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The amazing story of Retail Management at Toronto Metropolitan
Toronto Metropolitan’s continuing education offerings in retail management began with the school’s founding in 1948. Established primarily as a training ground for the post-war workforce, The Toronto Metropolitan Institute of Technology offered certificate courses in retail merchandising and business machines in exchange for a $25 tuition fee.
In 1994, the program experienced its first major evolution when the T. Eaton Company teamed up with Toronto Metropolitan University to establish the Eaton School of Retailing. Offering two certificates in Retail and Services Management to Eaton’s employees – and eventually, to employees of other retail organizations – the continuing education program was unique in Canada. No other institution offered a program that focused on retail management, included degree-credit courses, enjoyed national reach (courses were offered in four Canadian cities), and emphasized the incorporation of current technologies in program delivery. As highlighted at the Retail Council of Canada’s 1996 conference, “…almost 800 Eaton’s employees have attended classes covering changes in consumer behavior, international competition and new technologies. A CD-ROM multimedia program in retail merchandising and finance is now being developed.” Yes, a “CD-ROM multimedia program” …how far we have come!
The program was so successful that it led to the creation of Canada’s first School of Retail, within the Faculty of Business at Toronto Metropolitan University, which began welcoming students into a four-year specialized Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1998. This is now the School of Retail Management at Toronto Metropolitan’s Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM).
This rich history provides an excellent example of the way continuing education at Toronto Metropolitan operates as an effective incubator for academic programs.
As we have moved our programming into the 21st Century, The Chang School and TRSM have continued to enhance our retail curriculum in collaboration with industry leaders. In 2002, Jim Armstrong, co-founder and former Chairman of JDA Software (and Toronto Metropolitan alum) generously extended JDA’s relationship with the University, donating software and license agreements currently valued at over $7 million. This partnership has greatly enhanced CRMG 452 - Visual Merchandising and Space Planning, an elective in the Certificate in Retail Management. In this popular course, students use the software’s category management applications to examine leading-edge visual merchandising practices with respect to in-store design and layout. Thanks to this lab component, students gain practice in analyzing consumer and market insights and integrating them into the development of visual merchandising and space planning.
Toronto Metropolitan University is the only educational institution in Canada that provides students with the opportunity to use JDA’s space planning software remotely. This exclusive agreement offers students valuable applied knowledge in planning in-store displays, window and fixture design, and configuration.
By producing the skilled graduates sought after by hiring managers, this partnership is not only valuable for the parties involved, but also for the Canadian retail industry at large. As Wayland Fox, a senior director of product management at JDA Software explains: “Our mutual goal is for their [Toronto Metropolitan] students to gain valuable knowledge and experience with JDA solutions that will make them more marketable upon graduation and set them on the path to career success.”
In addition, Toronto Metropolitan University is the only Canadian educational institution to have a course (CRMG 806 - Retailer Perspectives on Category Management) that has achieved accreditation from the Category Management Association. Category management is of growing importance to retail and is already established in the grocery and packaged goods industry. This course uses a digital case study, featuring both Petro Canada and Red Bull, to teach students how to optimize soft drink sales in convenience stores. Those who successfully complete the course are prepared to write the Certified Professional Category Analyst (CPCA) exam, which is a market advantage, provided to our students that no other Canadian program currently offers.