Retail Council of Canada
Encyclopedia
The Retail Council of Canada was founded in 1963. It is a Canadian not-for-profit association representing more than 40,000 stores of all retail formats, including independent merchants, regional and national mass and specialty chains, and online merchants. It strives to be the voice of the retail industry by "providing advocacy, research, education and services that enhance opportunities for retail success, and increase awareness of retail's contribution to the communities and customers it serves."
The recipient must display exceptional leadership within the corporation, in the retail industry in Canada and in the community at large, through personal and/or corporate philanthropy activities. Years of service within the company are not a prerequisite, though the individual's term as chief executive officer
must coincide with the company's outstanding success. He/she must be widely respected throughout the industry for his/her achievements and the corporation he/she represents must be seen as a leader in the business community.
Board of directors
- Chair- David RussellDavid RussellDavid Russell may refer to:* David Russell , Anglican bishop* David Russell , Lance Corporal with the 22nd Battalion, New Zealand Infantry, 2nd NZEF* David Russell , classical guitarist...
, President, Sporting Life - Vice-Chair- Pierre Dandoy, Executive Vice-President, Retail Operations, RONA Inc.
- Treasurer- Dene Rogers, President & CEO, Sears Canada Inc.
- President & CEO, Diane J. Brisebois
Members
- Alain Baird- President & CEO, The Stitch It Group Inc.
- David Cheesewright- President & CEO, WalMart-Canada Corp.
- Karen Flavelle- President, R.C. Purdy Chocolates Ltd.
- Kevin Mcnab- President, Toys 'R' Us (Canada)
- Anna Martini- President, Group Dynamite Inc.
- Steve Matyas- President, Staples Canada, Inc.
- Michael Medline- President, Canadian Tire Automotive & Dealer Relations
- Mike PrattMike PrattMichael John "Mike" Pratt was an English actor and songwriter, known for his work on British television in the 1960s and early 1970s.-Career:...
- President & Chief Operating Officer, Best Buy Canada Ltd. - Paul Simmonds- President, Robert Simmonds Inc.
- Ted Starkman- Executive Vice-President & General Manager, The Shopping ChannelThe Shopping ChannelThe Shopping Channel is a Canadian English language cable television home shopping channel. The Shopping Channel is a division of Rogers Media. The channel is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario. It showcases various products throughout the day of which viewers can purchase either by telephone or...
- Louise Wendling- Senior Vice-President & Country Manager, Costco Wholesale Canada Limited
- Steve WinterSteve WinterSteve Winter is a game designer who has worked on numerous products for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game from TSR and later Wizards of the Coast.-Early life:Steve Winter was born in Dubuque, Iowa on December 8, 1957...
- President, Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor CorporationNewfoundland and Labrador Liquor CorporationThe Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation is a provincial crown corporation of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is responsible for managing the importation, sale and distribution of beverage alcohol within the province...
Distinguished Canadian Retail of the Year Award
The Distinguished Canadian Retail of the Year Award is presented annually by the Retail Council of Canada to recognize a retail leader that has led his/her retail company to outstanding business success.The recipient must display exceptional leadership within the corporation, in the retail industry in Canada and in the community at large, through personal and/or corporate philanthropy activities. Years of service within the company are not a prerequisite, though the individual's term as chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
must coincide with the company's outstanding success. He/she must be widely respected throughout the industry for his/her achievements and the corporation he/she represents must be seen as a leader in the business community.
- 2008-Laurence Lewin, La Senza CorporationLa SenzaLa Senza Corporation is a Canadian fashion retailer based in Dorval, Quebec, Canada, which sells lingerie and intimate apparel. The La Senza brand is currently owned by Limited Brands.- History :...
- 2007-Mario Pilozzi, Wal-Mart CanadaWal-Mart CanadaWal-Mart Canada Corp. is the Canadian unit of Walmart and was founded in 1994 in Mississauga, Ontario with the purchase of the Canadian Woolco stores from Woolworth Canada....
- 2006-Edward Kennedy, The North West CompanyNorth West CompanyThe North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
- 2005-Annette VerschurenAnnette VerschurenAnnette Verschuren, is a Canadian businessperson. She was president of Home Depot Canada from March 1996 to January 2011.A native of North Sydney, Nova Scotia, Verschuren received a Bachelor of Business Administration from St. Francis Xavier University. Verschuren was appointed chancellor of Cape...
, Home Depot Canada - 2004-Wayne SalesWayne SalesWayne Sales is the former Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd.. He held position from August 2000 to May 2006. Prior to this, he held the position of Executive VP, Canadian Tire Retail. In May 2006, Mr...
, Canadian Tire CorporationCanadian TireCanadian Tire Corporation, Limited is one of Canada's 60 largest publicly traded companies. The firm operates an inter-related network of businesses engaged in retailing hardgoods, apparel and petroleum as well as financial and automotive services, employing more than 58,000 people across Canada... - 2003-Wynne Powell, London DrugsLondon DrugsLondon Drugs is a chain of Canadian retail stores with headquarters in Richmond, British Columbia. Its primary focus is on pharmaceuticals, electronics, housewares and cosmetics, with a limited selection of grocery items...
- 2002-David MargolisDavid MargolisDavid Israel Margolis was an American industrialist who served as president and chairman of Colt Industries, who was a confidant of former Mayor of New York City Ed Koch....
, Winners Merchants Inc. - 2001-John ForzaniJohn ForzaniJohn Forzani is a Canadian businessman, former Canadian Football League player, and CFL team owner. He is the Chairman and co-founder of the Forzani Group....
, The Forzani Group Ltd.Forzani GroupThe Forzani Group Ltd. is a Calgary, Alberta based national sporting goods retailer in Canada. It operates under five corporate banners: Sport Chek, Atmosphere , Sport Mart, National Sports and Athletes World... - 2000-Dave Ferguson, Wal-Mart CanadaWal-Mart CanadaWal-Mart Canada Corp. is the Canadian unit of Walmart and was founded in 1994 in Mississauga, Ontario with the purchase of the Canadian Woolco stores from Woolworth Canada....
- 1999-Paul S. Walters, Sears Canada Inc.Sears CanadaSears Canada Inc. is a retailer, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, that operates in all provinces and territories across Canada with a network of 196 corporate stores, 195 dealer stores, 38 home improvement showrooms, 108 Sears Travel offices and a nationwide home maintenance, repair, and...
- 1998-Stephen Bachand, Canadian Tire Corporation Ltd.Canadian TireCanadian Tire Corporation, Limited is one of Canada's 60 largest publicly traded companies. The firm operates an inter-related network of businesses engaged in retailing hardgoods, apparel and petroleum as well as financial and automotive services, employing more than 58,000 people across Canada...
- 1997-Richard CurrieRichard CurrieRichard James Currie, OC was born in 1937 in Saint John, New Brunswick, and is a notable Canadian businessman.- Education :He began his post-secondary education at the University of New Brunswick in 1955, after receiving a Beaverbrook Scholarship to attend the institution, where he was elected...
, Loblaw Companies Ltd.Loblaw CompaniesLoblaw Companies Limited is the largest food retailer in Canada, with over 1,400 supermarkets operating under a variety of regional banners, including the namesake Loblaws. LCL is headquartered in Brampton, Ontario... - 1996-David BloomDavid Bloom (Canadian)Mr. David R. Bloom was the CEO of Shoppers Drug Mart for 18 years.In 1967, Mr. Bloom began his career with Shoppers Drug Mart as a pharmacist at the store in Yorkdale Shopping Centre. Within a year, Bloom had become the Associate at that location. In 1971, he joined Shoppers’ Corporate Centre....
, Shoppers Drug MartShoppers Drug MartShoppers Drug Mart Corporation is Canada's largest pharmacy chain with more than 1,241 stores operating under the names Shoppers Drug Mart in nine provinces and two territories and Pharmaprix in Quebec as well as in Hawkesbury, Ontario.... - 1995-Allister Graham, Oshawa GroupOshawa GroupOshawa Group was once a leading owner of supermarkets in Ontario, but it was sold to Sobeys in 1998.Stores under Oshawa Group included:* IGA* Tradition Market Fresh Food* Knechtel* Pharma Plus Drug Stores...
- 1994-Donald Beaumont, Kmart CanadaKmartKmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
- 1993-George Ross Eaton, The T. Eaton CompanyEaton'sThe T. Eaton Co. Limited was once Canada's largest department store retailer. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an Irish immigrant. Eaton's grew to become a retail and social institution in Canada, with stores across the country, buying offices across the globe, and a catalogue...
- 1992-David Sobey, Sobeys Inc.SobeysSobeys is the second largest food retailer in Canada, with over 1,300 supermarkets operating under a variety of banners. Headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, it operates stores in all ten provinces and accumulated sales of more than $14 billion CAD in 2009...
- 1991-Harvey Webber, The Smart Shop
- 1990-Dick Sharpe, Sears Canada Inc.Sears CanadaSears Canada Inc. is a retailer, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, that operates in all provinces and territories across Canada with a network of 196 corporate stores, 195 dealer stores, 38 home improvement showrooms, 108 Sears Travel offices and a nationwide home maintenance, repair, and...
- 1989-Tom BataThomas J. BataTomáš Jan Baťa, , also known as Tomas Bata Jr. and Tomáš Baťa ml. and "Shoemaker to the World", ran the Bata Shoe Company from the 1940s until the '80s. His last name pronounce baht-ya....
, Bata RetailBata ShoesBata Shoes is a large, family owned shoe company based in Bermuda but currently headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, operating 3 business units worldwide – Bata Metro Markets, Bata Emerging Markets and Bata Branded Business. It has a retail presence in over 50 countries and production... - 1988-Walter HachbornWalter HachbornWalter Hachborn, is a Canadian businessman who is the co-founder of Home Hardware, a Canadian home improvement and construction retailer which supplies to contractors and individual consumers....
, Home HardwareHome HardwareHome Hardware is a privately held Canadian home improvement, construction materials, and furniture retailer. Co-founded in 1964 by Walter Hachborn and headquartered in St... - 1987-Ray WolfeRay WolfeRay Wolfe was Mayor of Anchorage, Alaska from 1944 to 1945.-Biography:Ray G. Wolfe was born September 23, 1905 in West Liberty, Iowa. He moved to Alaska in January 1927 to work for his uncle in a sheet metal shop at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and C Street...
, Oshawa GroupOshawa GroupOshawa Group was once a leading owner of supermarkets in Ontario, but it was sold to Sobeys in 1998.Stores under Oshawa Group included:* IGA* Tradition Market Fresh Food* Knechtel* Pharma Plus Drug Stores... - 1986-Murray KofflerMurray KofflerMurray Bernard Koffler, is a Canadian pharmacist, businessman, and philanthropist. He is best known for creating the Canadian pharmacy retailer, Shoppers Drug Mart....
, Shoppers Drug MartShoppers Drug MartShoppers Drug Mart Corporation is Canada's largest pharmacy chain with more than 1,241 stores operating under the names Shoppers Drug Mart in nine provinces and two territories and Pharmaprix in Quebec as well as in Hawkesbury, Ontario.... - 1985-Abe Calp, Calps New Brunswick
- 1984-Ed MirvishEd MirvishEdwin “Honest Ed” Mirvish, OC, CBE was a Canadian businessman, philanthropist and theatrical impresario who lived in Toronto, Ontario...
, Honest Ed'sHonest Ed'sHonest Ed's is a landmark discount store located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is named for its proprietor, Ed Mirvish, who opened the store in 1948 and oversaw its operations for almost sixty years, until his death in 2007.-Location:... - 1983 (Shared)-Jack Barrow, Sears Canada Inc.Sears CanadaSears Canada Inc. is a retailer, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, that operates in all provinces and territories across Canada with a network of 196 corporate stores, 195 dealer stores, 38 home improvement showrooms, 108 Sears Travel offices and a nationwide home maintenance, repair, and...
- 1983 (Shared)-Tom Bolton, Dominion StoresDominion StoresDominion Stores refers to the following supermarket chains in Canada:*Dominion , the former national chain, more recently operating only in the Greater Toronto Area. The remaining locations were rebranded as Metro in 2008....
Lifetime achievement award
The Retail Council of Canada awards a Lifetime Achievement Award to a deserving Canadian retail business person who has given at least 25 years of continuous service in the industry. It is not awarded every year.- 2010-Gordon ReidGordon Reid (businessman)Gordon Reid is a Canadian businessperson. He is the founder of Giant Tiger Stores Ltd., Canada’s third-largest chain of discount stores.-Early life :...
, Giant Tiger Stores Ltd.Giant TigerGiant Tiger Stores Limited is Canada’s third-largest chain of discount stores . Following the 2006 acquisition of Zellers and its parent, the Hudson's Bay Company, by American entrepreneur Jerry Zucker, Giant Tiger became the largest Canadian-owned discount retailer... - 2008-Dr. William H. ComrieBill ComrieBill Comrie is a Canadian businessman. He is the founder of The Brick, one of Canada's largest volume retailers of furniture, mattresses, appliances and home electronics. In 2009, Comrie's estimated personal net worth was $415 million....
, The Brick Warehouse CorporationThe BrickThe Brick Ltd. opened its first store in Edmonton, Alberta in 1971, and has grown to become one of Canada's largest volume retailers of furniture, mattresses, appliances and home electronics. The company was founded as The Brick Warehouse LP in Edmonton, Alberta with the first warehouse opening on... - 2007-Walter J. Hachborn, Home Hardware Stores Ltd.Home HardwareHome Hardware is a privately held Canadian home improvement, construction materials, and furniture retailer. Co-founded in 1964 by Walter Hachborn and headquartered in St...
- 2006-Herschel Segal, Le Château Inc.Le Chateau Inc.Le Château Inc. is a fashion company founded in 1959 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that designs, imports and retails a wide range of women's and men's apparel, accessories and footwear. In 2006, the company generated sales of nearly $303.88 million CAD...
- 2005-Richard CurrieRichard CurrieRichard James Currie, OC was born in 1937 in Saint John, New Brunswick, and is a notable Canadian businessman.- Education :He began his post-secondary education at the University of New Brunswick in 1955, after receiving a Beaverbrook Scholarship to attend the institution, where he was elected...
, Loblaw Companies Ltd.Loblaw CompaniesLoblaw Companies Limited is the largest food retailer in Canada, with over 1,400 supermarkets operating under a variety of regional banners, including the namesake Loblaws. LCL is headquartered in Brampton, Ontario... - 2004-(Not Awarded)-
- 2003-Thomas J.Thomas J. BataTomáš Jan Baťa, , also known as Tomas Bata Jr. and Tomáš Baťa ml. and "Shoemaker to the World", ran the Bata Shoe Company from the 1940s until the '80s. His last name pronounce baht-ya....
and Sonja I. Bata, Bata Shoe OrganizationBata ShoesBata Shoes is a large, family owned shoe company based in Bermuda but currently headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, operating 3 business units worldwide – Bata Metro Markets, Bata Emerging Markets and Bata Branded Business. It has a retail presence in over 50 countries and production... - 2002-(Not Awarded)-
- 2001-Harry RosenHarry RosenHarry Rosen, CM is the Founder and Executive Chairman of the Canadian luxury men's wear store Harry Rosen Inc.-Early life:Born and raised in Toronto, Rosen lived for a short time in Callander, Ontario. As a teenager he found a job at a tailoring factory for men's clothes...
, Harry Rosen Inc.Harry Rosen Inc.Harry Rosen Inc. is a Canadian retail chain of 15 high-end men's clothing stores. A privately owned company, Harry Rosen accounts for 40 percent of the Canadian market in high-end menswear... - 2000-Aldo Bensadoun, The Aldo Group
- 1999-Ed MirvishEd MirvishEdwin “Honest Ed” Mirvish, OC, CBE was a Canadian businessman, philanthropist and theatrical impresario who lived in Toronto, Ontario...
, Honest Ed'sHonest Ed'sHonest Ed's is a landmark discount store located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is named for its proprietor, Ed Mirvish, who opened the store in 1948 and oversaw its operations for almost sixty years, until his death in 2007.-Location:...
Other Awards of Distinction
- Canadian Retail Education Hall of Fame
- Retail Council of Canada's Young Retailer of the Year Award
Excellence in Retailing Awards
- Retail Council of Canada's Employee Development Award
- Retail Council of Canada's Store Design Award
- Retail Council of Canada's Retail Supply Chain Award