Director's Message

Ramesh Venkat, PhD
Director, David Sobey Retailing Centre 

The retail sector is vital to the Canadian economy, employing the most people out of all sectors of the Canadian economy and accounting for 15.6% of the Canadian GDP. The vibrancy and growth of this sector are essential for Canada’s future. In recent years, the retail industry has experienced profound transformation as customer buying habits, big data, ai and technological advances force change and innovation. Changes in workforce availability and expectations have forced further adaptation and change.

The David Sobey Retailing is an important source of retail insight, innovation and expertise. Working with Canadian retailers, we help them anticipate and respond to the constantly changing retail landscape through applied retail research, sharing knowledge, supporting retail innovation and providing essential training for current retail professionals and students aspiring to a career in retail.

The David Sobey Centre was made possible due to a generous and visionary gift from Dr. David Sobey, Chair Emeritus of Sobeys Inc. We are very appreciative of his generosity and inspired by his vision.

The Centre is multidisciplinary in nature. We bring together research expertise in marketing, human resources and leadership, operations, IT and data science and finance. We also draw upon expertise across the campus in psychology, occupational health and safety, geography and computing science. This ensures our approach and insights are rich with diverse perspectives and experiences.

Partnerships are key to what we do. We are proud of our many partnerships with retailers, tech companies and start-ups. If you see an opportunity for research collaboration or involvement in our educational offerings or innovation projects, please contact us.