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Independent Retailer Magazine |
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For more than three decades Janet and Michael Kaplan have been providing communities in Ottawa and beyond with alternative food choices to lead a healthier lifestyle. They boast being able to offer the widest selection of health products and vitamins, and pride themselves on their customer engagement and ability to offer the best kind of advice and information for their clientele. |
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The Canadian retail landscape changes at a constant rate, and the challenges related to the operation of a successful business continue to diversify.
So too do the needs and interests of independent retailers across the country. And as a result of these changes and diversification, obstacles to the growth of small business are presented. Though, these obstacles — as difficult as they may be for some independent retailers to identify — are equaled only by the opportunities that arise from them. |
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The retail industry is one that is dynamic and constantly evolving. With shifts and changes in the Canadian marketplace, retailers need to be able to adapt and respond quickly to the needs of their customers.
But for independent merchants, there exists a unique set of challenges and concerns. Independents work with tighter budgets and less staff than their larger competitors, and so they need to find creative ways to be both strategic and operational leaders in their business. |
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The retail landscape is changing and forward-thinking retailers don’t want to find themselves left on the sidelines. For that reason, many of Fredericton’s finest turned out for the first-ever Town Hall meeting hosted by the Independent Retail: A Changing Landscape Task Force.
Retailers, bankers, representatives of business development agencies and a few politicians gathered together August 25 at the Wu Centre on the University of New Brunswick campus.
As part of its year-long initiative, the Task Force is criss-crossing the country to identify the trends, challenges and opportunities facing independent retailers in urban and rural settings. |
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For most independent retailers, finding the right information and support you need to run a successful business can be challenging — and that’s all the more true when you don’t even know what to look for.
This June, Retail Council of Canada officially launches Independent Retail: A Changing Landscape, a yearlong initiative that will aim to discover — and recommend solutions for — the challenges affecting Canada’s independent retailers. |
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Are you an independent retailer? If so, thank you. Thank you for forming the backbone of the retail industry in Canada. According to Business Development Canada, small businesses (defined as any business with fewer than 100 employees) make up 97.5 per cent of the estimated one million employer businesses in Canada, with 58 per cent of Canadian companies employing one to four people. |
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With the Canadian dollar surging and an increase in cross-border shopping, few times have been as challenging for retailers of all sizes in Canada, especially in light of the fact that the industry is moving into one of the busiest and most important shopping seasons of the year.
That is why RCC is aggressively representing you, the independent retailer, and ensuring that the facts about the industry are known and widely reported in all regions of the country. RCC is the only association that has spoken out on your behalf with force and conviction. |
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Independent Retailer
