Groupe Dynamite CEO, Andrew Lutfy, named Distinguished Canadian Retailer of the Year by Retail Council of Canada

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Retail Council of Canada (RCC) has announced that Andrew Lutfy, CEO of Groupe Dynamite Inc., will be the recipient of the 2016 Distinguished Canadian Retailer of the Year Award. He will be presented the award at this year's Excellence in Retailing Awards Gala on May 31, as part of RCC's RCC STORE Conference being held on May 31 and June 1 of this year in Toronto.

“RCC is thrilled to recognize Andrew Lutfy for his passion, his leadership, and his ability to embrace change in today’s retail landscape,” said Diane J. Brisebois, President & CEO, Retail Council of Canada. “Under his vision and direction the Groupe Dynamite brands, Garage and Dynamite, have grown from a handful of stores to close to 400 locations in Canada, the US and the Middle East,” added Ms. Brisebois. “Mr. Lutfy’s knowledge of the market and willingness to innovate have empowered the Groupe Dynamite team worldwide to understand their core customer and deliver exceptional service both in-store and online.”

Andrew Lutfy joined Groupe Dynamite in 1982 at the age of 18 as a stock clerk. He took an active management role which covered most functional areas of the business and quickly became an equal, ownership interest in the company; in 2002, he became the sole owner. In 2007, Andrew was presented with the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year award which honours entrepreneurs who have shown outstanding skills and who have excelled in a wide spectrum of activities such as business expansion, risk taking, innovation and personal commitment towards their company and community.

Mr. Lutfy has been heavily involved in community service since the age of 18 when he co-founded the Montreal Youth Foundation. Since 1997, Mr. Lutfy has raised money for the Cedar’s Cancer Foundation; in 2014 he was recognized with great honour for his generous donation benefiting the new state of the art cancer centre. Today, through its “Make a Difference” program, Groupe Dynamite and its employees actively support a variety of local, national and international charitable initiatives such as the Cure Foundation, the Starlight Foundation, Centraide/United Way, and other local charities. To date, over $2 million has been raised for these organizations.

The Distinguished Retailer of the Year Award, sponsored by MasterCard, recognizes a retail leader who has led his/her company to outstanding business success and who has consistently demonstrated a commitment to the communities they operate within. The recipient is seen as a role model because of his/her exceptional leadership within the corporation, in the retail industry in Canada and in the community at large, through personal and/or corporate philanthropic activities. Groupe Dynamite joins a long line of passionate merchants across Canada receiving the award, including Leon’s, Harry Rosen, Canadian Tire Corporation and Aritzia.

The Distinguished Retailer of the Year Award will be presented to Mr. Lutfy at the Excellence in Retailing Awards Gala on May 31, 2016. The Gala, part of STORE Conference 2016, will take place at the Toronto Congress Centre from 6:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET on May 31. For further information and to purchase tickets: STOREConference.ca.