Celebrating excellence at RCCSTORE24's gala awards

The best and brightest throughout the Canadian retail and grocery sectors were recognized during festivities at two incredible evening events

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Aside from the best-in-class content that Retail Council of Canada’s (RCC) annual RCCSTORE Conference has become known for throughout the years, it’s also the host of two awards dinners. Concluding each day of sessions, the events honour excellence within the retail and grocery sectors. Serving as a who’s who of the Canadian industry, each event was attended by the very best that Canadian retail has to offer, with many of whom waiting patiently for the winner’s announcement for one of a number of different awards granted in recognition of industry excellence. Despite the list of winning retailers, however, each dinner was testament to the incredible achievements of the industry as a whole and its collective resilience and innovative spirit.

Excellence in Retailing Awards

The Excellence in Retailing Awards (ERA) is an annual awards program that honours the best and brightest operating within the industry from coast-to-coast-to-coast. Hosted by Canadian television personality and model, Brittnee Blair, the festivities, held on Tuesday, May 28, were engaging and inspiring. In fact, according to RCC President and CEO, Diane J. Brisebois, the evening was a relatively accurate representation of everything that’s great about retail in Canada.

“Each and every year, I’m blown away by the unbelievable talent and thoughtful leadership the retail industry has to boast,” she says with pride. “These are the innovators and the trailblazers that are helping to guide Canadian retail into the future, developing solutions to challenges, creating a whole new level of brand engagement, and forever exploring and discovering ways by which they can enhance the entire retail experience for their customers and employees. The industry never ceases to amaze me. And, this year’s group of ERA winners are perhaps more impressive than we’ve ever seen in terms of the success that they’ve managed to achieve in the face of such adverse conditions.”

This year’s installment of the ERA awards recognized incredible commitments to superior customer service, progressive business solutions, and operational leadership in 12 different categories, including E-Commerce Experience; Environmental Leadership; Health, Safety & Wellness; In-Store Experience and Design; Loss Prevention; Omni-Channel, Philanthropic Leadership; Pop-Up Experience & Design, Retail Marketing; Supply Chain Innovations, In-Store Merchandising; and Talent Development. It’s a range of awards that pretty much covers the entire gamut of retail excellence. And, as Brisebois suggests, winners within each category are but one example of the many retailers and brands working tirelessly to improve retail from every angle.

“It might sound very cliché, but it seems to become more difficult each year to decide on the winners of each of these categories,” she says. “All finalists for the awards are so very deserving of the praise and recognition of the rest of the industry, as are many retailers and brands that were not nominated. The entire industry, right across the country, really are a group that are unlike most others you’ll meet working within other industries. And an evening like the ERA gala really serves to illustrate quite well the tremendous impact retail innovation has on so many Canadian consumers every single day, and the ways in which they’re all working so hard to enhance the experience they offer and the value that consumers receive from engaging with them.”

The ERA awards gala was also the stage for the announcement of the 2024 Awards of Distinction, which honour individuals who have made unique, exceptional, and lasting impacts within the retail industry in Canada.

To view a full list of winners of the 2024 Excellence in Retailing Awards, and for information concerning the 2025 installment of the gala event, visit the official Excellence in Retailing Awards website.

Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards

On Wednesday, May 29, closing out the two-plus day retail conference, all eyes were on Canadian grocery as RCC recognized the brands and individuals making the greatest positive impact on the industry. Also hosted by Brittnee Blair, the Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards – the 31st installment of the annual presentation – recognize outstanding new products that can be found in grocery stores all across the country in food, non-food, and private label categories. It was an evening that was just as exciting and exilherating for attendees as the previous night’s ERA awards. It’s something Alison Baxter, RCC’s Senior Director, Nutrition and Social Responsibility, says is truly a reflection of the passion with which those working within the Canadian grocery sector bring to their jobs every day.

“The grocery sector in Canada is a really incredible sector to work with,” she says. “The pace at which grocers need to work and innovate in order to keep up and stay ahead of the latest consumer trends, government regulations, pack-

aging bylaws, and so many other factors at play, is amazing. In fact, it’s pretty incredible they’re able to do such a tremendous job serving the food and dietary needs of Canadians every day while addressing these challenges. There’s no question the last number of years have presented Canadian grocers with a range of obstacles to overcome. An event like the Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards is a fantastic way to honour excellence within the industry, and to recognize the innovation that continues to drive the sector forward.”

Awards were presented this year within 32 different categories, recognizing achievements in everything from Savory Snacks and Frozen or Refrigerated Prepared Foods & Entrees to the very best in Confectionary & Shelf Stable Desserts, Pet Needs, and Baby Care, and just about everything in between. Winners within each category exemplify the very best when it comes to new product development and innovation in today’s grocery stores.

Five special Awards were also bestowed at the gala, presenting Sobeys Inc. with the Excellence

in Ethnic Food award for its Chalo! Signature Basmati Rice; Demetres with the All-Canadian award for its Demetres Ice Creams; Big Mountain Foods with the Innovation & Originality award for its Soy Free Tofu; Balzac’s Coffee Roasters with the Innovative Packaging award for its Balzac’s Coffee Roasters Anniversary Blend; and Federated Co-operatives Limited with the Overall Consumer Value award for its Co-op Gold Feta Cheese.

Now celebrating more than three decades of awarding the very best in new product innovation and creativity, the Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards have become synonymous with excellence in the minds of Canadian consumers. And, according to Santo Ligotti, RCC’s Vice President of Member Services and Marketing, it’s with just cause.

“The Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards have for a very long time signified the best of the best within Canadian new product innovation,” he asserts. “And, to see all of the country’s leading grocers and brands together to celebrate all of the work that’s being done throughout the Canadian grocery sector to satisfy the ever-evolving tastes of Canada’s consumer is nothing short of inspiring, and provides assurance that those operating within the industry have our best interests at heart.”

Just like the ERA awards, The Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards gala was also the stage for the announcement of its 2024 Awards of Distinction recipients, which are honours that recognize senior executives who have demonstrated outstanding service and commitment to the Canadian grocery industry.

To view a full list of winners of the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards, and for information concerning the 2025 installment of the gala event, visit the official Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards website.