The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on retailers and the changes in consumer behaviour
Organizer: Camélia Dumitriu (Ph.D.). Department of Strategy and Social & environmental responsibility, ESG, UQÀM
Moderator: Rachid Moustaquim (Ph.D.). ESG, UQÀM (TBC)
Date 15 June, 2021
Time: 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. (CET) –TBC; 8 a.m. -9:30 a.m. (Montreal Time)
Language: English
Description:
This workshop will bring together academics and practitioners to explore, in an interactive session with panelists and participants, various topics that include – but are not limited to: (a) the challenges faced by retailers during a pandemic, (b) the lessons that grocery & food retailers have learned from the Covid-19 pandemic and their implications for theory building, (c) the development of new business practices aimed at responding to changes in consumer behavior and reduce the economic and psychological impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on workers and; (d) strategies for dealing with the recession and preparing for the recovery and beyond.
Panelists:
Bruno Ménard is the vice-president of IGA Louise Ménard. The Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) is the largest independent grocery chain in the world that was founded in 1926 to bring family owned, local grocery stores together under the IGA brand (https://www.iga.com/about), while at the same time, allowing them to meet the needs of their unique communities.
A lawyer and engineer by training, Bruno Ménard began his career at Borden Ladner Gervais, a large national law firm, where he practiced in commercial law with a specialty in entertainment, intellectual property and technology. He then acted as a legal counsel, director – commercial and legal affairs, vice-president – commercial and legal affairs, and executive producer for various companies in the audiovisual production industry (National Film Board, L’Équipe Spectra, Astral Television Networks in Toronto, Attraction Media, Productions La Fête, Jimmy Lee). He was also the founder of Films 2.0 and Upside Up Media Group.
In 2014, he returned to IGA Louise Ménard as vice-president. Today, he brings his extensive management experience to the benefit of the family business to ensure continuity and maintain the reputation of excellence that it has enjoyed in the food market for nearly 40 years.
Guillaume Néron-Grondin is an MBA graduate from HEC Montréal (2020). He has worked for Costco Wholesale Corp. (Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd.) since 2010, and has taken many management positions since 2013. Costco Wholesale Corp. – a multinational corporation headquartered in the United States – operates membership warehouses (https://www.costco.ca/about-us.html). It is the 142nd largest public company in the world (Forbes’ Global 2000 List, 2020). It has been ranked 20th on Forbes’ list of the “World’s Best Employers 2020” and 79th on Forbes’ list of the “World’s Most Valuable Brands 2020.”
As an operation optimization specialist, Guillaume Néron-Grondin brings a strategic view to retail and management. Frontline intervenor through the COVID-19 pandemic, he has worked with one of the most sought after retailers during this difficult time, going from the first impulse buying wave until today. Guest lecturer for ESG-UQAM, he brings thoughtful insights from the industry to scholars on business strategy.
Camélia Dumitriu is a professor of Strategic Management and Risk & Crisis management at Université du Québec à Montréal (ESG, UQÀM) where she has been teaching corporate strategy and risk & crisis management since 2001. Before 2001, she was Full Professor of Management & Information Systems at Gh. Asachi Technical University (Iasi, Romania) and CEO of Moldavian Commodities Exchange. She holds a PhD in Management (Gh. Asachi University), a M.Sc. in ICT Engineering, and a Fast Track MBA with concentration in in Strategy (UQAM) and Decision-making Theory (McGill). Her research interests include corporate strategy and competitive advantage, multinational corporations, and “Enterprise Risk Management” (ERM). She has been visiting professor or invited guest at numerous European universities including Derby Business School (UK), Université libre de Bruxelles (Belgium), Vienna University of Technology (Austria), University of Granada (Spain), Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies (Romania), and Warsaw School of Economics (Poland). She also has served as a management consultant to policy makers and numerous organizations worldwide, on topics related to her expertise.