• It was not long ago, that technology like this was only available to large chains - “Don’t feel that this is a breeze, and anybody can pick this up,” she said. “Its a hard thing to do."

• The advantage over Amazon for small retailers - But independent local retailers have one distinct advantage over Amazon, one which will be much in demand as we all emerge from our enforced isolation; human interaction. Independents now have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure and strengthen their unique place on the high street".

• Edmonton retail poised for a breakout - The inevitable store closures both nation-wide and locally during the pandemic have made several big retailers cautious in their plans for growth and expansion; however, companies eyeing Edmonton seemed unaffected by this trend, according to Cushman & Wakefield.

• The challenge of excess inventory. What to do? - “Sitting on inventory is expensive,” Ozkul said. Consumers can expect to see marketing campaigns advertising sales on these items as stores look to rid themselves of out-of-season inventory, he said.

• MUJI Opens 2nd Largest Store in Canada at Surrey's Guildford Town Centre - Minimalist Japanese retailer Muji has opened its second largest Canadian store at the Guildford Town Centre in Surrey near Vancouver. It is now the largest Muji store in British Columbia, bigger than the downtown Vancouver Muji store on Robson Street which became the largest outside of Asia when it opened in 2017.

• A new approach to selling to customers - “We were also doing what we call drop and shops,” she said. “We would discuss the customer's needs beforehand, put together like a curated bag of goods, and we would go to their home, drop the bag off at their door and wait outside until they were done and then they could choose from the items that we had dropped off.”