AWARD CATEGORIES
In retail, leadership, innovation, and creativity take many forms. The Excellence in Retailing Awards celebrate the remarkable achievements that move our industry forward, honouring retailers who excel across twelve distinct categories.
NEW AWARD CATEGORY
The Unified Commerce Award recognizes retailers that deliver a seamless, customer-centric experience across digital and physical channels, including e-commerce, mobile, social, and bricks-and-mortar. Entries must demonstrate how integrated experience design, merchandising, operations, and technology improve customer engagement, drive growth, and deliver measurable business impact. Learn more.
NEW AWARD CATEGORY
The AI Operations Innovation Award recognizes retailers that are using artificial intelligence to optimize internal operations and core business processes.
This award celebrates applied AI initiatives such as predictive analytics, machine learning, automation, machine vision, robotics, generative AI, demand forecasting, supply chain optimization and more. The goal is to improve efficiency, accuracy, scalability, and decision-making across supply chain, inventory management, pricing, merchandising, and enterprise operations. Successful submissions will demonstrate measurable operational impact and responsible AI implementation that advances the retail business. Learn more.
NEW AWARD CATEGORY
The Consumer AI Experience & Marketing Award recognizes retailers that are leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance customer-facing experiences, drive marketing performance and adapt to how consumers are using AI in the shopping journey.
This award celebrates innovative AI initiatives such as personalization, generative AI, conversational commerce, predictive analytics, automation and more in order to strengthen customer engagement, build brand authority with existing and new AI platforms, and deliver measurable impact in traffic, conversion, loyalty, and sales. Learn more.
The E-Commerce Experience Award recognizes the best overall user experience for online shopping and transactions, including website design, content, on-site merchandising, on-site search, integration of social, transaction-marketing based email, mobile, and video engagement features for online shoppers. Learn more.
PAST WINNERS
- Viola by Sobeys, Empire Company/Sobeys Inc.
- Loyalty Program Launch – Berks Perks, Hillberg & Berk
- Metro.ca, Mobile App, and MOI Loyalty Program, Metro Inc.
- Leveraging AI to Transform Online Experience, RONA
The Environmental Leadership Award is given to a retailer who demonstrates a new sustainability initiative or advancement of a current sustainability initiative. Learn more.
PAST WINNERS
- Getting to 90 – PartSource’s Waste Diversion Program, Canadian Tire Corporation.
- Purolator Urban Quick Stop: Pop-Up Retail Store and Mini Hub, Purolater Inc.
- Canada Goose Generations, Canada Goose.
- Goodwill Impact Centres: Sustainability and Ingenuity at Work, Goodwill Industries of Alberta
- Feeding Families Not Landfills, Sobeys Inc.
The Health, Safety and Wellness Award is given to a retailer who demonstrates a successfully implemented new program or an improvement in an existing program to promote, support and enhance the physical and psychological well-being of their workforce. Learn more.
PAST WINNERS
- Digital Injury Prevention, Longo’s
- LCBO’s Whole Person Health, Safety and Wellness Strategy, LCBO.
- Sparking Meaningful Conversations, Walmart.
- Walmart Canada WeCare: The Standardization, Simplification and Personalization of our Health and Safety programs, Walmart.
The In-Store Experience & Design Award recognizes a retailer that demonstrates an innovative, original and visually enticing in-store experience & design layout. Whether it is a new store with a new design/layout concept, an existing store that has been completely renovated or the implementation of new technologies and tactics that add new value to the in-store shopping experience, the impact on the success of the retailer must be demonstrated. Learn more.
PAST WINNERS
- Myredvest, An Intuitive Platform to Provide Customer Flexibility, Lowe’s Canada.
- Remarkable Retail, Canadian Tire.
- In-Store Launch of Scene+, Empire Company Ltd.
- Sugar Wharf, FarmBoy.
- The Rest, Sleep Country Canada.
- Revolutionizing Retail with Best Buy Express, Best Buy Canada.
- Markville Mall, Indigo.
The Philanthropic Leadership Award recognizes a retailer-initiated program that demonstrates a creative response, active collaboration and successful fulfillment of community needs. Learn more.
PAST WINNERS
- Spirit of Inclusion Initiative, LCBO
- Harvesting Hope: Calgary Co-op’s Fresh Food Rescue Program, Calgary Co-op
- Giant Tiger Dementia Inclusive Communities Initiative, Giant Tiger
- Gifts That Give Back: Best Buy Canada’s BGC Holiday Gift Card Campaign, Tim Hortons
- Celebrate Pride to Help LGBTQI + Refugees Find Home, IKEA Canada
- Completion of $15 Million BC Children’s Hospital Pledge, Pattison Food Group
The Pop-Up Experience and Design Award recognizes a retailer or corporate brand entity that demonstrates an innovative, original and visually enticing in-store or out of store experience with the goal of increasing brand awareness, testing a new store concept and/or driving sales to an existing location. Learn more.
PAST WINNERS
- Christmas Trail, Canadian Tire Corp.
- Hush, A Pop-Up Experience, Sleep Country Canada
- Sephora Illumination, Sephora Canada
- Beauty at The Bentway, Sephora Canada
The In-Store Merchandising Award recognizes a retailer that develops an innovative merchandising strategy planned for a specific product line, brand, season, colour or department. Learn more.
PAST WINNERS
- Staples Kids Learn + Play Launch, Staples Canada
- Enhanced Apparel Shopping Experience at Square One Mall, Walmart Canada
The Loss Prevention Award recognizes a retailer who has successfully implemented a Loss Prevention strategy in order to improve the organization’s profits through a business solution that addresses issues such as shoplifting, organized retail crime, data security, employee pilferage, robbery, burglary, fraudulent credit/debit cards, fraudulent returns, counterfeiting and paperwork errors etc. Learn more.
PAST WINNERS
- Retail Risk Program, Aritzia
- Data Driven Loss Prevention, Michael Hill Canada
- “Get DOUCETTE”, LCBO
- Transforming Loss Prevention through our “Safety Paw”, Pet Valu Canada
The Retail Marketing Award recognizes outstanding marketing strategies and campaigns that help retailers grow their business. Learn more.
PAST WINNERS
- Let’s Play: A Brand Campaign, Mastermind Toys
- Love Lives Here, Pet Valu Canada
- Pillow Walk Campaign, ALDO Group
- Imagination Included, Toys”R”Us Canada
- Meatball Meetup: IKEA Scarborough Town Centre Opening, IKEA Canada
- $1.49 Day Tuesday, Pattison Food Group
- SHT (Second-Hand Tax), IKEA Canada
- Holiday Memories Start Here, ALDO Group
The Supply Chain Innovation Award recognizes a retailer who has excelled in all aspects of their supply chain in order to innovate and improve customer service levels and reduce operating costs. Learn more.
PAST WINNERS
- Project Raptor – Delivering a Quality Supply Chain Transformation, Michael Hill Jeweller
- AutoStore Micro-fulfillment Centre, Lee Valley Tools
- Supply Chain Transformation, Staples Canada
The Talent Development Award recognizes a retailer with a successful talent development program that focuses on skills development, performance improvement, employee engagement, improved workplace culture, operations, store support, logistics, and individuals & teams. Learn more.
PAST WINNERS
- Building the Next Generation of High Performing Culture Catalysts, Sephora Canada
- The LeadForward Program, Hillberg & Berk
- Catalyst Group Mentoring Program, LCBO
- Talent Development as a Way of Life, Purdys Chocolatier
Contact
RCC Sponsorship team at rccsponsorship@retailcouncil.org
RCC Events team at events@retailcouncil.org