Retail Council of Canada has announced that Lee Valley’s Robin Lee and the Lee Family will be awarded with the 2018 Retail Council of Canada Excellence in Retailing Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. The award will be given at this year’s Excellence in Retailing Awards Gala, taking place during the evening of Tuesday, May 29. [Register to attend the gala].

The Excellence in Retailing Awards Gala is part of the two-day Retail Council of Canada Store 2018 Conference, taking place May 29-30 at the Toronto Congress Centre. Registration is now open.

Retail Council of Canada’s Excellence in Retailing Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a family or an individual in retail who has demonstrated outstanding business success and community service throughout their career, and who has left an indelible mark on the industry through innovation and commitment to customers and employees.

For the past 40 years, Lee Valley has been selecting hard-to-find quality tools that help people do what they love. Its unique products, a “customer-first” philosophy and a commitment to integrity, fairness and respect for all has helped Lee Valley grow the brand. In the 15 years since Robin Lee took over as President and CEO, Lee Valley has expanded from being recognized for high-quality woodworking and gardening tools, to now include new lines of products for outdoor, home, kitchen, leather working, cabinet hardware and power tools. Today, Lee Valley has more than 1,000 employees who serve a growing brick-and-mortar presence, as well as a substantial, highly engaged online community.

“Retail Council of Canada is honoured to recognize Robin Lee and his family with this Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Diane J. Brisebois, President & CEO, Retail Council of Canada. “Lee Valley has kept a visionary approach to retail for more than 40 years. Like his father Leonard, Robin has upheld the tradition of personally approving the highest-quality products and investing significantly in staff to ensure they are highly knowledgeable, supportive and able to create life-long loyal customers. This commitment is evident in Lee Valley’s continued success.”

Robin Lee joins a distinguished list of past recipients from across Canada, such as Founders of Roots Canada, Michael Budman and Don Green; Founder of The Brick Warehouse Corporation, Dr. William H. Comrie; Founders of Canadian Tire Corporation, the Billes Family; and most recently, former Vice-Chairman of the Hudson’s Bay Company, Bonnie Brooks.

The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Robin Lee at Retail Council of Canada’s Excellence in Retailing Awards Gala on May 29, 2018 at the Toronto Congress Centre, from 5:30pm to 8:30pm ET. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.retailawards.ca/tickets.

The Excellence in Retailing Awards Gala will close the first day of Canada’s biggest retail conference, STORE 2018, which will feature more than 80 speakers and attract more than 2,500 retail leaders from across North America. Media are also invited to attend STORE 2018, from May 29 to May 30, 2018. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.storeconference.ca/register.