No matter the season or the economic climate, Canadians love to shop – Canadian retail sales hit $45 million in October of 2016 alone (Statistics Canada). This means retail franchises are always on the radar for prospective franchisees who are looking to capitalize on Canadians’ spending habits and establish franchise locations that keep bringing customers back for more.
In this “Retail Franchises Across Canada” feature, we take you from one side of the country to the other, exploring the wide variety of retail franchise opportunities that are thriving between the Pacific and Atlantic, from discount, clothing, and candy opportunities, to those offering greeting cards, smoking accessories, and jewellery and mobile repair.
Read on as FranchiseCanada helps you shop around for the right retail opportunity to suit your interests, price tag, and location!
Batteries Expert
With more than 65 franchises and 50 years of success, Batteries Expert is an undisputed leader in the retailing of energy products. The company boasts the most comprehensive product line of traditional and environmentally-sound battery solutions for the home and any size equipment, appliance or vehicle.
Batteries Expert is continually looking for dynamic entrepreneurs who want to share the experience of portable and alternative energy technologies. Batteries Expert franchisees benefit from a third-generation family-run business that’s been operating for 30 years, and has established a recognized and growing network of experts running more than 70 Batteries Expert points of sale throughout Ontario and Quebec.
The “Your satisfaction is ours” mission represents Batteries Expert’s added value, which consists of ensuring sustainable satisfaction through committed initiatives, as well as innovative service and product offerings that meet the growing demands and needs of current and future customers, and differentiate the company as the experts in energy.
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BESTSELLER Wholesale Canada Inc.
BESTSELLER is announcing a new franchise model for JACK & JONES, SELECTED HOMME, and VERO MODA in Canada as it looks to turn the major fashion label into an even more dominant global brand. BESTSELLER is a privately held company founded in Denmark in 1975 that designs and sells clothing, accessories, and footwear targeting young men and women, children, and teenagers.
The company provides support for franchisees when it comes to learning specialized skills, such as merchandising, purchasing, and other fashion-specific tasks, and is looking for franchisees with management and leadership experience. The ideal BESTSELLER franchisee is motivated, organized, and focused on customer service excellence.
BESTSELLER’s five-year development plan is to open 25 franchise stores across Canada, initially in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia. Since stores are well differentiated by market segment, the franchise is supportive of franchisees owning one of each brand in selected markets. It is also looking forward to moving into smaller centres across Canada.
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Buck or Two Plus!
Buck or Two Plus! is a Canada-wide franchise chain of extreme-value retailers offering one of the most exciting franchise opportunities today. The company is looking for franchisees with retail experience, enthusiasm, superior customer service, and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
Buck or Two Plus! provides a turnkey operation, including a list of approved vendors and a fully-equipped computer system with proprietary software designed to make day-to-day operations easier and more efficient. The in-house real estate department will also help locate suitable sites, and franchisees have access to an exclusive ordering system that maximizes product assortment and includes pre-negotiated pricing exclusive to the channel.
The company’s support team is highly experienced and is dedicated to ensuring every franchisee’s success. This team understands that knowledge is very important in the retail industry, and offers an all-inclusive training package that brings all the components of operating a successful retail business into one easily-understood program.
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Crock A Doodle
Crock A Doodle is Canada’s retail pottery painting franchise, bringing people together to create, laugh, share, and grow, while transforming ready-to-paint pottery pieces into amazing works of art. As a proven business concept with powerful branding and ongoing support, Crock A Doodle offers a unique and exciting business opportunity.
Crock A Doodle is committed to helping franchisees create success, with a program that provides the training, tools, and support to help franchisees bring their pottery-painting franchise concept to life in their community. With great profit margins, a powerful POS system, and a unique local marketing approach, franchisees have what they need to create great success.
With a Crock A Doodle franchise opportunity, franchisees will get dedicated support every step of the way, including: assistance with retail site selection and build-out process, comprehensive franchisee training program, use of Crock A Doodle brand and trademark, ongoing marketing and promotional support, established distribution system, and operations and marketing manuals.
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Fast-Fix Jewellery and Watch Repairs®
Established in 1984, Fast-Fix Jewellery and Watch Repairs® is the world’s largest and most trusted consumer choice for jewellery, watch, and smartphone repair services, as well as custom jewellery design and personalized engraving services. Each store is staffed with some of the industry’s best jewellers, watchmakers, watch repair professionals, and smartphone technicians who provide superior quality services.
A successful Fast-Fix franchisee is someone with knowledge and experience in business, sales, and marketing. While knowing a thing or two about jewellery or watches is helpful, it is absolutely not required. The company assists franchisees in how to market, choose the right location, build out the space, advertise, and more, and also shows franchisees what to look for when hiring experts and skilled craftsmen for their stores.
Combined with the company’s ongoing support, training, and access to both the company and other franchisees, Fast-Fix strengthens its franchise brand and loyalty, and helps franchisees on the journey to becoming franchisee success stories.
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Forest of Flowers
Forest of Flowers was established in London, Ontario in 1996. The unique supply network provides for a broad assortment of field-fresh, high-quality flowers at supermarket prices, creatively displayed in spacious walk-in coolers.
As a Forest of Flowers franchisee, the emotional satisfaction from selling the world’s ultimate “feel-good” product is highlighted by the reassurance of providing outstanding value to customers.
The experienced Franchise Care Team is committed to helping franchisees realize a high return on their franchise investment with the proven business model. The comprehensive Franchise Support Program will assist franchisees with site selection, store design, product design, and training and operations standards.
Prospective franchisees who can deliver outstanding customer care and have the management skills and the desire to be in command of their success are strong candidates for growth with the Forest of Flowers family.
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Giant Tiger Stores Limited
Giant Tiger is a family discount department store, selling fashion clothing, groceries, and household products. Company operations began in 1961, and the first franchise outlet was established in 1964.
Giant Tiger gives franchise owners/operators the opportunity to manage and own a retail franchise; to use their skills to influence the store’s bottom-line results; to determine the store’s product assortment according to community needs; to get actively involved in and connect with the store’s local community; and to be part of a profitable Canadian brand with more than 50 years of proven success.
Giant Tiger is looking for individuals who want to make a difference in their careers and in their communities. Interested parties must have prior retail management experience and must complete the Management Development Program (MDP) to begin their journey towards potential franchise ownership. The MDP provides prospective franchisees with the opportunity to enhance their skills and lay the groundwork for an exciting career as a franchise owner/operator.
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Great Canadian Dollar Store (1993) Ltd.
Being a franchise member with Great Canadian Dollar Store, a 100 per cent Canadian owned and operated company, has many advantages. The company is a dollar store leader, offering brand recognition, site selection assistance, customized 3Ps training, and a proven business model featuring POS inventory controls.
Great Canadian Dollar Store provides its franchise members with store opening assistance, and with its ongoing support system, works with franchise members to grow their businesses. The company’s franchise members also benefit from strong purchasing power with negotiated supplier pricing and rebates.
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Hallmark Cards Canada
Hallmark is one of the world’s most recognized brand names, and is known as an industry leader in its product development and merchandising innovation. Hallmark Canada’s Gold Crown network of stores represents its premier retail destination of choice for greeting cards, personal expression products, and gifts.
Prospective Hallmark franchisees will benefit from becoming part of a nearly-100-year legacy of helping Canadians connect, create, and celebrate with family and friends. The Hallmark Gold Crown owner network of single and multiple stores totals more than 230 locations worldwide.
Hallmark offers first-class marketing support, exclusive training, customer-awareness benefits, and merchandising services to help build a business that franchisees can take pride in. The Hallmark Retail University (HRU) Series provides training catered to match the needs of each franchisee. Seminars and training products include: Owner’s Training Library, Manager’s Training Library, Sales Associate Training 1-2-3, Product Knowledge, Store Policies and Procedures Manual, and Greeting Card Experts.
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Jupiter
Jupiter manufactures, imports, and retails smoking accessories (water pipes, vaporizers, e-cigs, scales, grinders, papers, detoxification products, and many other premium specialty gift items). The company’s adaptable concept has been refined across Canada, and will ensure franchisees a return on their investment.
Jupiter’s number one goal as a franchisor is to help franchisees build a successful Jupiter retail outlet. The Jupiter management team will arrive on-site before the store opens to ensure franchisee has the correct inventory and is merchandised properly. Jupiter will assist in training staff on sales techniques, merchandising, and the use of the POS system. After the grand opening, one Jupiter team member will remain to assist the franchisee with store-related issues.
Ongoing support includes access to the Jupiter management team, sharing of best practices, ongoing research and development, updated operations manuals, negotiations and management of suppliers with preferred pricing, business planning and coaching, and annual business reviews.
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KMS Tools & Equipment
KMS Tools and Equipment is a large retailer/industrial distributor of high-quality professional tools and value-priced occasional use tools. The company offers a wide range of product categories, including welding, woodworking, automotive, safety, and industrial, and has developed a friendly neighbourhood feel, backed by strong supply chain management. Customers who have shopped at KMS for years are aware of the distinct culture, influenced by company founder Stan Pridham.
KMS Tools provides an excellent environment for someone who is familiar with and enjoys working in the tool industry, and it rewards the individual with entrepreneurial drive who wants to reap the rewards of their hard work. The company’s support network provides franchisees with assistance when it comes to site selection, leasing, and store layout; product knowledge training; marketing; employee recruitment; warehouse and inventory management; and much more.
The tool business is a stable choice in all market conditions, and has allowed KMS to grow significantly over the past 10 years.
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Living LIGHTING
Living LIGHTING is Canada’s largest franchise lighting chain; a retail concept that focuses on stylish, high-quality lighting products and fashionable décor for the home. The business is best described as a specialty lighting retailer “where solutions come to light.” Emphasis is placed on well-designed, quality lighting for the home, with expert decor advice and service. Store locations are between 3,000 to 6,000 square feet in size, and are strategically located in open air retail centres and power centres.
The company provides dynamic support to its franchisees in the form of innovative marketing programs (including magazine, newspaper, digital, social media, and radio advertising, as well as full-colour promotional flyers), unparalleled purchasing power, volume discounts, monthly advertising specials, training, and store design.
Living LIGHTING has franchised locations operating in Ontario and Nova Scotia, and has a vision to expand into Western Canada and into markets surrounding the Greater Toronto Area. This presents exciting opportunities to potential franchisees, in an industry that continues to grow year after year and is becoming increasingly relevant in the renovation and design market.
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Mobile Klinik
Mobile Klinik offers in line/kiosk locations specializing in the ‘while-you-wait’ repair of smartphones and tablets. Most repairs are completed in 60 minutes or less, and no appointments are required. Expertise is provided to customers through trained technicians, with immediate diagnosis and quotations provided. The company also offers a lifetime warranty on all repairs.
Mobile Klinik franchisees benefit from Mobile Klinik’s partnership with PSM, a blue-chip European mobile phone and tablet repair business with 10 years of experience and more than 250 locations. With Mobile Klinik’s introduction to Canada, most key locations across the country are still available. Franchisees benefit from: territory sole rights and/or first rights of refusal in the case of in-line and kiosks (subject to meeting operational standards); store launch marketing and print; fully trained and certified technical repair staff; use of Mobile Klinik best practices, operating methods, and systems; use of the centralized stock ordering and quality assurance system; and a share of current national accounts business.
Mobile Klinik is growing rapidly, so now is the opportunity to be part of the Canada rollout program.
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Plato’s Closet
If there’s one constant with the teen to twenty-something demographic, it’s change. And nothing requires more attention than their changing fashion needs! They spend money to stay trendy – $50 billion, plus another $170 billion that others spend on them! As the established franchise leader in the teen resale space, Plato’s Closet offers gently-used, brand-name apparel and accessories at a fraction of the retail cost, and is the fastest growing teen retail franchise in North America.
Most new Plato’s Closet franchisees have not come from an extensive retail background, but what they share is the passion to be successful and to own their own business. The Plato’s Closet training team teaches franchisees the ins and outs of retail and ensure they have the foundation for a successful future.
The brand is expanding rapidly, but there are still untapped markets across the U.S. and Canada ripe for a new franchisee to establish their own Plato’s Closet business.
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Smoker’s Corner Ltd.
Smoker’s Corner Ltd. is Canada’s largest smoking accessories chain, and is still growing. The company prides itself on its high-quality glassware, outstanding customer service, a wide range of North American product lines, knowledgeable and friendly staff, a patented sleek store design, and inexpensive pricing.
Smoker’s Corner Ltd. currently owns and operates 17 locations, and is constantly expanding. The company is a step ahead of the rest, from its modern curb appeal to its leading trademarked designs, and is smoking out the competition.
The company’s National Expansion Program will assist franchisees in opening an elite world-class business, which specializes in the newest and hottest products in the market to date.
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Sticky’s Candy
Sticky’s Candy stores provide the ultimate sugar experience, offering customers edible nostalgia in a fun, unique, and novel environment. Customers range in age from 8 months to beyond 88 years, and have an appetite for all things candy. The company’s commitment to its customers includes supplying the freshest and highest quality items in varieties fit for royalty.
Sticky’s Candy is a British Columbia born franchise, and is Canada’s fastest-growing candy store franchise. This skyrocketing company knows that it takes a certain kind of person to run a candy store. The company provides franchisees with a full turnkey operation (a complete set of services that get you from sign-up to open up): training, store design, store build out, inventory management, and store opening assistance.
Many areas of British Columbia already have a Sticky’s Candy location, but the company is always developing and opening new stores across the provinces, and is looking to expand in other regions, such as Alberta, Ontario, and the East Coast.
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Style Encore
As the newest brand in the Winmark family, Style Encore offers a unique retail franchise opportunity. Winmark is the leading resale franchisor, with more than 1,150 small businesses operating in North America. Style Encore specializes in buying and selling gently-used casual and business apparel and accessories for women. Style Encore gives customers the resource to sell items they no longer wear, get paid cash on the spot, and purchase new items at a tremendous value.
Prospective franchisees with a passion for fashion, interacting with customers, recycling product, or who are simply excited about learning how they can build their own business, may be the right fit to open a Style Encore business.
Starting a small business is exciting, and can be a bit overwhelming. With nearly 30 years of experience in franchising, Winmark Corporation has the support, training, and tools to make a franchisee’s dream of opening their own business become reality.
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uBreakiFix
uBreakiFix is a leading and fast-growing electronics repair company that’s disrupting the traditional electronics repair industry. With more than 400 retail locations in development in North America, including 50 in Canada, uBreakiFix repairs more than 75,000 smartphones, tablets, and other consumer electronic devices every month. From broken screens to power-related issues, uBreakiFix is quickly becoming the preferred choice for fast, affordable, and reliable electronics repair solutions.
The company is looking for franchisees with a passion for the tech industry (or at least an appreciation of it), a hardworking nature and positive attitude, an interest in helping others, an entrepreneurial spirit, the ability to put customers above all else, and who will embrace the uBreakiFix brand and corporate culture.
uBreakiFix has built state-of-the-art systems and infrastructure to help franchisees keep tab on their day-to-day store operations, and to keep their location stocked with all the parts they need to make the best repairs in the business.