Personalized and free support to meet the challenges of Montreal retail businesses

PME en mouvement

The “PME en mouvement” program offers punctual and remote support of up to 15 hours with an experienced resource to help retail businesses and SMEs in the Montreal area address issues related to the sector.

Five fields of expertise and support

Commercial lease

In collaboration with a lawyer, this program offers individual work sessions specially designed to meet the needs of retail businesses renting commercial spaces and seeking to sign, negotiate, or renew a commercial lease with property owners or real estate developers.

These sessions are personalized and tailored to each merchant, primarily aiming to help them understand in-depth the various contractual clauses frequently found in commercial leases. This understanding of contractual clauses will prove invaluable during negotiations for a new lease or the renewal of an existing lease. The objective of the program and this legal assistance is to empower businesses by providing them with the necessary tools to support them in their negotiations with property owners.

Sustainable development and circular economy

This support aims to guide interested retail businesses towards a circular and ecological approach. A team of experts in ecological transition will assist participating companies in evaluating potential actions to adopt more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices, such as waste reduction and recycling, embracing a functional economy, eco-design, promoting durable products, implementing green logistics practices, or adopting effective responsible communication to raise awareness among consumers.

By conducting a diagnosis of each company’s current practices, our experts will facilitate the development of a realistic action plan to address the issues identified.

Human resources

These individualized and personalized sessions, delivered remotely by an expert in human resources, aim to support retail businesses in implementing concrete actions to improve their human resources management. During these tailor-made sessions, companies will be prepared to address specific issues such as recruitment, talent retention, conflict resolution, strengthening employer branding, promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion, as well as other relevant aspects that the company wishes to address.

Press and media relations

This customized program is designed to help retail businesses optimize their press relations. Our expert will work closely with participating merchants to provide them with strategic and practical advice aimed at improving the media visibility of their company. For example, they can assist in developing effective communication strategies, drafting impactful press releases, and establishing sustainable relationships with the media. The main goal of this support is to help businesses generate positive media coverage that will enhance their brand image and boost their commercial activity.

Digital support

Our digital strategy consultants fully understand the importance for retail businesses to have a strong, effective, and well-structured online presence. They will implement personalized work sessions to help participating companies optimize various aspects of their digital strategy, including improving their transactional website, enhancing their visibility on search engines, dynamically managing their social media, and optimizing user experience, among others. Our experts will work closely with merchants to develop a realistic and effective action plan aligned with their specific goals.

How does it work

The PME en mouvement program is free of charge

  • A neutral experienced resource related to the chosen support field is assigned to your business.
  • A diagnostic call is conducted to understand your situation (identify your needs, constraints, objectives).
  • A plan for the next steps is established.
  • Work sessions are organized via video conference to address the targeted issue.
  • The expert resource is available to guide the participating company in implementing the action plan.

Who is eligible

  • Your business is a retail store, with or without a physical storefront.
  • You have at least 2 employees
  • Your business is committed to investing time in its project. A minimum of 3 hours per week is required.
  • You have or will allocate the necessary time and budget to follow the proposed action plan.
  • Your business agrees to be available for virtual calls.
  • Your business agrees to share business data with the accompanying expert to measure the impact of the support on its activities.
  • Your business agrees to participate in a survey related to its support experience at the end of the program.