Retail Council of Canada Honours Excellence at STORE Conference

TORONTO, June 10, 2013 /CNW/ - Retail Council of Canada presented 13 prestigious industry awards at the Excellence in Retailing Awards Gala Dinner on June 4 in Toronto including five Awards of Distinction and eight Excellence in Retailing Awards. The awards recognize the Canadian retail industry's top achievers in a variety of categories and were presented as part of STORE 2013 — Canada's Retail Conference. This year's submissions came from a wide range of small, mid-size and large retailers and highlighted new and creative innovations in areas ranging from e-Commerce to Energy & Environmental Sustainability.

The 2013 Awards of Distinction and Excellence in Retail Award winners are: 

2013 Distinguished Retailer of the Year was presented to Stephen Wetmore, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited in recognition of his outstanding achievement and leadership in retail.

2013 Canadian Retail Hall of Fame Inductees, sponsored by MasterCard Canada

Alasdair J. McKichan, former President & CEO, Retail Council of Canada

John Torella, Senior Partner, J.C. Williams Group

John Williams, Founder & Senior Partner, J.C. Williams Group

2013 Ambassador Award, sponsored by Chase Paymentech Solutions, was presented to Paul and Gleniss Thomey, owners of That Pro Look, in recognition of their remarkable contribution to the community of St. John's, Newfoundland and the Canadian retail industry.

The 2013 Excellence in Retailing Award winners are:

Corporate & Social Responsibility, sponsored by Chase Paymentech Solutions
Small Retailer - Sporting Life 10K - It's All About the Charity
Mid Size Retailer - Habitat for Humanity Canada ReStore - ReStore'ing Communities

e-Commerce, sponsored by Visa Canada Corporation
Mid Size Retailer - Well.ca - Well.ca: Delivering the Future of Shopping
Large Size Retailer - Laura Canada - How Laura Canada delivers a more convenient online shopping experience with OrderDynamics and Canada Post

Energy & Environmental Sustainability, sponsored by RBC Royal Bank®
Sobeys Inc. - Sobeys Inc. Transcritical CO2 Refrigeration Systems

Health, Safety & Wellness
Sears Canada - Supporting a Safety Culture at Sears Canada: The Safe Days Awards Program

Loss Prevention, sponsored by Tyco Integrated Security
Cineplex Entertainment - The Dark Knight Rises…Against Mobile Fraud

Marketing Communications, sponsored by KPMG LLP
IKEA Canada Ltd. - Winnipeg Store Opening: LEARN IKEA

Store Design, sponsored by Miller Zell
Mid Size Retailer - Shaw Communications Inc. - Bringing Shaw to Real Life
Large Size Retailer - FGL Sports - The Sport Chek Living Lab Store

Talent Development
Staples Canada Inc. - Staples Inspired Selling Sales and Service Training Initiative

About Retail Council of Canada (RCC)
Retail Council of Canada (www.retailcouncil.org), founded in 1963, is a not-for-profit, industry-funded association.  RCC represents more than 45,000 store fronts of all retail formats across Canada, including department, grocery, independent merchants, regional and national specialty chains, and online merchants.

SOURCE: Retail Council of Canada

For further information:

Michelle Ribout
Retail Council of Canada
416-467-3746
mribout@retailcouncil.org