Your leading source for expertise in retailing Sobey.
The David Sobey Retailing Centre (DSC) was founded in 2014, thanks to a visionary and generous gift by Dr. David F. The DSC’s mandate is to help build a vibrant retail sector in Canada through research, innovation and retail education. The David Sobey Centre funds faculty research related to retail as well as directly engages in research projects, sponsors, and engages in the development of innovations, and disseminates knowledge through a variety of executive education programs and events.
03/20/2026
Huge congratulations to this year’s National Retail Case Competition winners 🏆
Eblouissant Consulting from delivered an outstanding performance and took home the top spot at last week’s competition hosted by the David Sobey Retailing Centre 👏
A big thank you to for their incredible support as this year’s case partner, helping create a truly meaningful and industry-relevant experience for our students.
01/19/2026
🚀 Ready to tackle a real-world retail challenge? 🚀
Put your skills to the test and compete against students from across Canada in the David Sobey Retailing Centre National Retail Case Competition, an incredible opportunity to stand out and gain hands-on experience with a national industry leader.
🏆 Why compete?
📊 Solve a real business challenge with GS1 Canada
👥 Learn directly from industry experts
❓ Ask questions to sharpen your analysis
💡 Pitch your innovative solutions to executives
💰 $5,000 in prize money + certificates to elevate your LinkedIn profile
Turn your ideas into impact, showcase your talent, and take your place on the national stage.
A huge thank you to for partnering with us on this year’s competition! 🌟
👉 Register your team now — LINK IN BIO
⏰ Registration deadline: February 27
11/10/2025
Responsible leadership matters now more than ever, especially in retail. From packaging waste to fair workplace practices, retail has both impact and opportunity.
Join the Sobey School of Business and David Sobey Retailing Centre at Saint Mary’s University on November 21 for Responsible Leadership Day 2025.
Registration link in bio!
11/10/2025
Responsible leadership matters now more than ever, especially in retail. From packaging waste to fair workplace practices, retail has both impact and opportunity.
Join the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University on November 21 for Responsible Leadership Day 2025. Registeration link in bio!
11/06/2025
More behind the scenes from last week’s Retail Tour! Students from the Retail Management class hit the road last week for a tour of , and, , allowing them to experience how strategy, design and innovation come to life! Thank you to everyone that joined as well as our fantastic hosts!
We are so excited to officially announce that noQ will be opening this Monday September 29th!
Come check out the store and stay tuned for more updates as we approach the opening date, see you on Monday!
Here is a sneak peak of what noQ has to offer :)
We can't wait to see you all on Monday!
noQ has officially been open for one week! But, the idea itself has been alive for three years. Over the last few months as everything really came together, we gathered footage of the process to show how the vision became a reality. Thank you to everyone who came to check us out this week and we look forward to seeing more of you next week!!
05/21/2025
Meet Shelfie 🤖—the autonomous robot designed by talented students at Saint Mary’s University! From scanning shelves for low or empty products 🛒 to ensuring prices match store systems 💵, Shelfie makes retail management smarter and more efficient. It also checks for planogram compliance to keep items in their proper place on the shelf. By handling these repetitive tasks, Shelfie frees up employees to focus on more valuable customer-facing work, improving their overall experience while boosting store performance. 👏
05/15/2025
What an incredible launch for the Canadian Retail Collective Conference!
This conference marked the beginning of something important. The Canadian Retail Collective is a new initiative that unites top retail researchers and industry leaders to foster collaboration, share insights, and tackle the real-world challenges facing the Canadian retail sector. This collaboration is helping to bridge the gap between academic research and practical retail innovation and knowledge mobilization.
Thank you to our keynote speakers and to all of the outstanding retail executives and academic researchers who delivered thought-provoking insights during our panels and keynotes. From AI/technology to the future of marketing and human capital, the conversations were rich and forward-thinking.
Special thanks to our founding team, Ramesh Venkat David Sobey Retailing Centre (Saint Mary’s University), Jenna Jacobson Retail Leadership Institute (Toronto Metropolitan University), John Pracejus Centre for Cities and Communities (University of Alberta), Yu Ma McGill Institute of Marketing, and Ethan Pancer David Sobey Retailing Centre (SMU), for bringing this initiative to life.
The David Sobey Retailing Centre would also like to thank our Advisory Council members, Diane Brisebois, Doug Stephens, Joe Jackman and Julia Knox for your support and participation in this year’s inaugural conference.
We’re already planning for a bigger and even more impactful event next year. Hope to see you there!
📸 Swipe through to see some great moments from the event
🌐 Learn more at retailcollective.ca
| Monday | 9am - 5pm |
| Tuesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 5pm |
| Friday | 9am - 5pm |