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ĢƵ Desautels MBA team wins Retail Innovation Challenge

A team of ĢƵ Desautels MBA students has won the 2025 Retail Innovation Challenge, earning the $10,000 grand prize for their innovative business solution for Mandy’s Gourmet Salads.

Published: 5 Nov 2025

For Indigenous entrepreneurs, business can be a vessel for culture

When Brittanny Janvier enrolled in the Master of Management program at ĢƵ in 2022, she was the only Indigenous student in her class. Now, Janvier is ĢƵ’s Director of Indigenous Initiatives, and is creating space for Indigenous entrepreneurs on campus. A recent event focused on how Indigenous-led businesses can serve as a powerful vessel for cultural narrative.

Published: 4 Nov 2025

Ottawa threatens to sue auto maker Stellantis for violating funding agreements

When the auto maker Stellantis announced its plan to shift production of the Jeep Compass SUV from Brampton, Ontario to Belvidere, Illinois, the Government of Canada didn’t take the news sitting down. It threatened to sue the multinational company, saying that the shift violated previous agreements between the multinational automotive company and the government, which stipulated the automaker had to maintain its Canadian footprint.

Published: 23 Oct 2025

ĢƵ DataSphere Lab proving to be good for business

At ĢƵ’s Desautels Faculty of Management, the DataSphere Lab is transforming how companies use data and how students learn.

Launched in 2023, the lab connects organizations eager to make smarter, data-driven decisions with ĢƵ students who apply advanced analytics, machine learning, and AI to real-world challenges.

Published: 10 Oct 2025

When AI is used to set wages, it sets them higher than humans would

When AI sets wages, it pushes them higher, according to recent research by Maxime Cohen, a Professor of Retail and Operations Management at the Bensadoun School of Retail Management. Cohen conducted a study that asked AI to recommend wages for 60,000 freelance profiles in a variety of industries. He found that AI sets wages higher than humans do.

Published: 9 Oct 2025

How AI and big data are reshaping the future of retail

The emergence of e-commerce has made for a revolution in retail. Whenever you make a purchase online, you generate data, and that data allows for a higher degree of personalization.

Published: 9 Oct 2025

Insights from the Reshaping the Future of Retail Conference

Meghan Markowski (MMR'25) captures key takeaways from this year's Reshaping the Future of Retail Conference, which brought together over 250 retail leaders, academics, and students at Montreal’s Sofitel Golden Mile on September 26.

Published: 7 Oct 2025

Cree Nation Trust Fund part of bid to turn Bay Building into cultural centre

The Bay Building on Saint Catherine Street is one of Montreal’s most iconic retail locations. But after the Hudson’s Bay Company dissolved in 2025, is future is unclear. One of the bidders for it is the Cree Nation Trust Fund.

Published: 2 Oct 2025

Inflation and tariffs a double whammy for retailers

Montreal-based clothing retailer SSENSE has filed for creditor protection. As recently as 2021, the company was valued at US$4 billion. “For retailers, it’s been a double whammy,” the Bensadoun School of Retail Management’s Executive Director Charles de Brabant told the BBC. “Inflation squeezed consumers, and U.S. trade policy changes have made it for a difficult landscape for retailers.”

Published: 25 Sep 2025

One year in, Montreal’s luxury-focused Royalmount mall is still seeking its sweet spot

It has been one year since the Royalmount Mall opened its doors, with a goal of transforming luxury retail in Montreal. The gleaming concourses of the upscale shopping centre are often largely empty, but that isn’t necessarily a sign that Royalmount won’t do well in the long run, according to Charles de Brabant, the Executive Director of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management.

Published: 10 Sep 2025

SSENSE bankruptcy could be harbinger of trouble for Canadian retailers

On August 29, the United States ended the de miminis exemption, a rule that had allowed small value shipments to cross the border without duties for decades. It’s already affecting some retailers in Canada. The Montreal-based luxury fashion retailer SSENSE filed for bankruptcy the same day the de minimis rule was changed, and cited the change as a reason that it did. As recently as 2021, the company was valued at $4 billion by Sequoia Capital, a U.S. venture capital firm.

Published: 10 Sep 2025

Businesses need to adapt to change to grow

For Quebec, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are an engine of economic growth. Many SMEs have grown into prosperous companies, writes Bensadoun School in Retail Management student William Bernasconi in an article for the Conseil québecois du commerce de detail. But it’s important to consider failures as well as successes.

Published: 10 Jul 2025

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

2024 was a rough year for retail in Canada, and 2025 doesn’t look much better, writes Charles de Brabant in Retail Insider.

Published: 21 May 2025

Meet the winning teams of our Retail Gen AI Hackathon

Congratulations to our winning teams of the Bensadoun School’s 2nd annual Retail Gen AI Hackathon.

We had 38 student teams register representing diverse faculties across ĢƵ. Over two days, 10 finalist teams hacked creative Gen AI solutions for our title sponsor ALDO Group.

Published: 10 Oct 2024

Participate in the Fall 2023 edition of the Retail Gen AI Hackathon

October 5-13, 2023

Want to work collaboratively in a fun yet competitive environment to develop innovative generative AI solutions for the ALDO Group’s Data & Analytics Corporate Team?

Published: 11 Aug 2023

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