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Canadian Tire and Tim Hortons are readily identified as the most iconic Canadian brands.

Key Takeaways

  • Tim Hortons and Canadian Tire are most often identified as the most iconic Canadian brands, with some regional variation.

  • Canadians have mixed perceptions of whether brands like Loblaws, Roots, Dollarama, and Sobeys are Canadian.

  • People consider a brand Canadian based on factors like ownership, manufacturing, employment, history, and taxes paid in Canada.

With Canada Day quickly approaching, we wanted to understand which brands Canadians deem to be Canadian, and what influences whether or not a brand is considered Canadian.

Most iconic Canadian brands

Unaided, Tim Hortons is most often named as the most iconic Canadian brand, followed by Canadian Tire and Hudson’s Bay. No other brand is top of mind for more than five percent of Canadians. Tim Hortons is most often named as the most iconic Canadian brand across the country, with the exception of BC where Hudson’s Bay was top of mind.

When asked which of several presented brands are Canadian, perceptions vary notably. Across the country, Canadians agree that Canadian Tire is a Canadian brand, followed by Tim Hortons where seven in ten deem it to be a Canadian brand. No other brand, including Loblaws, Roots, Dollarama, Sobeys, A&W, or Lululemon, is considered a Canadian brand by more than half of Canadians. A few regional differences are evident, some reflecting where specific companies have their roots. Residents of Quebec (79%) are more likely to consider Tim Hortons a Canadian brand, while residents of BC are notably more likely to consider Lululemon a Canadian brand (50%).  A strong majority of Atlantic Canadians (73%) consider Sobeys a Canadian brand, and most Quebecers (53%) deem Dollarama to be a Canadian brand.

Which Brands Are Considered Canadian (Aided)?

Which Brands Are Considered Canadian?

Multiple factors are important to Canadians when deciding if a brand is Canadian, most notably if the product or service is made in Canada or whether the company is owned by Canadians. Employment, history and presence are also key factors with six in ten placing importance on employment of Canadians, if the company was founded in Canada or if it is headquartered in the country.  Whether or not a company pays taxes in Canada is also a consideration for most when deciding if a brand is Canadian. Age influences perceptions with those aged 55+ placing greater importance on most factors.

Considerations in Determining if a Brand is Canadian

Considerations in Determining if a Brand is Canadian

“At a time when Canadians are placing increased focus on buying local, there is notable uncertainty on which brands are actually Canadian. Companies like Dollarama, Loblaws and Sobeys do not appear to enjoy full recognition of their Canadian heritage,” said Narrative Research CEO Margaret Brigley. “Canadians place importance on a wide range of factors when deciding if a brand is Canadian, and identity goes beyond ownership. For instance, history matters and that clearly influences perceptions of organizations that were founded in or are headquartered in Canada (like Tim Hortons, Roots and Lululemon), but have ownership held outside the Country.”

For more information, please contact:

Margaret Brigley, CEO & Partner, Narrative Research – 902.493.3830, mbrigley@narrativeresearch.ca or Sam Pisani, Managing Partner, Logit Group – 416.629.4116, sam.pisani@logitgroup.com.

Narrative Research is a non-partisan, 100% Canadian-owned research company, certified as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE). Narrative Research provides clients with state-of-the-art research and strategic consulting services.

The Logit Group is a leading North American data collection and market research execution company headquartered in Toronto, conducting large-scale projects for a variety of well-known research agencies and brands. Logit employs industry-best technologies.