The Kingston Centre (originally Kingston Shopping Centre ) was an indoor mall built in Kingston, Ontario in 1955 and demolished in 2004. The Kingston Centre name now belongs to a 223,327 sq ft (20,747.8 m). campus-style open-air shopping centre on the same site, which replaced the now-demolished indoor mall.
45-460: Anchored by the Loblaws supermarket, the current Kingston Centre is, like its predecessor, located beside a Canadian Tire store and bordered by Sir John A. Macdonald Blvd, Bath Road and Princess Street . The Kingston Shopping Centre was built in 1955 and anchored by Simpsons-Sears (later Sears Canada ) department store. It was located at 1100 Princess Street in what was then the west end of
90-518: A 135,000 sq ft (12,500 m ) flagship location at Carlingwood Mall in Ottawa to mark the company's centennial; it introduces a large-scale concept called "Remarkable Retail," which carries a modernized design and focuses on enhancing its auto centres, seasonal departments, and delivery and pickup services. The concept was also used for a new location in Welland, Ontario and will be used for
135-436: A food court) was left as an empty ghostbox and eventually boarded up; it was the first section to be razed during the demolition of the remaining indoor mall building in 2004. Fewer than a dozen retail tenants remained at the time of demolition: a barber shop, a health food store , two banks, a grocery store, a drugstore, a camera store and a restaurant. These businesses were moved to new buildings constructed in what had been
180-1056: A future Calgary location. That year, the company also committed $ 1.2 billion to renovate 225 stores with its "Concept Connect" format. The following month, Canadian Tire also opened its largest location to-date in Chilliwack, British Columbia at the Cottonwood Centre; occupying a former Sears , it has 170,000 sq ft (16,000 m ) of retail space. In addition to the Canadian Tire stores' Parts department, CTC owns PartSource , an automotive parts and accessories specialty chain which has 91 stores across Nova Scotia , Ontario, Manitoba , Saskatchewan, and Alberta . It serves commercial automotive installers and do-it-yourself mechanics. Before November 2013, some stores were owned and operated by franchisees; all currently belong to Canadian Tire. In 2001, Canadian Tire acquired Mark's Work Wearhouse (now branded as Mark's ),
225-472: A new "Smart store" concept featuring "boutiques" that prominently showcased products within the chain's core product categories. Popular product categories such as auto parts and home goods were moved towards the front of the store to improve their prominence, and some locations began to sell common groceries as a pilot project. With the demise of Target's businesses in Canada in 2015, Canadian Tire acquired
270-417: A new building constructed on the site of the former Sears store, became sole anchor. This move, combined with the disappearance of smaller department stores including Biway Stores , Family Fair , Marks and Spencer , Zellers and Woolworth , left Kingston Shopping Centre without a department store anchor. With one end of the mall a grocery store, the opposite end of the mall (which originally held Loblaws and
315-617: A retailer of business casual and work wear, for $ 116 million. Along with standalone stores, some Canadian Tire locations feature integrated Mark's locations. Due to space constraints, some smaller Canadian Tire locations removed their Mark's department when remodelled into the "Smart store" format . In May 2018, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan sold the Norwegian sportswear retailer Helly Hansen to Canadian Tire for $ 985 million. In May 2011, Canadian Tire announced
360-712: A rewards card, though at a reduced rate. In May 2018, the company extended further into the clothing market by acquiring Helly Hansen . As of December 2021, the company operates 667 Canadian Tire stores, 397 SportChek stores, and 381 Mark's stores. The current President and CEO is Greg Hicks. Canadian Tire tried twice to expand into the United States. In 1982, it purchased the Wichita Falls, Texas -based White Stores, Inc. automotive retail chain with 81 stores in Texas from its then-owner Household Merchandising Inc.,
405-430: A skit. In early 2006, ads featuring the couple were phased out and replaced by a new campaign featuring overhead signs found in Canadian Tire's store aisles. In 2013, Canadian Tire produced a commercial promoting its MasterCraft Eliminator Ultra car battery, and its ability to function in extreme cold, which featured a stripped GMC Sierra pickup truck with its body re-created as an ice sculpture. The ad premiered during
450-522: A subsidiary of Canadian Tire since 2002. Mark Blumes, formerly a retail executive for the Hudson's Bay Company , opened Mark's Work Wearhouse in Calgary, Alberta, on August 14, 1977. The store was located in the southeast corner of Calgary, at Centre Street and Glenmore Trail. Following rapid expansion, the company became publicly traded in 1981, with an initial public offering worth $ 14,000,000. In 1995,
495-447: A subsidiary of Household Finance , for US$ 40.2 million. In 1986, after losing nearly US$ 100 million they closed some stores and sold the remaining 40 stores, three warehouses and other White assets to Kansas City, Missouri -based Western Auto Supply . The second time, during the early 1990s, Canadian Tire tried to open a specialized auto parts chain called Auto Source that attempted to have 25,000 different parts or more on
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#1732794307638540-474: Is a Canadian retail company which operates in the automotive, hardware, sports, leisure and housewares sectors. Its Canadian operations include: Canadian Tire (including Canadian Tire Petroleum gas stations and financial services subsidiary Canadian Tire Bank ), Mark's , FGL Sports (including Sport Chek and Sports Experts ), PartSource , and the Canadian operations of Party City . Canadian Tire acquired
585-546: Is a by-product of its loyalty program, has been accepted across Canada by multiple retailers and could almost be described as a ' sub-fiat ' currency." In November 2000, Canadian Tire introduced an online retail operation. On January 1, 2009, citing consumer disinterest in online shopping compared to its physical stores, the Company discontinued online sales. On November 1, 2013, Canadian Tire returned to online shopping with delivery to stores. In 2009, Canadian Tire introduced
630-672: Is a participant in the voluntary Scanner Price Accuracy Code managed by the Retail Council of Canada . On October 24, 1922, John William Billes and Alfred Jackson Billes invested their combined savings of $ 1,800 in the Hamilton Tire and Garage Ltd. (established in 1909 as the Hamilton Garage and Rubber Company) in Toronto . Hamilton Tire and Garage specialized in buying tires at a discount from manufacturers in
675-411: Is as yet undeveloped. The area near the mall includes a large number of apartment buildings built in the 1960s and '70s, with a high percentage of senior citizen residents who made up a large portion of the mall's clientele. Some have complained that the site is "not as pedestrian-friendly as they (the developers) guaranteed it was going to be." Kingston Centre Transfer Point is located in the heart of
720-402: Is based on the Canadian Tire advertisement showing a boy (Bike Story) receiving his first bicycle, which his father purchased at a Canadian Tire retail store. Starting in 2007, the company ran month-long advent calendar promotions, offering free CDs and discounts throughout the holiday season. From 1997 to 2005, the company's ads featured the "Canadian Tire couple". The male role, also known as
765-590: Is planned to be Canada's top division of women's soccer. Mark%27s Mark's (known as La Ouérasse and L'Équipeur since 1990 in Quebec ) is a Canadian clothing and footwear retailer specializing in casual and industrial wear. Beginning in 1977 as Mark's Work Wearhouse in Calgary , Alberta , it evolved from an industrial accessories dealer to a men and women's casual and industrial wear retailer. The company operates over 380 stores across Canada and has been
810-694: Is the company's retail deposit-taking and credit card issuing arm. They are held indirectly under the Canadian Tire Services, Limited , holding company, Canadian Tire Bank (CTB), a bank under Canada's Bank Act since 2003. Before 2003, all financing occurred under the Canadian Tire Financial Services . In 2014, The Bank of Nova Scotia acquired a 20% economic and voting interest in Canadian Tire Bank, with an option to acquire up to an additional 30% of
855-459: The 2014 NHL Winter Classic . In March 2015, Canadian Tire launched a new ongoing marketing campaign, "Tested for Life in Canada." The campaign, which includes television advertising and in-store labels, showcases products that have been vetted based on input by a consumer focus group recruited by the chain and their reviews of the products. The program also collects feedback that is used to help improve products marketed by Canadian Tire. During
900-642: The Canadian Tire Bank , under Canada's Bank Act , from its then-named Canadian Tire Financial Services, Limited , subsidiary along with its Mastercard portfolio, which was later renamed as Canadian Tire Services, Limited , effective January 1, 2015. CTC sold 20% of its Canadian Tire Bank to Scotiabank in 2014. In April 2018, Triangle Rewards was launched as a replacement to the digital My Canadian Tire Money program and Options Mastercard. Traditional paper Canadian Tire money continues to be offered at some Canadian Tire stores for customers without
945-490: The Canadian Tire guy , was played by Canadian actor Ted Simonett, and Gloria Slade played the female role. They usually showcase a new product to one of their neighbours who needs a specific tool. The "Canadian Tire Couple" was featured on Royal Canadian Air Farce as one of their targets of the year, as "Canada's most annoying couple." They also made a feature guest appearance on Royal Canadian Air Farce as actors in
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#1732794307638990-466: The 1980s, the company sponsored an IndyCar racing team. Alfred J. Billes's son David Billes was a Canadian Corvette racer before opening Performance Engineering Ltd. He was later Jacques Villeneuve Sr. 's car owner in CART IndyCar competition in the early 1980s and entered two cars in the 1985 Indianapolis 500 . In 1985 , Jacques Villeneuve Sr. won the race at Road America . David Billes
1035-999: The 24-hour gas stations at ONroute service centres in Ontario along Highway 401 and parts of Highway 400 . In May 2023, Canadian Tire announced an agreement with Suncor Energy , under which all Canadian Tire Gas+ locations will be converted to Petro-Canada franchises, and the company's Petro-Points rewards program will be integrated with Canadian Tire's Triangle program. The first converted location opened in July 2024 in Kitchener, Ontario . Moody's observed Canadian Tire's unique position in Canadian retail as being "often both misunderstood and underestimated" and "completely foreign" in comparison to U.S. retail, citing its variety of products (ranging from auto parts to sporting goods to outdoors products and grocery at some locations) and that "its proprietary 'currency,' Canadian Tire money, which
1080-848: The Board of Directors appointed Garth Mitchell as President and Chief Operating Officer of the company. Under Mitchell, the chain entered a new phase characterized by growth and acquisition. The 140 stores generated a revenue of $ 250 million in 1996, and the company acquired Work World, which increased revenues by $ 500 million in six years. Canadian Tire Corporation purchased Mark’s Work Wearhouse for $ 109 million in early 2002. At this time, Mark's Work Wearhouse operated 325 corporate and franchisee stores in Canada. The acquisition provided Mark’s Work Wearhouse with additional capital which allowed it to grow between 2001 and 2008 to 372 stores across Canada. Together, Mark’s Work Wearhouse and Canadian Tire created "combo stores" at 65 Canadian Tire locations. In 2012,
1125-504: The Canadian trademark rights. In the 2010s, Canadian Tire began to expand its array of private labels in order to better-compete with online retailers such as Amazon . In 2013, Canadian Tire launched Frank, a budget brand oriented towards household goods and grocery; the brand is known for packaging containing product-specific taglines involving its eponymous mascot—such as "Frank talks trash" (garbage bags), "Frank knows all aboot maple" (maple-flavoured coffee) and "Frank doesn't scrub you
1170-546: The Norwegian clothing and textile company Helly Hansen from the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan in 2018. Canadian Tire is known for its Canadian Tire money , a loyalty program first introduced in 1958 using paper coupons that resemble banknotes. The company's head office is located at the Canada Square Complex in Toronto , Ontario , and it is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange . It
1215-560: The area until the Cataraqui Town Centre was constructed in 1982 in the former Kingston Township. Before then, its closest rival was the Frontenac Mall , built in 1967 as Kingston's first enclosed mall with 57 stores, anchored by Woolco . Kingston Shopping Centre's retail traffic, once brisk, sharply declined after the relocation of Sears to the Cataraqui Town Centre in 1999. The Loblaws supermarket, relocated into
1260-409: The city, and served as one of two main transfer points for all Kingston Transit routes and the starting point for the city's annual Santa Claus parade . Originally an outdoor mall, it was converted to an enclosed indoor mall in 1970-71, and once boasted 78 stores including the two-storey Sears and a Loblaws supermarket. The Kingston Shopping Centre retained the title of largest shopping centre in
1305-420: The company rebranded as "Mark's" as part of a strategy to appeal to a wider customer base and reflect an expanded product assortment. In May 2018, Canadian Tire Corporation announced their purchase of Helly Hansen , a brand Mark's previously featured for over ten years. Mark's is an apparel and footwear retailer, selling men's and women's industrial, business, casual and active clothing and footwear, as well as
1350-447: The company within ten years (or require Canadian Tire buy back its existing 20% interest) at the then fair market value of the business for $ 500 million CAD in cash. Ostensibly in tandem with Scotiabank 's acquisition of a minority position in Canadian Tire Bank , Canadian Tire renamed its intermediary holding company Canadian Tire Financial Services Limited as Canadian Tire Services, Limited , effective January 1, 2015, dropping
1395-486: The corner of Yonge and Church Streets in Toronto. Canadian Tire money that gave gas bar customers an in-store discount began in 1958. By June 1961, there were 31 locations. The small financial services company Midland Shoppers Credit Limited was purchased in 1968 and renamed Canadian Tire Acceptance, Limited . Canadian Tire entered the clothing market by acquiring Mark's Work Wearhouse in 2001. In 2003, CTC established
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1440-457: The deal, CTC signed a 10-year supply agreement with Party City's parent company Amscan. Historically, Canadian Tire's Christmas ads featured Santa Claus and Ebenezer Scrooge arguing about whether Canadian Tire's selection or their sales prices were the reason to do Christmas shopping there, involving the marketing slogan "Give like Santa, save like Scrooge" . A stamp was issued by Canada Post commemorating Canadian Tire's 75th anniversary. It
1485-418: The end of 2018, Canadian Tire employed 12,735 full-time and 17,951 part-time employees in the corporate structure. These figures do not include temporary employees or employees working for Associate Stores, petroleum stores or franchise stores. There is an in-house Triangle Learning Academy , an allusion to the triangular CTC logo for employee and Associate Store management training. Canadian Tire Bank (CTB)
1530-470: The first official Associate Store was opened in Hamilton, Ontario by Walker Anderson on King Street. In 1944, to fund its growth, Canadian Tire Corporation became a public company and sold 100,000 shares. By 1945, there were 110 Canadian Tire stores. In 1946, an employee stock purchasing plan was implemented to encourage employee loyalty while discouraging unionization. The first gas bar opened in 1958 at
1575-455: The leases of 12 former Target store locations. In June 2015, Canadian Tire opened its largest location to-date at South Edmonton Common , which features 130,000 sq ft (12,000 m ) of retail space on two floors, widened and expanded departments, various interactive experiences (including a driving simulator and virtual reality ), as well as a rotating exhibit of Hockey Canada memorabilia. In September 2022, Canadian Tire opened
1620-420: The moniker Canadian Tire Financial Services from use. Additionally, in approximately 2018, Canadian Tire rebranded its credit card-issuing online banking website as Canadian Tire Bank , removing the last vestige of Canadian Tire Financial Services from active use. Canadian Tire Petroleum (CTP), operating as Canadian Tire Gas+, is the division of Canadian Tire which operates gas stations and car washes. CTP
1665-411: The parking lot of the original indoor mall and remain in operation. The former department store site is currently occupied by the Loblaws grocery store building, with the rest of the greyfield re-used for new retail construction or left vacant. No part of the original mall structure remains. A large portion of land at the south-western section of the property, vacated by demolition of the original mall,
1710-517: The purchase of Forzani Group , a Canadian sporting goods retailer that operates various brands, including SportChek , Atmosphere, Intersport, Hockey Experts, National Sports, Nevada Bob's Golf, S3, Sport Mart, Sports Experts, Tech Shop, Pro Hockey Life, and The Fitness Source. In February 2021, Canadian Tire announced the closure of all National Sports stores, citing a focus on efficiencies and core assets. In October 2019, Canadian Tire closed its acquisition of Party City's Canadian business. As part of
1755-615: The shelf in each store, more than its competitors. The first Auto Source was opened in Indianapolis in 1991. Unlike the previous attempt, the Auto Source concept was built from scratch. During the next three years, Canadian Tire had opened two Auto Source stores each in Indianapolis, Cincinnati , Dayton , Columbus and Louisville for a total of ten stores before abruptly closing the money-losing chain in 1995. Some of
1800-540: The shopping centre and is a major transfer point for Kingston Transit . It is the terminus for daytime routes 2, 3, 11 and 12 with routes 4 and 16 passing through. Routes 501/502 and 701/702 also connect with the Kingston Centre through nearby road stops. 44°14′31″N 76°30′58″W / 44.242°N 76.516°W / 44.242; -76.516 Canadian Tire Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited ( French : Société Canadian Tire Limitée )
1845-554: The stores were sold to Pep Boys . Although Auto Source lost nearly CA$ 60 million during its four years of existence, a scaled-down version was used in Canada under the PartSource brand. Canadian Tire owns a number of house brands , with some of its most prominent including Mastercraft (tools), MotoMaster (automotive), as well as NOMA (household goods, particularly lights and Christmas lights ) and Simoniz (car care products)—two brands for which Canadian Tire acquired
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1890-448: The winter then reselling the tires during the busy summer season. The brothers opened a retail store at Yonge and Gould Streets in Toronto, Ontario. A product focus on tires was emphasized in 1927 with the incorporation of the name Canadian Tire Corporation Limited because, as A.J. Billes said, "...it sounded big". During 1928, the first Canadian Tire catalogues were distributed, consisting of price lists along with road maps. In 1934,
1935-602: The wrong way" (dish sponges)—which became a viral trend in 2020. Canadian Tire owns the rights to three ice hockey brands. In 2011, the company's purchase of the Forzani Group gave it the rights to the Hespeler and Victoriaville brands. In 2018, it acquired the trademarks of Sherwood Hockey . On May 10, 2017, Canadian Tire announced it would buy Padinox, the manufacturer of the Paderno kitchen equipment. At
1980-424: Was founded in 1958 as a means of increasing customer traffic to Canadian Tire stores. In Ontario, CTP also operates Pit Stop, which provides services like oil changes and rust checks. The Canadian Tire money loyalty program was originally launched through the gas bars as "Gas Bonus Coupons." CTP has opened three Q Stop stores featuring a mini-grocery store and other items. CTP also holds the concession to operate
2025-757: Was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 1994. The company has had naming rights at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park , formerly known as Mosport International Raceway , since 2012. The home arena of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL) has been known as the Canadian Tire Centre since 2013. The company sponsors the Northern Super League , which
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