The focus is on retail cannabis in Canada with Steven Fry President & Co-Founder of Sessions Cannabis in Toronto and Corey Gillon CEO of Vancouver based national retailer Choom Cannabis Company

Welcome to the The Voice of Retail, I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.  This episode is intended for listeners 21 plus.

In this episode, recorded early March we touch base with two great Canadian cannabis retailers and explore their retail concept, merchandising strategies and business experience

First up Steven Fry, President and Co-Founder of Session Cannabis recorded live at his newest location in the east end of Toronto.  We talk about his indoctrination into the industry as an Ontario lottery winner, early partnership with High Tide/Canna Cabana, and now opening up his new Sessions brand cannabis stores in Ontario.  Steven shares his growth strategy, savvy insights into merchandising recreational cannabis and the retail strategies that will make his brand one to watch.

Next, live from Vancouver Corey Gillon, CEO of Choom Cannabis Company.  A lifelong retailer, with extensive Canadian and global experience in large scale operations, international M&A and digital/eCommerce, Corey takes us through a rich retail career path and then we delve into Choom.  With 15 stores, three under construction based on a story brand strategy with a powerful community, the role of culture and how to translate the brand into the retail sales floor.

But first, let’s jump right into my conversation with Steven Fry from Sessions Cannabis.

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Thanks to Steven and Corey for being my guests on this episode.  Well  Now let’s hit the highlights of the retail news in Canada and around the world with Retail This Week for the week of March 23rd, 2020

That’s a wrap on this edition of The Voice of Retail.  If you liked this podcast you can subscribe on Apple iTunes or your favourite podcast platform, please rate and review, and be sure and recommend to a friend or colleague in the retail industry.

I’m Michael LeBlanc, Founder and President of M.E. LeBlanc and Company Inc. and you can learn more about me on www.meleblanc.co or of course on LinkedIn

Until next time, have a safe week!

Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur.  He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. 

Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada’s Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google.  He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.

Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fifth year in a row, the National Retail Federation has designated Michael as on their Top Retail Voices for 2025, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer.  If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael’s cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.

Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.