Canadian Tire has been one of the most popular retail chains with Canadian shoppers ever since brothers William and Alfred Billes opened the doors of its first outlet in Toronto, in 1922. The company has grown in leaps and bounds over the years and now also boasts the country’s largest network of independent gas stations along with its own bank.
The retail chain has become one of Canada’s most shopped at stores because of the wide variety of products it sells. This includes automotive parts, accessories, and service, sporting and camping goods, clothing, tools, power tools, hardware, home, patio, and garden products, and electronic devices. The beauty of Canadian Tire is that you can buy just about anything you need there all under the same roof, from barbecues to hockey sticks.
The financial department also offers various insurance and warranty products, credit cards, personal loans, lines of credit, and different payment options, along with emergency roadside service. The company’s petroleum division also operates several car washes along with its gas pumps.
As an extra shopping incentive, the company also started to award its customers with Canadian Tire money in the late 1950s. The more money you spent at the store meant the more Canadian Tire money you would receive in exchange. This money can then be used against future purchases at any of the outlets. The money became so popular across the country that many local watering holes took it at par with the Canadian dollar on certain nights of the week.
Each Canadian Tire stores is operated by an associate dealer who owns all of the merchandise inside, but leases the land and building from the corporation.
The company still has its headquarters in Toronto, and has also expanded its network, as Canadian Tire now also owns the Mark’s Work Wearhouse and Part Source chain of stores. The Canadian Tire organization employs about 48,000 people across the nation and has more than 455 stores to meet its customer’s shopping needs.
