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Retail Innovation Challenge 2024

That’s a wrap on the 5th anniversary of our Retail Innovation Challenge! This milestone is a celebration not only of our journey but of the incredible growth and impact we've seen over the years within the Quebec retail ecosystem. This year, over 80 teams from 15 universities across Canada registered to participate in the Retail Innovation Challenge, making it our biggest competition yet.

Congratulations to the final six teams for making it to the top, spanning Concordia University | John Molson School of Business, º£½ÇÉçÇø | Desautels Faculty of Management, Queen’s University | Smith School of Business, University of Toronto | Rotman School of Management, and Western University | Ivey Business School! This year’s challenge pushed boundaries, as participants tackled real-world cases focused on business model transitions – an area crucial to the evolving retail landscape. Our SME partners—LIB Microcommerce, Cellcom, and Sports Experts | Groupe Angelo-Beaulieu —were impressed by the innovative solutions presented by student teams to help advance their retail strategies. We extend our gratitude to our title sponsor SAQ, and our partners MEIE and EY, for their generous support.

This year’s winners:

Sports Experts | Groupe Angelo-Beaulieu case:

1st place & grand prize winner: Catalyst Consulting from Concordia University: $10,000

*This is the first time an undergrad team has won the RIC grand prize!*

2nd place: Pivot from Queen’s University: $1,000

Cellcom case:

1st place: Whimsical Retail Wizard from º£½ÇÉçÇø’s MMR: $2,500

2nd place: Rot McMan from University of Toronto: $1,000

LIB Microcommerce case:

1st place: Retail Edge Consulting from Western University: $2,500

2nd place: Consumer Crew from University of Toronto: $1,000

Special prize for depth of research & company engagement: Retail Edge Consulting from Western University: $1,000

A huge round of applause to all participants. Your passion and hard work inspire us, and we’re excited to see how you continue to shape the future of retail!

Grand prize winners Catalyst Consulting from Concordia University with Charles de Brabant, Executive Director at Bensadoun School of Retail Management and Rita Saad, CX Strategy & Innovation Domain Lead, Consulting Services at EY.

Retail Innovation Challenge 2023

We wrapped our 4^th edition of the Retail Innovation Challenge on November 4, 2023 and it was a huge success! We hosted the finals in person and welcomed student teams from Concordia University, McMaster University, University of Ottawa, and º£½ÇÉçÇø. The finalist teams showcased innovative solutions and ideas to help Quebec SMEs succeed in the new realities of retail.

We are thrilled to announce that ²Ñ³¦³Ò¾±±ô±ô’s Master of Management in Retailing team won the $10,000 Grand Prize powered by our title sponsor SAQ as well as their respective case. We would also like to congratulate teams GPT and Case Crafters from Concordia University for winning their respective cases and $2,500 prize. We also awarded a special prize for teamwork, creativity, and risk-taking to the Jarvis team from McMaster University.

We would like to especially recognize the business-case SMEs for their generous involvement throughout the competition: Véronique Beaulieu-Fowler and Sarah Tremblay from Banques Alimentaires du Québec, Adrien Benatek from ENVOI Québec, and Xavier, Vincent, Zachary from Carole Thrift Shop.

A special thank you our judges – Marie-Hélène Lagacé from SAQ, Stéphanie Bleau + Étienne Poulin from Ernst & Young, and Zahoor Chughtai from the Sustainable Growth Initiative @ Desautels Faculty of Management - for their involvement in selecting the winners along with the business owners.

Thank you to all participants, case coaches, Brigitte Martin and the BSRM team, and our partners SAQ, CQCD, and EY for making this Retail Innovation Challenge one to remember!

Grand prize winners Master of Management in Retailing team Gaga Bon with Charles de Brabant, Executive Director at Bensadoun School of Retail Management and Marie-Hélène Lagacé, VP Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability at SAQ.

Retail Innovation Challenge 2022

Thank you to everyone who participated in the third edition of the Retail Innovation Challenge! We were thrilled to host the finals in-person and welcome student teams from universities across Canada.

Congratulations to the MacKenzie & Co team from Telfer School at University of Ottawa for winning the $10,000 Grand Prize powered by our title sponsor SAQ! We would also like to congratulate the Red Maple Consulting team from Concordia University and the Zoomtopia team from º£½ÇÉçÇø for winning their respective cases and $2,500 prize.

We would like to especially recognize the case-subject companies and their representatives for their generous involvement throughout the competition: Eric Légaré, Joelle Arsenault, and Cédric Plante from Hockey Supremacy, Guillaume Couture and Christoffer Baur from Équipe Nutrition, and Catherine Speth and Alex Chicoine from Louis Garneau.

A special thank you to the Phase 3 judges - Philippe O’Connell from SAQ and Prof. Julia Scott from the Desautels Faculty of Management - for their involvement in selecting the winners along with the business owners.

Thank you to all participants, coaches, volunteers, sponsors, and partners for making this edition of the Retail Innovation Challenge a success!

Grand Prize winners from the University of Ottawa with Philippe O'Connell from the SAQ.

Retail Innovation Challenge 2020