Retail and Consumer Products

Canada’s Retail and Consumer Products sector has been historically robust, responsible for a major share of Canada’s manufacturing GDP and employing millions of people. Over the last several years, the traditional retail model has been significantly disrupted by digital tools that have facilitated product purchasing through many different channels, including online and ecommerce.

Whether you are a start-up or a well-established retailer or consumer products company, leveraging disruptive technologies — such as artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain — can help you stay ahead of the trends and harness the most efficient ways to do business. Staying ahead of these trends and understanding how to navigate the increasingly complex retail and consumer products regulatory environment is crucial to ensuring your business is well-positioned to succeed.

How we can help

Osler has extensive experience working with many of the largest and most widely known retail and consumer products brands throughout Canada and around the world, advising on all aspects of their businesses. Our Retail Group is Ranked Band 1 in Chambers Canada, one of the world’s leading legal directories. Our lawyers regularly advise retailers, distributors, manufacturers and franchisors on the day-to-day business and legal issues they encounter when expanding into and operating in Canada.

Our firm offers a fully integrated team approach to advising our clients, drawing on our knowledge and experience of retail operations and our recognized expertise in Canada to provide seamless legal support through all stages of the retail and consumer products lifecycle. Our lawyers regularly assist our clients in commercial leasing, consumer protection laws, ecommerce initiatives, privacy and data management, labour and employment, franchising, advertising and marketing matters, tax, pricing and distribution practices and branding matters. Osler has extensive experience working with major retailers and consumer product brands on litigation involving product liability, consumer protection, class actions and other issues.

Osler has particular expertise advising foreign retailers and franchisors expanding their operations into Canada, helping them maneuver through significant judicial, statutory and cultural differences for a smooth and successful entry into the Canadian marketplace. Our firm’s national reach — with offices across Canada, including Montréal, Québec — ensures that we have a deep understanding of the unique considerations when expanding into Québec, including French language requirements, that could impact retail operations. As well, our New York office provides an international focus for those clients wishing to increase their presence north of the border.