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Top Canadian retailers
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, November 24, 2002
| Furniture, bedding and accessories sales | Percent change | No. of stores selling furniture, bedding and accessories* | |||
| Company name, home base, Web site | 2001 | 2000 | 2001 | 2000 | |
| All revenue figures are stated in millions of current Canadian dollars. *Store carries at least a minimal number of furniture SKUs, in addition to bedding or decorative accessories. |
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| Sears Canada | $684 | $620 | 10.3% | 103 | 92 |
| Toronto www.sears.ca Total revenues: $6,726 | |||||
| This publicly held department store, majority controlled by the U.S.-based Sears Roebuck & Co., is Canada's largest single retailer. It also continues to be this country's largest retailer of furniture, bedding and accessories as well as all other home goods categories, including appliances, consumer electronics and floor coverings. Sales of $684 million are for furniture and bedding only, excluding decorative accessories. Sears Canada has four main channels of distribution for furniture: mall-based department stores, free-standing furniture and appliance stores, independent dealer stores and the catalog. Historically, the catalog — the largest and most frequently published general merchandise catalog in Canada — has accounted for approximately 30% of sales. Of the 125 mall-based department stores in operation at the end of 2001, 38 had full furniture floors. By the end of 2002, 90 of them will have bedding aisles. At year's end, the company planned to have 48 furniture and appliance stores — 45 free-standing units and three full-sized stores within the store (Edmonton Southgate, Edmonton Kingsway and Burnaby, British Columbia). New free-standing units were slated for Toronto; Abbotsford, British Columbia; Calgary, Alberta; Repentigny, Quebec; and two undisclosed locations. Early in 2001, it announced it would close it high-end Eaton's banner, which it acquired two years earlier. Eaton's only showed furniture in its downtown Toronto and Vancouver locations, which will be converted to the store-within-the-store plan-o-gram. Currently has 20 independent dealer furniture stores across the country ranging from 5,000 to 8,000 square feet in size. These franchises have access to the complete furniture line-up and are Sears Canada's platform for small-town Canada. Major merchandising initiatives for 2002 include the launch of the GlucksteinHome brand across the country and the redevelopment of both the Whole Home and Sears-o-pedic furniture and bedding lines. | |||||
| Leon's Furniture Ltd. | $409 | $393 | 4.0% | 49 | 47 |
| Toronto www.leons.ca Total revenues: $545 | |||||
| A high-impact promoter, this publicly held and family-managed retailer continues to be one of the most consistently solid performers in the Canadian furniture industry. However, the results of the franchise division suffered when the Thunder Bay, Ontario, franchise left the network in mid-2001. Total revenues for the franchise division fell 1.9% from C$122.1 million in 2000 to C$119.7 million last year. At year's end, Leon's had 22 franchise and 27 corporate stores in every Canadian province except British Columbia. Corporate sales advanced 5.8% to C$425.7 million. In 2001, Leon's opened new stores in Red Deer, Alberta and Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, and completed a major renovation of its superstore in the Toronto suburb of Weston, Ontario. In 2002, renovations were planned for stores in Sault Ste. Marie, Richmond Hill and Ottawa, Ontario. A new store will be opened in Brampton, Ontario, and a new franchise will open in Sarnia, Ontario. Land also has been purchased for a new store in the west end of Montreal, set to open in early 2003. Potential sites also are being considered in south Edmonton, Alberta, and Quebec City. Historically, furniture, bedding and accessories have accounted for 75% of the company's sales, the balance coming from appliances and electronics. | |||||
| Ikea Canada | $359 | $315 | 14.0% | 8 | 7 |
| Burlington, Ontario www.ikea.ca Total revenues: $677 | |||||
| Fiscal year ends Aug. 31. Part of the Sweden-based international modern/contemporary furniture and home furnishings giant, with a large ready-to-assemble business. In October 2001, it opened its largest-ever store in Canada, the first in almost a decade. At 330,000 square feet, the new Toronto unit is also only one of three in North America to carry all 9,500 SKUs in the retailer's merchandising program. Built at a cost of C$75 million, Ikea expects it will generate sales of approximately C$105 million in its first year of operation while hosting almost 2 million visitors. In April 2002, opened a similar unit in Coquitlam, British Columbia, and planned to roll out its third new unit in less than a year this summer in the Montreal suburb of Boucherville. Also operates a national telephone order desk from Montreal. The same order desk also handles orders sold off the company's Web site. Produced a new catalog, with a circulation of 3.5 million, in the fall. | |||||
| The Brick Warehouse Corp. | $350 | $298 | 17.4% | 63 | 62 |
| Edmonton, Alberta www.thebrick.com Total revenues: $660 | |||||
| This privately owned, promotional to midpriced chain operates several banners, including 52 corporately-owned The Brick stores; five The Brick franchises; two free-standing La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries stores; one Brick Clearance store; two Discount Jim stores in Alberta; and Homeshow Canada, a single unit superstore, merchandised as a collection of manufacturers' galleries, located in the north end of Toronto. The company owns the franchise rights for La-Z-Boy for the greater Toronto area, where it is expected to build between four and six more units over the next five years. | |||||
| Groupe BMTC | $265 | $240 | 10.4% | 23 | 21 |
| Montreal www.braultetmartineau.com, www.tanguay.ca Total revenues: $644 | |||||
| This publicly held merchant is Quebec's dominant furniture retailer and operates under two banners: Brault et Martineau and Ameublements Tanguay. In April 2001, the company opened its first Signature Maurice Tanguay store in the Quebec City suburb of Ste-Foy. This 47,300-square-foot store is the high-end statement for the Tanguay banner, which operates eight stores throughout the Quebec City region. In 2002, two Tanguay stores will be renovated and/or relocated, including the unit in Chicoutimi. The company also operates 10 stores and four liquidation centers under the Brault et Martineau banner. Last year, the stores in Pointe-aux-Trembles and Laval were replaced with 70,000-square-foot units. A 70,000-square-foot unit in Kirkland was slated to open in September 2002, replacing an existing 40,000-square-foot store. Two other units in the Montreal area are also slated for expansion while a third may be relocated. At the beginning of 2000, BMTC sold off its Ottawa-based Colonial Furniture division and now concentrates solely on meeting the needs of the Quebec market. | |||||
| United Furniture Warehouse | $201 | $196 | 2.6% | 152 | 145 |
| Port Coquitlam, British Columbia www.ufw.com | |||||
| This privately owned furniture and bedding specialist is one of the few to be successful on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, with stores in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, as well as Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Utah. United is a high-impact promoter, flooring goods in a "no frills" atmosphere at entry level and promotional price points. In 2002, it planned to open stores in Ottawa and Windsor, Ontario, as well as Seattle. It also planned to close all 12 of its Wosk's stores throughout British Columbia and Alberta. Acquired in 1998, Wosk's is a full-line furniture retailer operating in the mass market price points, which are higher than UFW's. All 12 will either be leased to other retailers or converted to another format. Also has a three-unit franchise division, which should be folded back into the company this year. | |||||
| The Bay | $200 | $132 | 51.5% | 68 | 54 |
| Toronto www.hbc.com Total revenues: $2,667 | |||||
| The Bay is the department store retail brand of The Hudson's Bay Co., which also owns Zellers, this country's largest mass merchandiser and Home Outfitters, a rapidly growing bed and bath, home accessories and linens specialist. Sales of $200 million are for furniture and bedding only, excluding decorative accessories. The company currently has 100 department stores in total. In the early 1990s, The Bay took furniture and bedding, as well as other home goods out of the majority of its stores. In 1999, it offered furniture in only 38 stores, and the complete line-up was only displayed in its major downtown stores. It now offers furniture in 68 stores, which continues to expand, and sleep shops in a total of 93 locations. This accounts for much of its growth over the past two years. Currently opening a 18,000-square-foot full-line furniture and bedding department in its Kingsgate Mall location in Edmonton, Alberta. Also operates three stand-alone furniture stores in the Ottawa suburb of Orleans, Newmarket and Hamilton, Ontario. | |||||
| Furniture Plus | $138 | $120 | 15% | 46 | 44 |
| Mississauga, Ontario Total revenues: $173 | |||||
| Cantrex Group's fastest-growing banner with stores in the secondary and tertiary markets of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. In 2001, this midpriced, full-line network had 29 members operating its 46 stores. Its largest member is Dufresne Furniture & Appliances of Winnipeg, Manitoba. This 10-unit, family-owned chain doesn't operate under the Furniture Plus name, although it carries much of the core merchandise line-up. Another multi-unit Cantrex member is Lounsbury & Co. of Moncton, New Brunswick. Recently opened a 22,000-square-foot corporately owned prototype/research and development store in Guelph, Ontario. | |||||
| Sleep Country Canada | $100 | $95 | 5.3% | 73 | 70 |
| Toronto www.sleepcountry.ca | |||||
| Suppliers and competitors alike credit this privately held specialist with revitalizing the bedding business in this country, with its aggressive radio and television advertising and focus on the three major brands: Simmons, Sealy and Serta. Stores range in size from 3,500 to 5,000 square feet and are located only in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. Her appearance on the company's radio and TV commercials has made President and Founder Christine Magee a household name throughout much of Canada. The majority shareholder in Sleep Country Canada is Bain Capital, the Boston-based investment banker that also owns Sealy Canada as well as Sealy Corp. in the United States. | |||||
| Countrywide Stores | $67 | $63.7 | 5.2% | 64 | 55 |
| Saskatoon, Saskatchewan www.countrywidestores.com Total revenues: $96 | |||||
| The primary furniture banner for Mega Group in English Canada has been moving from a traditional banner to a retail system. Members are adopting a common point-of-sale system, common store design, an expanded core merchandise and advertising program, and a common sales training program. Located in secondary and tertiary markets, each store is independently owned and operated, and merchandises not only furniture and bedding but also appliances and electronics in the midmarket price points. Between two and four stores were expected to be added to the network in the second half. Last year, the administration of the banner was moved to the Boucherville office under the leader of a new business development manager, Michael Vancura. The management team has been expanded to include an IT administration, a training officer and two store designers. | |||||
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