Charles de Brabant

Montreal retailer Frank and Oak files for creditor protection for second time

admin — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 17:25:58 +0000

In January 2025, the Montreal-based retailer Frank and Oak filed for creditor protection for the second time in recent years. A company statement said it was to protect employees, assets and operations from creditor claims while exploring options to restructure. “The brand is not standing out in an environment where other brands have done well,” said Bensadoun School of Retail Management Executive Director Charles de Brabant in an interview with the Montreal Gazette.

Keeping Christmas lights on to add ambiance can help set a shopping district apart

admin — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 20:07:13 +0000

Christmas lights that glow softly through long winter nights are part of what makes the holiday season so atmospheric—but they can add to the ambiance any time of year. Some shopping districts are leaving their lights up for exactly that reason.

Tariff-induced economic uncertainty is affecting Canadians’ purchasing decisions

admin — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 19:38:04 +0000

Even as the venerable Hudson’s Bay Company liquidates its iconic department stores, some Canadian retailers are experiencing a renaissance. Quebec department store has been expanding, even as others struggle to stay in the black. But Trump’s tariffs are clouding the future for Canadian retailers.

Mid-market brands to benefit from consumers’ renewed focus on the basics

admin — Wed, 21 May 2025 19:39:28 +0000

2024 was a rough year for retail in Canada, and 2025 doesn’t look much better, writes Charles de Brabant in Retail Insider. The Executive Director of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management noted that the combination of high interest rates and high inflation has taken a toll on consumer pocketbooks, and they are expected to focus on the basics this year. That plays well for mid-market brands.

Software helps combat online shopping fraud

admin — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 02:07:47 +0000

Buying clothing, wearing it once or twice, and then returning it is not a new practice, but online shopping has amplified the issue. To stay competitive with e-commerce giants, retailers have had to simplify their return processes, making them more vulnerable to abuse. “Amazon puts pressure on speed of delivery and the customer always being right,” says Charles de Brabant, Executive Director of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management.

Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) & Bensadoun School join forces

Tyrone Burke — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 13:45:42 +0000

Consumer behaviour has changed dramatically during the pandemic. Public health restrictions have played a major role, but a trend toward e-commerce and omni-channel retail was already underway. It has only accelerated.

“Companies now need to show a lot of creativity and resilience. External factors are having a huge impact on operations,” says Charles de Brabant, Executive Director of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management at ��ϲ�� University. “Consumer behaviour changes, technology changes, and now supply chain disruptions are causing inflationary pressures.

The State of Retail in 2021 is Surprisingly Healthy, Resilient, and Innovative

Charles de Brabant — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 16:08:31 +0000

Back in 2018, I wrote an article on the state of retail in North America after having spent more 30 years abroad. At the time, I was struck by the common narrative on the state of retail: retail is dying, long live Amazon.

COVID-19: The Greatest Test(s) for Retail Leadership in Canada

Charles De Brabant — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 18:33:17 +0000

I started writing this article in late March watching leaders react rapidly and in many instances, decisively in handling the outbreak in North America & Europe, a couple of months after their Chinese and Asian counterparts. As I was finishing the first draft of the article about 10 days ago, I was wondering whether the timing of this article was not too late.

What can we learn from China as we prepare to open up the retail sector?

Charles de Brabant — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 13:53:07 +0000

As governments in the US, Canada and Europe start to plan for the progressive reopening of their respective economies including retail, we can turn to China (and some other Asian countries) to extrapolate lessons from their initiatives to re-open retail.

Vision & Mission

julie.lapalme@mcgill.ca — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 17:10:11 +0000

The Bensadoun School is the best source of talent and ideas for the future of retail. Currently, no academic institution in the world is fully capable of addressing the evolving challenges facing this industry. Vision To be the world’s premier institution dedicated to the future of retail. Mission To educate and empower a global network of interdisciplinary and diverse thinkers and practitioners who research, envision and prototype a successful world of retail.