Agenda

Lobby

Dans le cadre de L’événement STORE 26, le CCCD organise le fameux cocktail Québec, le Cinq à sept. Tous les membres du secteur du détail sont invités à prendre part à cette réception gratuite afin de réseauter avec les délégués francophones du Québec et de l’ensemble du Canada. 

Main Session Hall

Kick off the conference with a timely update from RCC President and CEO Kim Furlong on the priorities, progress, and advocacy efforts shaping the retail industry today. Hear about the key issues impacting retailers across Canada, the work being done on their behalf, and the opportunities ahead for the industry. From policy developments to industry collaboration and upcoming initiatives, this update will provide valuable insight into how RCC continues to support and represent the retail community.

Main Session Hall

What will the economy mean for retailers in the year ahead and how should leaders prepare? In this highly anticipated session, Benjamin Tal, Deputy Chief Economist at CIBC, delivers a clear-eyed view of the economic landscape shaping Canadian retail in 2026.  Drawing on the latest data and real-world signals, Benjamin will examine consumer confidence and spending patterns, interest rates, labour dynamics, and global economic pressures, connecting macroeconomic trends directly to retail performance in Canada. Expect sharp insights, practical context, and a forward-looking perspective to help retailers make informed decisions in an evolving market. 

Main Session Hall

AI is reshaping every moment of the shopping journey, helping customers find the right products, compare options instantly, and make confident decisions. This session explores how retailers are building intelligent, customer-facing tools that adapt to context, elevate discovery, and strengthen overall engagement. You’ll walk away with a clear understanding of what effective AI looks like in real retail environments, how to design systems that are both helpful and trustworthy, and the practical steps teams are taking today to integrate personalized AI into the customer experience in ways that drive satisfaction and conversion.

Main Session Hall

Agentic commerce is the next AI innovation set to shake up retail, and the industry needs to be prepared to make the most of the opportunity. Purchase decisions will happen faster, with fewer touchpoints, and through different channels than today. This Fast Five begins to lay the foundation for the shape this technology may take, explore the opportunities agentic commerce brings for retailers to win with customers as well as the potential risks to prepare for.

Main Session Hall

Loyalty isn’t earned through logic, it’s triggered in a blink. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, author of Think Blink Manifesto, and Debbie Lai, VP Marketing at Staples, explore how retailers can build brands that connect instantly and authentically with consumers. From powerful brand storytelling and emotive design to community building and emerging tools like AI, this conversation covers the tools retailers need to create deeper loyalty and lasting emotional connections with your customers.

Main Session Hall

As Canada’s payments ecosystem evolves, businesses will need to work harder to earn and keep consumer loyalty. With greater choice, rising expectations, and ongoing industry change, seamless and trusted payment experiences will become a key differentiator. This session will explore how organizations can strengthen retention, build trust, and stay competitive as the payments landscape continues to shift. 

Concurrent A

Retail’s next productivity leap won’t come from working harder—it will come from redesigning work. Agentic AI is reshaping how work gets done, and retail leaders face a critical choice: lead the shift or fall behind. Join Adrian Lang, Chief People and Legal Officer at Staples Canada, research leaders from IBM’s Institute for Business Value (IBV) and Mark Innes, Associate Partner at IBM, for a candid executive discussion on turning agentic AI momentum into real business results. IBM’s IBV 2026 CEO Study shows that 59% of CEOs expect CHRO influence to rise, signaling a fundamental shift in who owns transformation and value creation. This session cuts through the hype to focus on what truly drives impact—how to redesign workflows, build the right skills, and realign culture to unlock productivity at scale and convert AI investment into measurable ROI.

Concurrent B

Canadian shoppers are increasingly shopping by mission, not by channel. Drawing on new Leger/RCC research, this session explores how routine, urgent, deal-driven, problem-solving, and treat-yourself trips create different expectations and trade-offs. Luc Dumont will unpack how value changes by shopping moment — and how retailers can respond with better experiences built around availability, speed, trust, convenience, discovery, and reliability.

Concurrent C

Retailers are no longer serving “a customer,” but multiple generations with very different expectations. The challenge isn’t just personalization anymore, it’s prioritization within finite store space, assortment, and operational constraints. Economic pressure, smaller formats, labour considerations, and differing levels of digital and AI adoption only add to the complexity, making it critical for retailers to rely on data to guide decisions

Concurrent B

Retail teams are using agentic voice AI to improve customer engagement across stores, digital channels, and contact centres. See how brands are using solutions such as RingCentral AI Receptionist, AI Virtual Assistant, and AI Conversation Expert to reduce response times, support customers around the clock, and deliver more personalized experiences. Along the way, learn how the conversation data generated by these tools is providing retailers with new intelligence to inform service, engagement, and loyalty strategies.

Concurrent B

In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, success belongs to organizations that can optimize their retail engine with humans and technology moving as one. This dynamic session unpacks a modern retail flywheel that seamlessly integrates the end-to-end product journey that is amplified by AI but grounded in a “Humans in the Loop” (HITL) approach. Discover how AI and automation accelerate decision-making while experienced teams ensure relevance, brand integrity, and meaningful customer connection. Walk-away with a forward-looking holistic framework to drive agility, efficiency, impact and growth while keeping trusted human insight at the core.

Concurrent A

Consumer spending continues to be a hot topic of discussion as Canadian consumers and merchants navigate uncertain economic times. Sean McCormick, Vice President of Business Development, Moneris Data Services, will share Moneris spending data from key consumer spending categories, including apparel, grocery and more. Sean will also highlight how major events are impacting consumer spending and discuss how businesses can adapt to the quickly changing economic climate, leveraging data and insights to anticipate shifts and enhance consumer engagement. Come for the data and leave with a deeper understanding of how to navigate consumer spending shifts in their specific industries and optimize their approach in response to dynamic market conditions

Concurrent A

A conversation with Sara Thivierge of RONA , moderated by Florian Payri, Co-CEO and technology lead for ARISTID Retail Technology. Hear first-hand how RONA’s recent digital transformation of their promotional stack is enabling innovative,  impactful shopper communications across channels with seamless and consistent promotional content, such as pricing and product assortment.

Concurrent B

Agentic AI is beginning to reshape the core operations of retail, from task orchestration to decision support and cross‑system coordination. Drawing on recent retail applications, this session will show where agentic AI is already delivering value, how leading organizations are putting it into practice, and the practical steps retailers can take to apply it in the near term.

Concurrent C

In-store retail media remains one of the biggest untapped growth opportunities for retailers and retail media networks—but unlocking its full value requires transforming the physical store from a collection of disconnected touchpoints into a truly data-enabled media ecosystem. As top retailers rapidly scale their RMNs, many others are still asking where to begin, especially as in-store activation presents both operational and financial challenges. At the same time, advertisers increasingly expect in-store environments to integrate seamlessly with online, offsite, and broader RMN strategies.

Main Session Hall

Retail is entering a new era, with AI reshaping how brands engage customers, empower teams, and operate at scale. Learn what it takes to become an AI-first enterprise and compete in a rapidly evolving market.

Through real-world insights, hear from retail leaders who are delivering more personalized experiences, equipping store associates with real-time intelligence, and streamlining customer journeys. Walk away with a clearer understanding of how AI is enabling better decision-making, driving measurable results, and scaling effectively through the right governance, security, and organizational readiness  – so your team can translate ambition into practical outcomes and sustained ROI.

Main Session Hall

Most AI talk sounds impressive and changes nothing. The brands winning with AI use it as a decision advantage, not a demo. Your business already generates signals—demand shifts, margin pressure, and product risk. But they’re scattered across systems, show up late and get ignored. Combine that data with human expertise and AI, and weak signals become clear weeks earlier. Teams can act before decisions get expensive or irreversible. The payoff isn’t “better insights.” It’s fewer surprises, faster alignment and better outcomes in planning and product development. Decision-making speeds up. Reactive reporting becomes predictive intelligence.

Main Session Hall

David Boone, CEO of Michaels, sits down with SVP of Stores, Canada, Derek Schweitzer for a fireside conversation on how the retail chain, with over 1,300 locations across North America, is reshaping the in-store experience to spark creativity and deepen customer connection.

They will examine how the company moved quickly to navigate market disruption in 2025 by broadening assortments, introducing trend-driven products and services, and elevating the store environment. David will outline the company’s growth strategy and bold plans for transformation, while Derek will discuss how these initiatives are being implemented in stores across Canada, reinforcing the brand’s role as a destination for creativity and celebration.

All STORE and Excellence in Retailing Awards guests are invited to attend a networking reception following the final conference session of the day.

Enjoy a special gala experience and celebrate the talented visionaries across this country who are redefining retail. Bring your teams, invite your loved ones, enjoy an evening of excellence.

Main Session Hall

RCC President and CEO Kim Furlong opens the conference with highlights from RCCSTORE Day 1 and a preview of the exciting sessions and activities ahead. Kim will be joined by Michel Rochette, President, Quebec to highlight some of the priorities, challenges, and opportunities shaping the retail landscape in Quebec. Together, they will share insights on the issues impacting retailers across the province and the advocacy efforts underway to support and strengthen Quebec’s retail community.

Main Session Hall

Retail leaders are navigating an environment defined by disruption, rising expectations, and constant change. This panel brings together retail leaders for a candid conversation on what effective leadership requires today. Panelists will share how they are building resilient teams, driving innovation, and fostering cultures that perform under pressure. Through real-world perspectives and practical insights, the discussion will explore how leaders are adapting to uncertainty while positioning their organizations for sustained relevance and growth.

Main Session Hall

AI is transforming every moment of the customer journey, unlocking new ways to inspire, guide, and convert shoppers. Eric Morris from Google reveals how leading retailers are using AI to create seamless discovery, smarter experiences, and more meaningful connections with their customers. Attendees will walk away with fresh insights and actionable ideas to elevate their customer journey and drive stronger engagement and growth.

Main Session Hall

Consumers expect more than campaigns—they expect relevance, consistency, and purpose at every touchpoint. Get a front-row seat to how leading global and Canadian consumer brands are building connection in a fragmented, performance-driven environment. Drawing on perspectives from Miele and Canadian Tire, discover how marketing teams balance brand building with performance, creativity with data, and long-term trust with short-term results designed for marketing leaders focused on growth, loyalty, and authenticity.

Concurrent A

In a moment where uncertainty is constant and differentiation is increasingly difficult to sustain, data has become the foundation for how leading brands understand customers, make decisions, and create more personalized experiences. The next competitive advantage will come from how effectively organizations turn insight into action amd reshaping how brands are discovered, chosen, and trusted.

This session will explore how retailers are using data, experimentation, and personalization to better understand the moments that matter most across the customer journey. From understanding what truly influences customer behaviour to delivering more relevant and connected experiences in real time, the conversation will examine how organizations are moving beyond intuition to make smarter, faster decisions at scale.

Concurrent B

Retail media is fast becoming one of the largest digital advertising categories in marketing, and an increasingly important destination for brand investment at scale. The question coming into focus is what it takes for the category to capture the next wave of brand investment as it matures alongside the world’s largest digital channels.

Drawing on perspectives from P&G, Loblaw Advance, and Flipp, the panel will explore how the brand-retailer-tech model is taking shape, what good partnership requires, and where the category is headed. The discussion will also examine an emerging frontier: using media to amplify the billions brands invest in promotions, reaching shoppers in an era of calculated consumption.

Concurrent C

Canada’s retail supply chains have undergone significant transformation in recent years as rising tariffs, geopolitical instability, and volatile consumer demand reshape how goods are sourced, and moved domestically and internationally. This panel brings together members of Canada’s newly established Port of Saint John supply chain to examine how closer alignment across ports, carriers, and retailers is helping build a more resilient, integrated system. Hear what’s working, where gaps remain, and how retailers can better navigate ongoing disruption while strengthening long-term supply chain performance.

Concurrent A

Les consommateurs achètent aujourd’hui davantage en fonction d’une mission que d’un canal. Se fondant sur de nouvelles recherches de Léger et du CCCD, cette conférence explore la façon dont les différents types de séances de magasinage – qu’elles soient urgentes, de routine, orientées vers des aubaines ou la résolution de problèmes, ou bien encore tournées vers le plaisir – créent des attentes et des compromis différents. Luc Dumont expliquera ainsi comment l’idée de valeur évolue selon le moment d’achat – et comment les détaillants peuvent en profiter en concevant de meilleures expériences en fonction de la disponibilité, de la rapidité, de la confiance, de la commodité, de la découverte et de la fiabilité.

Concurrent B

Ratings & Reviews are no longer just a post-purchase feature; they are a core driver of product discovery and purchase confidence. As the retail landscape evolves and AI continues influencing product recommendations, authentic shopper feedback is becoming even more valuable.
Drawing on new research with Canadian shoppers conducted with RCC, this session explores how Ratings & Reviews shape the path to purchase and what it means for retailers and brands today. We’ll also share practical insights and key takeaways on how marketers can better generate, manage, and leverage authentic consumer feedback to strengthen trust, improve product discovery, and drive better outcomes.

Main Session Hall

Department stores are at a crossroads. Shifts in consumer behaviour, intensifying competition, and rising operating costs have placed sustained pressure on a model that once defined the retail landscape. Yet some retailers continue to evolve, demonstrating that relevance and growth are still possible. This session explores how leading Canadian legacy retailers are responding to these challenges by elevating the customer experience through immersive environments, curated assortments, and seamless integration of digital and physical channels. A highly anticipated conversation offers insight into how luxury-driven personalization, elevated service models, and community-focused engagement can transform department stores into destinations that inspire discovery rather than just transactions.

Main Session Hall

Step inside a live recording of The Voice of Retail as leading retail voices discuss how they are navigating the current landscape. From emerging entrepreneurs to national brands, this dynamic conversation dives into the shifting consumer expectations, technology, and economic pressures that are reshaping the industry. Hear candid insights, bold predictions, and practical strategies for navigating what comes next in an era defined by constant change.

Grand Prix New Product Awards guests are invited to attend a networking reception prior to the awards dinner.

Enjoy industry recognition of your work, reunite with colleagues, and make new connections.