Celebrating innovation in retail

Last Thursday, the David Sobey Centre hosted their sixth annual David Sobey Centre National Retail Innovation Awards, and our team was lucky enough to attend! To kick off their first in-person Retail Innovation Awards since the pandemic started, Dr. Ramesh Venkat from the David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retailing & Services opened the show, followed by opening remarks from Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray, President and Vice-Chancellor at Saint Mary’s University. Awards events are always great to attend, because it gives you the opportunity to see some of the exciting things happening in the industry that you may have otherwise never known. Before diving into the awards, was the keynote presentation from Club Penguin founder and former Dragon on CBC’s Dragon’s Den, Lane Merrifield. Merrifield delivered an eye-opening presentation about fear and how it can be used to drive us. Merrifield’s presentation was followed by a three-course lunch. It started with a delicious poached pear salad with pecans and blue cheese, followed by grilled chicken and roasted fingerling potatoes. To finish off the lunch, Nova Scotia Sea Salted Caramel Pot au Creme. (Yes, we know perhaps describing the menu isn’t typical in one of our blogs, but it truly was delicious!) Following lunch came the main event of the afternoon: the awards. The Retail Technology Innovation Award went to… Livescale, a startup focused on live shopping and its variety of benefits. Founder and CEO Virgil Ollivier accepted the award, and finished his speech with the message, “learn to dare,” Ollivier said, “if you’re not doing it, nobody will do it for you.” The Retail Customer Experience Innovation Award went to… Blackcart, a try-before-you-buy e-commerce software company. Founder and CEO Donny Ouyang accepted the award, acknowledging his team’s selflessness and drive to be great. He also thanked early team members for turning down jobs to pursue Blackcart when the company was in its early stages. The Retail Sustainability Innovation Award went to… Flashfood, a company dedicated to reducing food waste and providing low-cost options at grocery stores. Founder and CEO Josh Domingues, who once appeared on Dragon’s Den, graciously accepted the award. The event was a huge success, with amazing food and insightful speakers. It was an honour to attend and we look forward to next year's awards!