黑料社

黑料社 DataSphere Lab proving to be good for business

At 黑料社鈥檚 Desautels Faculty of Management, the DataSphere Lab is transforming how companies use data and how students learn.

Launched in 2023, the lab connects organizations eager to make smarter, data-driven decisions with 黑料社 students who apply advanced analytics, machine learning, and AI to real-world challenges.

When AI is used to set wages, it sets them higher than humans would

When AI sets wages, it pushes them higher, according to recent research by Maxime Cohen, a Professor of Retail and Operations Management at the Bensadoun School of Retail Management. Cohen conducted a study that asked AI to recommend wages for 60,000 freelance profiles in a variety of industries. He found that AI sets wages higher than humans do.

How AI and big data are reshaping the future of retail

The emergence of e-commerce has made for a revolution in retail. Whenever you make a purchase online, you generate data, and that data allows for a higher degree of personalization.

Insights from the Reshaping the Future of Retail Conference

Meghan Markowski (MMR'25) captures key takeaways from this year's Reshaping the Future of Retail Conference, which brought together over 250 retail leaders, academics, and students at Montreal鈥檚 Sofitel Golden Mile on September 26.

Cree Nation Trust Fund part of bid to turn Bay Building into cultural centre

The Bay Building on Saint Catherine Street is one of Montreal鈥檚 most iconic retail locations. But after the Hudson鈥檚 Bay Company dissolved in 2025, is future is unclear. One of the bidders for it is the Cree Nation Trust Fund.

Inflation and tariffs a double whammy for retailers

Montreal-based clothing retailer SSENSE has filed for creditor protection. As recently as 2021, the company was valued at US$4 billion. 鈥淔or retailers, it鈥檚 been a double whammy,鈥� the Bensadoun School of Retail Management鈥檚 Executive Director Charles de Brabant told the BBC. 鈥淚nflation squeezed consumers, and U.S. trade policy changes have made it for a difficult landscape for retailers.鈥�

One year in, Montreal鈥檚 luxury-focused Royalmount mall is still seeking its sweet spot

It has been one year since the Royalmount Mall opened its doors, with a goal of transforming luxury retail in Montreal. The gleaming concourses of the upscale shopping centre are often largely empty, but that isn鈥檛 necessarily a sign that Royalmount won鈥檛 do well in the long run, according to Charles de Brabant, the Executive Director of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management.

SSENSE bankruptcy could be harbinger of trouble for Canadian retailers

On August 29, the United States ended the de miminis exemption, a rule that had allowed small value shipments to cross the border without duties for decades. It鈥檚 already affecting some retailers in Canada. The Montreal-based luxury fashion retailer SSENSE filed for bankruptcy the same day the de minimis rule was changed, and cited the change as a reason that it did. As recently as 2021, the company was valued at $4 billion by Sequoia Capital, a U.S. venture capital firm.

Businesses need to adapt to change to grow

For Quebec, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are an engine of economic growth. Many SMEs have grown into prosperous companies, writes Bensadoun School in Retail Management student William Bernasconi in an article for the Conseil qu茅becois du commerce de detail. But it鈥檚 important to consider failures as well as successes.

Mid-market brands to benefit from consumers鈥� renewed focus on the basics

2024 was a rough year for retail in Canada, and 2025 doesn鈥檛 look much better, writes Charles de Brabant in Retail Insider.