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. 鈥淎mazon puts pressure on speed of delivery and the customer always being right,鈥� says Charles de Brabant, Executive Director of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management.
Christmas lights that glow softly through long winter nights are part of what makes the holiday season so atmospheric鈥攂ut they can add to the ambiance any time of year. Some shopping districts are leaving their lights up for exactly that reason.
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Published on: 29 Jan 2025
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. 鈥淭he brand is not standing out in an environment where other brands have done well,鈥� said Bensadoun School of Retail Management Executive Director Charles de Brabant in an interview with the Montreal Gazette.
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Published on: 17 Jan 2025
Gym memberships come with varying price tags and fee structures that can be confusing. Often, a membership contract can come with unanticipated charges. In addition to monthly fees, some charge for signing up, cancellation costs, and annual dues, which is why it is important to do research before signing up, according to Bensadoun School of Retail Management Executive Director Charles de Brabant. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 necessarily understand the natural pitfalls until you fall into them,鈥� he tells The Globe and Mail.
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Published on: 15 Jul 2024
The rise of e-commerce decimated the business of department store chains, with names like Nordstrom pulling out of Canada altogether. But, department store chain Simons recently announced it is opening two new stores in Toronto. The Quebec City-headquartered retailer has slimmed-down offerings, with no in-store furniture sales or fragrance counters and lots of private label clothing brands.
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Published on: 9 Jul 2024
The online marketplace Temu, launched in 2022, has become one of the most downloaded apps in North America. The platform is known for ultra-low prices, though the quality and safety of the products it sells are sometimes suspect. 鈥淚f I understand their business model correctly, they sell products at a loss, and make money from the data they collect,鈥� said Bensadoun School of Retail Management聽(BSRM) Executive Director Charles de Brabant in an interview with Radio-Canada.
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Published on: 14 Mar 2024
Among the low-rise industrial buildings that line the northern end of D茅carie Boulevard, a major new shopping centre is taking shape. The $7-billion Royalmount luxury retail and lifestyle centre is slated to open in summer 2024, after numerous construction delays.
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Published on: 13 Nov 2023
The way that we shop is changing, and for small- and medium-sized enterprises, it can be challenging to keep up with the pace of innovation. But the Bensadoun School of Retail Management (BSRM) is helping them do it. Since spring 2023, it has been hosting regional networking events that meet Quebec businesspeople where they live and work. Regional roadshows aim to help SMEs become omni-channel retailers, and consist of workshops that showcase the innovative research happening at BSRM.
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Published on: 10 Oct 2023
Technologies like artificial intelligence are changing the way we shop. But change can be intimidating, and people can be reluctant to adopt it. The Bensadoun School of Retail Management鈥檚 Retail Innovation Lab provides such an example. At the highly automated Couche-Tard location on 9I制作厂免费 campus, cameras in the store allow customers to make frictionless purchases that don鈥檛 require bar codes to be scanned. Still, many people don鈥檛 want to use them.
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Published on: 22 Aug 2023
About sixty entrepreneurs from Vaudreuil-Soulanges region joined Desautels faculty and staff for a conference on best practices in retail.
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Published on: 20 Apr 2023
E-commerce has made it possible to order almost anything online, but that has made it more challenging for brick-and-mortar retailers to attract shoppers and with more stores sitting vacant, some shopping malls have gotten creative, and added temporary pop-up activities like roller skating and haunted houses. Before the pandemic, commercial landlords demanded multi-year leases, said Charles de Brabant, executive director at 9I制作厂免费鈥檚 Bensadoun School of Retail Management.
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Published on: 20 Apr 2023
For years, paparazzi have been clicking candid shots of Justin Bieber cradling Tim Hortons coffee cups, but it still came as a surprise to see Biebs Brew become an official menu item at Canada鈥檚 most popular coffee chain. The novelty aspect of this type of collaboration can help drive sales, said Charles de Brabant in a story in The Globe and Mail. Biebs Brew might only be available for a limited time, but some collaborations can last for decades 鈥� like those between athletes and apparel brands.
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Published on: 6 Jul 2022
You might not know Shein鈥檚 brand, but chances are you鈥檝e seen their clothing. The Chinese fast fashion company has quickly and quietly grown into an e-commerce giant. Shein targets young shoppers with an online-only business model and rock-bottom prices. They have been able to scale quickly because without physical shopfronts, Shein can sell anywhere that it can ship their products. But companies shouldn鈥檛 try to compete with Shein on price, according to Charles de Brabant, the Executive Director of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management.
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Published on: 18 May 2022
During lockdowns, access to luxury services was severely limited. Fine dining establishments were reduced to haute cuisine in take-out containers, and spas forced to close altogether. But some shoppers have tried to fill that void with consumer goods. Everyone鈥檚 life was disrupted, but those who kept their jobs had some extra money in their pocket, and many of them spent it, says Charles de Brabant, Executive Director of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management.
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Published on: 23 Mar 2022
Workers in the service industry have often endured low wages, few benefits, and poor treatment. The pandemic has changed what they are willing to accept, and employers can no longer afford to treat workers like they can be easily replaced, says Charles de Brabant, the Executive Director of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management. With workers in high demand, many will simply move on from a bad situation, but companies can help reduce the strain on their workforce through measures like reduced operating hours.
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Published on: 17 Mar 2022
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