Just Appointed, Marc Fortin Is Looking Forward To Bringing Distinctive Value To Retailers

Because they are literally under pressure from all sides while they play such a fundamental role in the economy (just think of the abusive credit card fees or the unbridled increase of the minimum wage), retailers will never have too many devoted heads to defend their cause and interests.

And one that is now part of the A list – and not the least – is the new Retail Council of Canada – Quebec President & CEO, Marc Fortin.

A vast experience in the retail world

Aged 54, Fortin has been working for nearly 15 years in the retail community in Canada. Far from being a stranger in the field, he enjoys a very rich network of contacts that extends in all 10 provinces, having been for ten years Consultant at first and then President of NACDA, the National Convenience Stores Distributors Association.

As one of the industry’s backbone associations, it was NACDA that, in the mid-2000s, spearheaded the efforts, vision and business plan that ultimately led to the creation of the Canadian Convenience Stores Association (CCSA) and its four regional components (Maritimes and Quebec while Ontario and Western Canada chapters already existed). NACDA is now an integral part of this organization.

Announced in January 2018, Fortin’s appointment as RCC-Quebec President & CEO is in a way the logical career outcome of someone who spent most of his life improving the business environment of retailers.

Barely a month after his arrival, he gladly agreed to grant his first interview as RCC-Quebec President to DepQuébec.


DepQuébec: Marc Fortin, first of all, congratulations on your recent appointment.

MF: Thank you!

DepQuébec: In your view, what can the RCC-Quebec do for retailers in Quebec?

MF: The RCC is an important national organization. We have important resources, more interesting budgets. We are supported by national members of all sizes. We are very active in Ottawa, and we are closely following major issues such as the renegotiation of the free trade agreement with the United States. We sponsor studies that influence different governments. All of these resources are there, available, for advancing retailers’ agenda.

DepQuébec: What are your priorities?

MF: First, I want to give more visibility to the organization. You see, it’s been more than a year since the RCC-Quebec is left without a President (Editor’s note: Nathalie St-Pierre, former president, left her position in November 2016). I intend to restore bridges with decision-makers in the government, with members of the industry and also with the media.

DepQuébec: There are many retailer associations in Quebec: ADA, QCSA, CQCD … How do you see the advocacy process in this context?

MF: As much as the ADA (Quebec Food Retailers Association) is important or the QCSA and all the others … all have different insights and approaches while our members and stakeholders are often the same or different. I think we can work together: that’s important. We are not here to go to war against other retailer groups. We can sit down with the ADA and discuss issues, just like with the CQCD and the Conseil du patronat. Hence, this is what we are about to do next with the ADA, review together our alignment on various issues.

DepQuébec: The CQCD profile is pretty close to RCC-Quebec’s, don’t you think?

MF: Well, on that I’d like to say that they do a very good job. Léopold Turgeon and his team have established great ties with the government and they work on key issues. For our part, being more present in Ottawa, we will be better positioned to bring value at specific issues, including those with a national and federal footprint. And these are important issues.

DepQuébec: You are also involved in regional issues such as the renegotiation of agreements between distributors and the SAQ.

MF: Yes! And it is kind of special, because I had taken care of these agreements when I was working for NACDA a few years ago, and here I come to RCC-Quebec and what do I do first? I come back to negotiate the same agreements that came to an end for another round of several years.

DepQuébec: Are there any particular issues that command your attention right now?

MF: Well, I’ve just arrived and I’m still in the process of going through the files and getting to know them. The variety is impressive. We even have projects in the textile industry, where people tend to throw these materials into landfills that we could recuperate, recycle and return to the market in the form of new fibers. There are win-win ways to work for everyone: retailers, consumers and governments. We want to take the lead in working with governments in that direction.

DepQuébec: In closing, why did you choose the world of retail?

MF: I was born and raised in the retail industry. My parents were independent restaurant owners and I worked very young in the family business. Then, after my studies in marketing, I gained experience with a wide variety of companies: pharmaceuticals, distributors, manufacturers, retailers, oil distributors. At the moment, I am thrilled because in addition to food, I now represent clothing stores, home improvement stores… it allows me to go back to the retail sector with a much broader perspective than just food. This is an important sector!

DepQuébec: Marc Fortin, thank you and good luck.

MF: Thank you and hats off to DepQuébec.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *