A Brief History of Canadian Tire

Who among us hasn't shopped at Canadian Tire? Whether it be for a new set of tires for our car, a new tent for the next camping trip or a hockey stick for our kids first game, we all seem to make a trip there at least a couple times a year. With more than 90% of the Canadian population living within 15 minutes of a store, it’s no wonder they are so popular. Canadian Tire, started in 1922 by the Billes brothers has grown into a Canadian institution and icon.

John W. and Alfred J. Billes bought the Hamilton Tire and Garage Ltd for $1800 in 1922 with great ambition for their future. A year later they sold the garage and moved to a new location in Toronto with a new name – Canadian Tire Corporation.  From there they developed their brand and cultivated customer loyalty. They were officially incorporated in 1927 and went on to release their first catalogue – now a tradition in Canadian households – with a handy roadmap of Ontario on the back in 1928. In 1934 they expanded and opened their first associate store in Hamilton; they were on their way to what is now one of the largest retail chains in Canada. In 1937 Canadian Tire moved their main store to a vacant supermarket in Toronto and introduced a much loved addition – clerks on roller-skates who could quickly get to customers to fulfill order and requests. They expanded further in 1958 with the first gas bar where they gave customers discount coupons for in store discounts that would eventually become Canadian Tire money. Canadian Tire opened their first distribution centre in 1962 and quickly grew with their corporate revenue exceeding $1 billion for the first time in 1980. The Canadian Tire online shopping website (www.canadiantire.ca) was launched in 2001 and has since become one of the busiest online shopping sites in Canada. They continue to grow and in 2011 acquired the FGL group.

Canadian Tire has many groups under its umbrella:

•          Canadian Tire Retail
•          PartSource
•        Canadian Tire Petroleum
•         Mark’s
•        Canadian Tire Financial Services
•        FGL Sports Ltd.

PartSource, launched in 1999, is an automotive parts speciality chain which is staffed by professionals to sell auto parts to professional installers as well as do-it-yourselfers. (www.partsource.ca)

Canadian Tire Petroleum is one of Canada’s largest gasoline retailers pumping out more than 1.7 billion litres of gas per year.

Mark’s was established in 1977 and currently has 385 stores across Canada. They specialize in men’s and women’s work, work related, casual and active wear clothing and footwear. (www.marks.com)

Canadian Tire Financial Services is the parent company of Canadian Tire Bank which issues the Canadian Tire Options MasterCard. They also offer high interest savings accounts, tax free savings accounts and GIC’s as well as insurance products and the Canadian Tire Roadside Assistance. (www.ctfs.com)

FGL Sports Ltd was acquired in 2011 and is the largest sporting goods retailer in Canada. Some of the stores under their banner include Sport Chek and Sports Experts.

Canadian Tire currently has 488 retail stores, 5500 auto service bays and 287 gas bars, and has almost 68,000 employees across Canada. Their financial services division has one of the largest MasterCard franchises in Canada with more than 4 million of the Canadian Tire Options MasterCard’s in circulation. The company is involved in the community with their Canadian Tire Jumpstart program (originally founded in 1999 as the Canadian Tire Foundation for Families) to help underprivileged kids become involved in sports. With a company like this, it’s clear to see why more than 80% of the population shops at a Canadian Tire store every year. How often do you shop at Canadian Tire?