{"id":38886,"date":"2019-08-22T20:46:01","date_gmt":"2019-08-23T00:46:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalmainstreet.ca\/?p=38886"},"modified":"2019-08-22T20:46:21","modified_gmt":"2019-08-23T00:46:21","slug":"independent-retailers-in-canada-struggle-for-survival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalmainstreet.ca\/fr\/independent-retailers-in-canada-struggle-for-survival\/","title":{"rendered":"Independent Retailers in Canada Struggle for Survival"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This article was originally published on Retail Insider<\/a> by Mario Toneguzzi<\/em><\/p>\n

The challenge for smaller independent retailers and businesses these days is clear.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Rising costs including rent and property taxes, wages, and operations, are making it extremely difficult for many of them to simply survive. Combine that with the big players of the world who are making it tough to compete on price point and of course the proliferation of ecommerce, and you have a scenario where being an independent retailer in today\u2019s world is most likely a tough go.<\/p>\n

So how do you survive in that environment?<\/p>\n

July was Independent Retailer Month where consumers were encouraged to shop locally and it also cast a light on how independent retailers can not only survive in these tough times but also thrive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The key is for them to provide unique experiences for customers, great customer service and develop personal relationships with those people who are coming into their places of business and spending money.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Robert Phelps is President of Silver Chef Canada, a leading dedicated hospitality financier that has supported 30,000 hospitality businesses globally, including more than 3,000 in Canada, to either create their business or expand their business.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur ultimate purpose is to help people achieve their business dreams,\u201d said Phelps.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hospitality sector as a whole is an art and a passion. It\u2019s a dynamic and vibrant industry. The operators with their business are able to display that passion which creates that element of differentiation and that\u2019s why a lot of operators actually set out to start a business in the industry. That differentiation point is what consumers, as we continue to see, are looking for from a point of difference in the experience and whether that creates an extended stay, whether that\u2019s an opportunity to connect for a longer period, or that drive for additional choice. Consumers are looking for a point of difference.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Silver Chef has supported the hospitality sector for more than three decades – 32 years in Australia, 15 years in New Zealand and five years in Canada.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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