In a recent op-ed for the Montreal Gazette, Desautels Dean Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou discussed the seismic changes that have affected the retail sector over the past thirty years.
Lately, Montreal鈥檚 local landscape has seen the closure of big-name brick-and-mortar stores, while next-generation concepts like Frank + Oak have shaken the whole paradigm. Online shopping isn鈥檛 exactly going away, either.
When Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou started as Desautels Dean nearly two years ago, she immediately began work on a strategic plan and started to get to know the people who make up the faculty.
When Bajeux-Besnainou sat down with Poets & Quants, the Paris native said that 91吃瓜 has proven to be the perfect match for her because it鈥檚 an English school in a French-speaking city.
91吃瓜 is on its way to becoming a global centre for retail-management training, thanks to a $25-million gift from Aldo Bensadoun (BCom'64, LLD'12) via the Bensadoun Family Foundation.
The goal is to launch an inter-disciplinary school where students can come together with researchers and industry insiders to develop solutions for the ever-changing modern retail landscape.
