By Joe Aversa, Christopher Daniel and Dr. Tony Hernandez

For more than a century the Canadian retail marketplace has been shaped by the presence of international retail players. The waves of foreign retail investment in Canada date back to the entrance of retailers such as F. W. Woolworth Company and Piggley-Wiggley Stores at the turn of the 20th century through to the present day store expansion announcements by Marshalls and Target. This research letter provides an overview of the foreign retail chains in Canada and follows on from a number of research projects by the CSCA that have focused on the impact of international retailers in Canada. The research is particularly timely since the global economy has emerged out of recession and the Canadian retail market has once again seen renewed interest from foreign retailers. This research letter takes a retrospective stance and places the recent flurry of international retail activity in Canada into the context of a long-standing presence of international retailers operating within Canada. Over time the scale, extent and impact of foreign retailers has increased and this trend looks set to continue into the foreseeable future.

The authors would like to thank our industry colleagues for taking the time to share their insights on retail internationalization in Canada. Any errors and omissions remain the responsibility of the authors.