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There are roughly 7,700 retail stores on the island of Montreal employing 112,000 people, which account for nearly one in 10 of all jobs in the agglomeration. With restaurant and bars factored in, the total number of employees is 189,000. That number has remained relatively stable since 2011.

Yet the retail industry in Montreal is facing a “perfect storm” of factors putting its future at risk, a new report commissioned by the city of Montreal states. More individuals are buying online. Owners and renters are being hit by rapid and repeated hikes in their valuations, driving up taxes and rents. More and more mini-businesses are popping up on streets and on the Internet that bring direct competition. Montreal is undergoing an unprecedented level of road construction that hinders shopping. Yet the industry has rarely been taken seriously by local or large governments, the study finds, and has been left to fight for itself.