Retail Council of Canada (RCC) has announced that Louise Wendling, former Country Manager and Chair of the Board of Costco Wholesale Canada, is the 2016 recipient of RCC’s Lifetime Achievement Award. She 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 delighted to recognize Louise Wendling with a Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Diane J. Brisebois, President & CEO of RCC. “Louise has been an integral part of the Costco brand in Canada, leading the company to record growth and as an innovator and customer centric organization. Over the course of her 28-year career with Costco, she has garnered an enormous amount of respect from her retail colleagues across the country.”

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a family or an individual in retail who has demonstrated outstanding business success and community service throughout his/her career and who has left an indelible mark on the industry. Ms. Wendling and Costco Wholesale Canada join a long line of passionate merchants across Canada receiving the award, such as Founders of Roots Canada, Michael Budman and Don Green; Former President & CEO of Sobeys Inc., Bill McEwan; Founder of The Brick Warehouse Corporation, Dr. William H. Comrie; President & CEO of LCBO, Bob Peter and most recently, The Billes Family, Founders of Canadian Tire Corporation.

Louise Wendling began her 38-year career in retailing with the Hudson's Bay Company. In 1986, she and two other Hudson’s Bay colleagues founded Price Club, where she developed and implemented the warehouse club concept and culture. She was named Vice-President Merchandising, Eastern Canada in 1986, and then promoted to Senior Vice-President, Eastern Canada in 1994. In 2001, she was named Country Manager for Costco Wholesale Canada, in addition to holding the Canadian Board Chairmanship and an Executive Committee member of Costco Wholesale International.

Ms. Wendling has been a driving force in Costco’s community involvement through her support of the Children’s Miracle Network, the United Way, the Breakfast Club of Canada and other non-profit children’s programs across Canada. She has served on the boards of Operations Enfants Soleil, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and as Vice-Chair Retail Council of Canada.

The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Louise Wendling at the Excellence in Retailing Awards Gala on May 31. 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.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: May 9, 2016