Canada Is Prime For Retail Opportunity

“As US companies struggle with sales and profit growth in a stalled global economy, and as the Internet continues to steal share of shoppers from the stores, the opportunity to expand into Canada has become very appealing,” said Wendy Liebmann, CEO of WSL/Strategic Retail. “While each of the major retail categories exist, Costco is the only Club; Walmart faces off against a weak Zellers (at least until Target arrives in 2013); and The Bay and Sears are the only mid-tier Department stores. The added bonus is that few Canadians shop Amazon.”

“While there is significant opportunity, we have also found important differences in the way Canadians think and shop, versus Americans, which will require US retailers to consider new strategies and approaches when entering this market,” continued Candace Corlett, President of WSL/Strategic Retail. “Interestingly, we’ve found that Canadians are less passionate about shopping, and their Internet activity is well below that of Americans.”