖 AI affects talent: 31% will reskill over the next 12 months and 45% will reskill over the next 3 years
~ Karl Haller, Partner, Consumer Center of Competency Leader, IBM
🎉 “AI is a must-have. Encourage your team to use it. Stop waiting—get excited about it.”
~ Christine Munroe, Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships & GenAI, Loblaw Digital
🇨🇦 “Consumer confidence in Canada is at its lowest level ever [and yet] ‘Made in Canada’ still resonates in retail.”
– Eric Morris, Managing Director, Head of Retail, Google Canada
🛍️ “The consumer path to purchase has changed … TikTok is built for discovery.”
~ Zack Grossman, Head of Industry, CPG, TikTok Canada
🌟 “It’s important to have a [RFID] champion. There is change management involved.”
~ Marshall Kay, Director, Retail Transformation Services, Avery Dennison
🎉 It was great to see so many fellow RETHINK Retail Top Retail Experts in the house, including David Ian Gray, Dmitry Sokolov, Gary Newbury, Jared Kligerman, Mark Ryski, Marshall Kay, Sharon Gai (& more)
📕 Finally, congratulations to Mark Ryski founder and CEO, HeadCount Corporation who launched his latest book Store Traffic is a Gift yesterday. He shared how retailers can turn store traffic into more sales – even in this turbulent market.
Looking forward to Day 2!
[Left photo credit: Cole Ryski]
RCC STORE 25 Highlights – Day 1
