Breaks new ground in retail and joins technology start-ups in
Kitchener-Waterloo to invent new
technology and develop new applications for 'retail of the
future'
TORONTO,
March 21, 2013 /CNW/ - Canadian Tire
today opened its new digital development lab in Silicon Valley
North, joining nearly 1000 companies as the first retail partner in
Communitech. Communitech supports tech companies at all
stages of their growth and development — from startups to rapidly
growing SMEs, to large global players — in the commercialization of
innovative technologies.
Canadian Tire announced it will have five full time employees on
site in Kitchener and is working in dedicated space within the
Communitech 'hub' to improve the shopping experience online and
in-store for customers using 'next in class' advancements in
digital technology. Canadian Tire is excited to be part of
this powerful digital community as customer-facing and operational
initiatives will help grow its retail business.
"Canadian Tire has decided that digital is - and will be - a
core strategic differentiator in retail," said Marco Marrone, Chief Operating Officer for
Canadian Tire. "We have been on a digital journey for several
years now - and it is clear that to succeed we need strong
capabilities in digital and technology. Our Communitech
partnership puts us deep inside the smartest brain trust in
Canada and will deliver the 'next
in class' thinking that we need to lead the retail industry and
deliver a better customer experience."
"Where we used to focus on large-scale technology builds, we're
now capitalizing on investments we, and others, have already made
and are implementing technology much more quickly," concluded
Marrone. "We have built an internal team and our app lab will
explore and deliver consumer applications that support our digital
vision."
Canadian Tire has a strong digital base to build on: Canadian
Tire is the most visited retail website in Canada with more than 100 million visits in
2012; it has a popular retail app and an e-flyer that has had more
than 20 million views. A new digital hub launching in early
April 2013 will seamlessly integrate
Canadian Tire's vast product assortment with a robust social news
feed and classic 'catalogue' and 'magazine' style content that
celebrates user-generated content and profiles of life in
Canada. Digital advancements
in other CTC business units, like FGL, are also advancing the
Company's overall digital strategy. Sport Chek has opened a 'living
lab,' the most advanced digital retail space in North America on Yonge Street in Toronto, with more than 140 screens in less
than 12,000 square feet that are pulling from more than 70 custom
content feeds.
About Canadian Tire Corporation
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (TSX:CTC.a) (TSX:CTC) is a
Family of Companies that includes Canadian Tire Retail, Partsource,
Gas+, FGL Sports (Sport Chek, Hockey Experts, Sports Experts,
National Sports, Intersport and Atmosphere), Mark's and Canadian
Tire Financial Services. With more than 1,700 retail and
gasoline outlets from coast-to-coast, our primary retail business
categories - Automotive, Living, Fixing, Playing and Apparel - are
supported and strengthened by our Financial Services division. Over
85,000 people are employed across the Canadian Tire enterprise,
which was founded in 1922 and remains one of Canada's most recognized and trusted brands.
For more information, visit Corp.CanadianTire.ca.
SOURCE CANADIAN TIRE CORPORATION, LIMITED