Myles Keston 3rd march 2021

Today on your show we talk about “Can independent retail survive?”. The current lockdown has severely handicapped independent businesses across Canada and the planet for that matter. In Toronto, where restrictions were imposed just before the lucrative holiday season, retailers are worried. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business estimates Canada could lose up to 2.4 million jobs as independent businesses across the country see no other option than shutting down for good. But it is not just the pandemic that independent retailers face in the marketplace….

Part 1 – Myles Kesten
Myles Kesten was born in Toronto. Initially, Myles was headed for a career in the theatre — probably to spite his father — but changed directions at the suggestion of his brother who thought him better suited for a career in arts administration. After administrative roles at the various national Art councils, he headed to Bay Street where he studied for the accounting exams working as an accountant and later as a forensic accountant. Along the way he also worked as a reporter for the Globe and Mail. Myles is a published journalist, historian, economist, poet and critic.
But for the past 25 and a half years he is better known as the founder and owner of the
RiverdaleMac group of independent Apple computer stores in Toronto. He holds an MBA from York University, Toronto, and a BA from University of Waterloo, Ontario