My Background

Throughout my career, I have had the privelege to work for some of the most outstanding companies and to work with and for some the the greatest business minds of our generation.

I started my career working for one of the first Discount Department Store chains. I rose quickly through the ranks from stock boy  to merchandiser, then buyer before the age of 20, the youngest ever in that company.

Charles de Martigny

By my mid-twenties I was promoted to General Merchandise Manager for Hardgoods, reponsible for all buying, merchandising, advertsing and P&L for this $50,000,000 unit.

During my tenure, we were the first chain store to implement computerized, bar code scanning cash registers, and one of the early innovators of Private Brand merchandise.  I personally spearheaded the development of more tha 250 products during my 11 year tenure..

One of my developments was a line of impulse items deployed at the cash registers designed to generate lasst minute purchases.  This program proved so successful  that with the permision of my employer, I branched out on my own and started Check-Out Products, Inc. The program became a hit at chain, drug and grocery stores across Canada and US and within a year, I sold the company to Li & Fung, the largest International Supply Chain Company. based in Hong Kong.

Check Out Products were distributed to 23 countries around the world, and in 1980 I was awarded the Canada Enterprise award by Canada Enterprise Development Corp and The Financial Post for the best new business of the year

In 1981 I was approached by Coleco and became Director of Marketing for the launch of the Cabbage Patch Kids and Colecovision with Donkey Kong (Nintendo)., two of the most successful consumer products of the 20th century..

As part of the team working on the Coleco Adam Computer. I developed a Homework Helper series and negotiated the rights to Coles Notes for home computers. When my project was cancelled by Cloeco, I left and started Arrakis Technologies.