Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2015 - 39

CANADIAN RETAIL TOP 10
Rank

Capital
Control

Corporate Ownership (Key Banners)

Est. Retail Sales
($Millions)

Number
of Chains

Number
of Stores

Est. Sales
Growth (%)

1 Weston Group (Shoppers Drug Mart, The Real Canadian Superstore)

CAN

44,460

2,746

+37.4

2 Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (Wal-Mart Supercenters, Wal-Mart)

USA

28,122

389

+3.7

3 Empire Company Limited (IGA, Sobeys, Safeway)

CAN

23,929

1,864

+34.7

4 Costco Wholesale Corp. (Costco)

USA

19,149

+9.9

5 Metro Inc. (Metro, Food Basics, Super C)

CAN

11,590

979

+1.7

6 Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd. (Canadian Tire, Mark's Work Wearhouse)

CAN

9,296

1,327

+7.7

7 The Home Depot, Inc. (The Home Depot)

USA

7,148

181

+5.1

8 Home Hardware Stores Ltd. (Home Hardware, Home Building Centre)

CAN

5,700

1,082

+5.6

9 Rona Inc. (Rona, Rona Home & Garden, Rona Warehouse/ L'Entrepot)

CAN

5,314

873

-0.8

USA

4,882

1,398

+3.1

10 McKesson Corp. (IDA Pharmacy, HealthCare Pharmacy, Proxim)

Rank Increases

The top rank increases in 2014, in order of total
increase, were Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (+15), Dollar
Tree, Inc. (+14), Whole Foods Market, Inc. (+12), Inditex Group (+9), and Gordon Brothers Group (+7).
Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. opened just four new
Canadian stores in 2014, a decrease in new store
openings compared to the previous six years, but
was estimated to have improved their sales per
square-foot performance over 2013. Dollar Tree,
Inc. continued their Canadian expansion with
30 new Canadian stores in 2014, bringing them
to 210 stores overall since their 2010 entry to the
Canadian market through the acquisition of 86
Dollar General stores. Whole Foods Market, Inc.
also continued to expand with one additional
store to bring their 2014 market presence up to
9 stores from 8 in 2013, leading to an 11 per cent
growth in sales due to their still relatively small
Canadian store network. Inditex Group opened
three new locations under their higher priced
Massimo Dutti brand which played an important
role in their Canadian growth in 2014. Gordon
Brothers Group grew their Tip Top Tailors store
network by 4, up to 108 locations, and doubled the
number of Spencer Gifts stores from 7 up to 14.
Rank Decreases

Notable CSCA Retail 100 rank decreases in
2014 were Apax Partners (-17), Le Chateau Inc.
(-8), Zale Corporation/Signet Jewellers Limited
(-4), and Hilco UK (-3). Apax Partners, the private
equity and venture capital firm currently controlling Comark Inc. and their Cleo, Ricki, and Bootlegger banners, closed nearly 40 XS Cargo stores
in 2014. These closures foreshadowed the Comark
Inc. bankruptcy protection filing in 2015 and the
pending closure of an additional 50 Canadian
locations. Sales at Le Chateau Inc. continued its
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downward trend of recent years with the closure of 7 locations in
2014 and a further overall reduction in sales per square-foot from
$220 in 2013 to $196 in 2014. Zale Corporation reduced its Canadian
presence by 11 stores in 2014, mainly in their Mappins Jewellers
brand, and was acquired by Signet Jewellers Limited, a rival that had
initially pursued the acquisition back in 2006. Signet was successful
in 2014 following a failed attempt by Zale Corporation to move upmarket in its product offerings. Hilco UK closed 6 Canadian HMV
stores in 2014, continuing to experience declining sales in a challenging retail environment despite its efforts to broaden its retail mix
and move away from the sale of recorded music merchandise.
Market Control

Canadian-controlled conglomerates accounted for 60.9 per
cent of the CSCA Retail 100 sales in 2014, an increase from 58.7
per cent in 2013. This change is largely accounted for by Empire
Company Limited's acquisition of the Canadian operations of U.S.
based Safeway Inc. While other countries, mainly from Europe,
did have a presence in Canada's retail market, their market share
pales in comparison to that of Canadian and American firms. Debate concerning foreign control of retail sales in Canada is essentially centred on the presence of major U.S. retailers in Canada.
Summary

Data from the CSCA Retail 100 ranking reinforces a number of
trends in the Canadian retail industry.
1. Corporate concentration is high, with a relatively small number of conglomerates collectively controlling a large proportion
of Canadian retail spend.
2. The importance of U.S. retailers in Canada, which account for
close to 40 per cent of the market.
3. The competitive nature of the Canadian retail industry, with
a small number of conglomerates leading in each retail sector
with the exception of the fashion sector where a large number
of retailers compete.
For more information concerning the CSCA Retail Top 100, or to
download a full version of the report, visit www.csca.ryerson.ca/
publications/CSCARetail100.html.
HOLIDAY 2015 | CANADIAN RETAILER

| 39

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2015