- The state-of-the-art digital content warehouse and 'App
Factory' will serve as the core digital hub for the Canadian Tire
Family of Companies
- The centre will add 50 new Winnipeg-based employees to the Canadian Tire
team over the next year
TORONTO, April 22, 2014 /CNW/ - Canadian Tire Corporation,
Limited (CTC) (TSX:CTC) (TSX:CTC.a) has officially opened its Cloud
Nine Digital Innovation Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. One of the most advanced
centres of its kind in North
America, the 28,000 square foot site will house a digital
content warehouse, application lab, testing lab and high
performance data centre. It will serve as the core digital hub for
the Canadian Tire Family of Companies and allow the Company to
provide greater digital services to its customers, suppliers,
employees and partners.
The new centre will provide the Company – which includes
Canadian Tire retail stores, Mark's, FGL Sports (Sport Chek, Hockey
Experts, Sports Experts, National Sports, Intersport, Pro Hockey
Life and Atmosphere), Partsource, Gas+ and Financial Services –
with 20-times more computing power and 10-times more network
bandwidth than its existing technology infrastructure. The new
facility will also be used to host its new 'App Factory,' where
advanced digital solutions and new technologies will be developed
for use in-store and online.
"At Canadian Tire, we've been serving Canadians for over 90
years and innovation has always been a hallmark of our history,"
said Eugene Roman, Senior Vice
President and Chief Technology Officer, Canadian Tire Corporation.
"The launch of the Cloud Nine Digital Innovation Centre is one of
the biggest digital endeavours ever taken on by the Company – the
applications we are developing here will enhance the in-store
shopping experiences for our customers, turbo-charge their
interaction with our brands online and provide great improvements
to our back-end operations."
Attached to the Cloud Nine Digital Innovation centre is an
Advanced Gamification space and Digital Media Hub called the
NEWcleus. The goal of the NEWcleus is to create technology to
change the way people communicate and interact with the Company's
retail stores.
"By bringing together a diverse group of individuals in a truly
inspiring space, we will continue to showcase innovation at
Canadian Tire. As retail turns into e-tail, we will continue to
connect our physical stores with digital and further enhance the
way our customers interact with our staff, our stores and our
brand," said Roman.
Canadian Tire selected Winnipeg
because of the city's burgeoning technology community, which is the
result of significant government investments in the sector from the
Province of Manitoba and the City
of Winnipeg.
"Manitoba continues to grow
with the creation of good jobs in new industries. Nowhere is this
more evident than the investments we're seeing in downtown
Winnipeg," said Manitoba Premier Greg
Selinger. "We are pleased to support Canadian Tire's Cloud
Nine Digital Innovation Centre and look forward to seeing even more
jobs created as a result of our incentives for new media and data
processing businesses."
CTC worked with YES! Winnipeg,
the city's business development team within Economic Development
Winnipeg Inc., for support with a number of critical program
elements, including sourcing local vendors and partners as well as
liaising with the Provincial and Municipal governments. This work
included playing a key role in facilitating Canadian Tire's
relationship with Manitoba Hydro and working to ensure that the
Cloud Nine Digital Innovation Centre meets the latest energy
efficiency and green computing standards.
"We are so pleased that Canadian Tire, one of Canada's most respected brands, has selected
Winnipeg as the site for their
advanced Cloud Nine Digital Innovation Centre and digital
gamification development lab," said Bill
Morrissey, Leader, Yes! Winnipeg, an initiative of Economic
Development Winnipeg Inc. "Not only does their decision validate
Winnipeg's very compelling value
proposition as a great place for new business operations, but this
centre will be a catalyst for further growth of our already-vibrant
ICT sector. We are so proud of the collaborative community
effort of support that was extended to Canadian Tire Corporation by
so many stakeholder organizations here."
Canadian Tire and its Family of Companies have recently made a
number of significant investments in agile technology solutions
that improve store operations and digitally power customer
interactions both in-store and online. In 2013, Canadian Tire
launched its new interactive online catalogue and announced that it
will be increasing the products available through its e-commerce
channels. FGL Sports opened a state-of-the-art Sport Chek 'lab'
store in Toronto, and in 2014,
launched its flagship store in West Edmonton Mall – both locations
combine unique hands-on experiences that bring the products to life
with interactive technology and digital installations. The Company
also became the first retail partner in Communitech with the
opening of a digital development lab in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, which will be
closely linked to the Cloud Nine Digital Innovation Centre in
Winnipeg.
About Canadian Tire Corporation
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited, (TSX:CTC.A) (TSX:CTC) or
"CTC," is a family of businesses that includes a retail segment, a
financial services division, CT REIT and Canadian Tire Jumpstart
Charities, CTC's affiliated national charity that is dedicated to
removing financial barriers so kids across Canada can participate in sports and physical
activities. Our retail business is led by Canadian Tire,
which was founded in 1922 and provides Canadians with products for
life in Canada across its Living, Playing, Fixing,
Automotive and Seasonal categories. PartSource and Gas+ are key
parts of the Canadian Tire network. The retail segment also
includes Mark's, a leading source for casual and industrial wear,
and FGL Sports (Sport Chek, Hockey Experts, Sports Experts,
National Sports, Intersport, Pro Hockey Life and Atmosphere), which
offers the best active wear brands. The nearly 1,700 retail and
gasoline outlets are supported and strengthened by our Financial
Services division and the approximately 85,000 people employed
across the Company. For more information, visit
corp.canadiantire.ca.
SOURCE CANADIAN TIRE CORPORATION, LIMITED