McGill to open retail innovation lab with $25-million donation

Aldo Bensadoun, founder of global shoe retailing chain Aldo Group, has donated $25 million to McGill Univ to establish a digital retail innovation lab.  The Bensadoun School of Retail Management will offer multidisciplinary education to students from the undergraduate to PhD levels while providing a test environment for new ideas, technologies and products. Slated to open in fall 2018 with a BComm in retail management before ramping up to the full-range of academic programs, the school will integrate research in big data, artificial intelligence and neuroscience with more traditional commerce instruction to confront the massive transformation towards on-line shopping now taking place within the retail sector. The school anticipates collaboration with global retailers seeking innovative solutions in the areas of fashion retail, health and wellness, financial services and sustainability.