By Dr. Tony Hernandez and Matthew Emmons

Retailing is an increasingly global business. It has been estimated by the CSCA that in 2017 approaching 43.6% of the retail sales in Canada were generated by retailers head-quartered outside of Canada. For many years, foreign retailers have seen Canada as a viable market for international expansion. The growth of foreign retail presence in Canada is best characterised as a series of waves of new retail entrants. Our analysis tracks the long-standing presence of US retailers in Canada, and highlights the recent influx of high-end/luxury retailers from across Europe and, increasingly, Asia. Using the CSCA Major Chain Database, we examine foreign retailers by sector and highlight how their presence varies markedly by region, market and across retail location types.  Based on current trends we envisage that Canada will continue to see new international retail players entering the market into the foreseeable future.