Industry landscapes
The companies, capital and talent shaping retail in Canada. Find the leaders. Understand the segments. See where the activity is.
An industry ecosystem,
measured in context.
24 featured companies from the funding, hiring, revenue and team-size leaderboards.
Locked revenue figures are available in Radar; the eight company financial previews stay the same throughout this page. A dash means the figure is outside these featured lists. Revenue years vary by company; the figures are not a like-for-like revenue comparison. Compare annual accounts ↗
No company example met every recorded classification, independence and public-profile gate in this snapshot. The live directory may have newer qualifying companies.
Explore classified startups in Radar ↗A few useful ratios bring the size of this ecosystem into perspective.
305 of 5,640 tracked companies have open roles.
359 of 5,640 tracked companies have a recorded round.
Share of disclosed capital received by the three largest recorded recipients.
Midpoint of 432 rounds with a disclosed amount.
Scale is concentrated. Opportunity is broader. The three largest funding recipients hold 22.5% of disclosed capital, while 93.6% of tracked companies have no recorded funding round.
Explore the segments →Recorded company formation and disclosed funding across the complete annual series shown.
Sum of recorded funding rounds · USD
| Year | Funding (USD) | Founded | Raising |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $197.35M | 260 | 28 |
| 2017 | $273.65M | 313 | 23 |
| 2018 | $815.68M | 370 | 29 |
| 2019 | $758.38M | 412 | 46 |
| 2020 | $380.91M | 618 | 42 |
| 2021 | $784.87M | 424 | 52 |
| 2022 | $939.91M | 272 | 49 |
| 2023 | $102.45M | 160 | 30 |
| 2024 | $208.93M | 82 | 20 |
| 2025 | $279.06M | 17 | 25 |
Share of all disclosed company funding.
561 recorded rounds since 2016
Recorded participation in retail company rounds since 2016.
Backed by .
Backed by CDPQ and Invest Quebec and others.
Backed by SoftBank Vision Fund and StepStone and others.
Backed by Streamlined Ventures.
Backed by Export Development Canada and H&M Group.
Backed by Sunstone Partners and Delta-v Capital and others.
Backed by Nicola Wealth and Canadian Business Growth Fund and others.
Backed by Imperial Brands.
Backed by General Atlantic and Encore Consumer Capital.
Backed by General Atlantic and Insight Partners.
Backed by CDPQ and Invest Quebec and others.
The measured Canada identity-to-filing probe did not produce a qualifying designated legal or national-ID join: world_filings_distributed exposes no reviewed Canadian national-ID key; none of the designated Canadian identities carried a CIK.
How the Canada companies on this page show up online: the sites people visit, the apps they install, and how often those apps ship.
121 of the 5,641 companies on this page carry a measured traffic record (2.1%); these are the largest of those, by monthly visits. The median among them is 343,425 visits.
| Company | Monthly visits | Authority | Mobile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopshop.app | 307,108,224 | 65 | 81.8% |
| Walmartwalmart.ca | 34,189,721 | 83 | 66.8% |
| Canadian Tirecanadiantire.ca | 22,993,746 | 82 | 69.7% |
| Costcocostco.ca | 16,525,394 | 76 | 52.5% |
| Aritziaaritzia.com | 13,622,663 | 68 | 72.4% |
| Best Buybestbuy.ca | 13,285,317 | 77 | 57% |
| Kijijikijiji.ca | 12,069,966 | 74 | 54.5% |
| Thinkificthinkific.com | 8,212,799 | 53 | 51.4% |
| Shoppers Drug Mart Corporationshoppersdrugmart.ca | 5,727,025 | 73 | 73.3% |
| SSENSEssense.com | 5,641,512 | 62 | 55.5% |
Visits and authority are third-party web estimates, not company-reported figures.
269 of these companies (4.8%) publish at least one Android app — 386 apps in all, carrying 1.4B installs between them.
| App | Installs | Rating | Store category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello Kitty Nail SalonBudge Studios | 263.7M | 4.4 | Casual |
| Barbie Dreamhouse AdventuresBudge Studios | 150.4M | 4.2 | Simulation |
| Barbie Magical FashionBudge Studios | 100.7M | 4.4 | Casual |
| Shop: All your favorite brandsShop | 72.4M | 4.4 | Shopping |
| Strawberry Shortcake Bake ShopBudge Studios | 65.8M | 4.6 | Casual |
| Hot Wheels UnlimitedBudge Studios | 63.2M | 4.5 | Racing |
| Bluey: Let\'s Play!Budge Studios | 59.3M | 4.3 | Casual |
| Thomas & Friends: Go Go ThomasBudge Studios | 59.1M | 4.3 | Racing |
| Hello Kitty LunchboxBudge Studios | 52.5M | 4.6 | Casual |
| My Little Pony Rainbow RunnersBudge Studios | 51.6M | 4.5 | Casual |
Installs are lifetime totals to date at the June 2026 store reading — a measure of reach, not of people using an app today.
The busiest app inside each of this page’s own segments, with the quarterly release trend behind it (2023Q4–2026Q2).
| Segment | Apps | Installs | Leading app | Release trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online Mom & Baby Care | 39 | 1.2B | Hello Kitty Nail Salon 263.7M | |
| Pre-K Edtech | 35 | 1.2B | Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures 150.4M | |
| E-Commerce Enablers | 39 | 73.2M | Shop: All your favorite brands 72.4M | |
| Coupons And Deals | 23 | 55.2M | Flipp: Shop Grocery Deals 25.3M | |
| Horizontal E-Commerce | 33 | 35.2M | ShopSavvy - Barcode Scanner 17.3M | |
| Loyalty Software | 3 | 12.7M | PC Optimum 9.1M | |
| Online Grocery | 19 | 12.5M | Checkout 51: Cash Back Savings 12.3M | |
| Payments | 4 | 11M | AlertPay UPI Mobile Soundbox 11M |
A company can carry several segment tags, so these rows overlap and should not be added together. Trend lines are zero-based and share one quarter grid, so a flat line is a quiet segment, not a missing one.
New apps published, beside apps whose most recent update landed in that quarter — the second bar is how much of the shelf is still being maintained.
Darker bars are new releases, lighter bars apps updated. 346 of 386 apps carry a release date. The series ends at 2026Q1, the last quarter that closed before the June 2026 reading.
Explore the segments behind the headline numbers.
Rank segments by scale, hiring or disclosed funding.
Companies can sit in several segments. Counts and funding overlap.
The largest measured segment in this report snapshot.
90 companies hiring · $1.31B disclosed funding
Explore in RadarCommon revenue models; a company can use more than one.
Recorded corporate activity linked to companies in this landscape.
Francisco Partners, a US-based technology-focused private equity firm, is reportedly in advanced negotiations to acquire Moneris, one of Canada's largest merchant payment processors, from its joint owners, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and Bank of Montreal (BMO). The potential transaction is valued at up to USD 2 billion, according to reports.
In 2018, KKR bought Flora (then known as Upfield) from Unilever for 6.8 billion euros as part of a strategic restructuring following the threat of a hostile takeover bid by Kraft Heinz.
When Lightspeed announced it had bought Upserve from Vista Equity Partners in December, the acquired company had 7,000 customer locations, had generated more than US$6-billion in gross transaction volume (GTV) over the prior fiscal year and generated US$40-million in annual revenue. Lightspeed paid US$123-million in net cash plus shares for that deal.
Tilray completing a £33m acquisition of the BrewDog brand
Emblem Cannabis Corporation, a wholly‑owned subsidiary of Red White & Bloom Brands Inc. was selected as the successful bidder in the court‑supervised sale in connection with the insolvency proceedings of Ayurcann Holdings Corp. and Ayurcann Inc.
PesoRama Inc. (TSXV: PESO) ... intends to complete a non-brokered private placement of up to 20,000,000 units ... resulting in gross proceeds to the Company of $7.0 million.
Tulip acquired Salesfloor to expand its omnichannel retail customer experience capabilities and strengthen its position in associate-led selling.
"$150M in capital builds on a previous $60M, bringing the total financial support for FreshLine to north of US$200M."
Gen, a global leader dedicated to powering Digital Freedom, announced it has acquired Trellis, a technology-driven platform that simplifies and automates shopping for insurance.
Avant Brands Inc. (TSX:AVNT)(OTCQX:AVTBF)(FRA:1BU0) ('Avant' or the 'Company'), is pleased to announce that it has entered into a debt settlement agreement (the 'Agreement') with an institutional investor (the 'Creditor') to retire a significant portion of the Company's largest remaining debt obligation (the 'Transaction').
Top 10 categories among 1,883 recorded events in the 24-month window.
3 companies with recorded IPO activity
Follow-on Offering · NASDAQ1 reports
IPO · NASDAQ1 reports
IPO1 reports
81 tracked people moves
Appointment Director
Appointment Director
Departure Previously Director
Appointment Chief Executive Officer
Appointment Chief Financial Officer
Promotion Chief Executive Officer
Appointment vice president of Growth Marketing
Resignation
Products, platforms and features in the recorded window
Ready-to-Drink Cocktail
Ready-to-Drink Cocktail
Feature
Pet treats
Integration
Mobile app
Platform feature
Inventory Automation Tool
31 recorded customer wins
Customer: timTelecommunications
Customer: telecom italiaInfrastructure
Customer: carlsbergBeverage
Customer: carlsberg groupConsumer Goods
Customer: TIRX
Customer: Tian Ruixiang
17 companies with reported reductions
Scale not stated rolesAI efficiency
215 rolescost reduction
20.0% rolesmisleading sales figures
100 rolescost reduction
140 rolestariff threat
Scale not stated rolesoperational efficiency
40 recorded events
qualified for up to $5 millionU.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
approved for renewal of issuer bidTSX
approved transactionQuebec Superior Court
approvedcourt
22 tracked suits
forever chemicals investigation in apparelRegulatory · Ongoing
Flyknit patent claimsPatent · Appeal
Reported company results in the recorded window.
Median across 577 reported growth observations; companies may contribute multiple periods.
Company-linked deal reports; status is preserved as recorded.
| Acquirer → target | Status | Date | Value / context |
|---|---|---|---|
| francisco partners→Moneris ↗ | Announced | 2026-05-05 | $2.0B |
| kkr→Flora ↗ | Completed | 2026-04-30 | Not stated in snapshot |
| Lightspeed→upserve | Announced | 2026-04-29 | $123.0M |
| tulip→Salesfloor ↗ | Announced | 2026-03-26 | Not stated in snapshot |
| Hudson\'s Bay Company→Kohl\'s | Rumored | 2026-03-21 | Not stated in snapshot |
| Tilray→sweetwater brewing | 2026-03-13 | $300.0M |
A discussion or rumour is not a completed transaction. An unstated value is not zero.
13,945 postings in the preceding 12 months. The full 24,495-posting snapshot covers 353 employers.
184 tracked postings mention remote work.
5,999 postings specify a level.
Top skills across 24,495 tracked postings in the available jobs snapshot.
Median across 2,214 postings with pay data, expressed in USD.
Advertised posting medians do not describe all employees or roles.
| Company | Open roles |
|---|---|
| Winners ↗ | 11 |
| Ardene ↗ | 11 |
| North West ↗ | 11 |
| METRIE ↗ | 11 |
| Sobeys ↗ | 11 |
| Sitter.com ↗ | 11 |
| fgl sports ↗ | 11 |
| Moneris ↗ | 11 |
| Company | Employees |
|---|---|
| loblaw companies ↗ | 221,000 |
| Sobeys ↗ | 131,000 |
| Alimentation Couche-Tard ↗ | 128,000 |
| Couche-Tard ↗ | 105,000 |
| Metro Richelieu ↗ | 95,000 |
| lululemon ↗ | 34,000 |
| Canadian Tire ↗ | 29,170 |
| rona ↗ | 22,000 |
1,415 founders and chief executives across 1,191 companies.
Cape Breton Eagles, ex-Aphria, ex-The Hain Celestial
Ex-Founder Never Apart, Bitmovers · The University of British Columbia BSc 1999
Ex-3D One Corp, Export Development Canada, Business Development Bank of Canada. University of Ottawa BA 2003…
Ex-Baidu, Kingsoft. Middlesex University BSc 2007, Loughborough University MCA 2008
Elastic Path, ex-Elastic Path Software, ex-Futurpreneur, Royal Roads University, 2000
Ex-Point2 Technologies, Delron Computers · University of Saskatchewan BSc 1989
Osf Digital, ex-Eskill, ex-Agilewords, Université Laval, 2005
HR REIT, ex-FrontFour Real Asset Alternatives, CIBC Capital Markets, Raymond James Financial, The Altus Group. McMaster University BTech & MBA…
Auxly Cannabis Group, ex-Canopy Growth, Bruce Mau Design. Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology 1999
Founder & CEO Canada Pooch, RSM Richter, PricewaterhouseCoopers. Queen's University B.Com 2007
Ex-Evisors, AfexGroup, Education Nationale. Carnegie Mellon University BS
Director - Futurpreneur Canada. INSEAD Master of Business Administration 2012, Queen's University Bachelor of Commerce 2005
153 profiles with education records.
16 profiles with prior-work records.
Profiles cover recorded founders and leaders; contact details remain in Radar.
1,351,592 articles in the measured 12-month window.
Retail coverage across Canada · articles per complete quarter
| Quarter | Articles |
|---|---|
| 2021Q2 | 365,741 |
| 2021Q3 | 377,196 |
| 2021Q4 | 379,137 |
| 2022Q1 | 394,676 |
| 2022Q2 | 390,450 |
| 2022Q3 | 408,589 |
| 2022Q4 | 457,529 |
| 2023Q1 | 471,323 |
| 2023Q2 | 461,224 |
| 2023Q3 | 419,161 |
| 2023Q4 | 366,812 |
| 2024Q1 | 369,938 |
| 2024Q2 | 359,224 |
| 2024Q3 | 333,661 |
| 2024Q4 | 346,168 |
| 2025Q1 | 535,702 |
| 2025Q2 | 332,035 |
| 2025Q3 | 884,426 |
| 2025Q4 | 131,029 |
| 2026Q1 | 175,550 |
Article volume measures coverage, not market sales.
4,316 recorded company events across 138 companies; percentages use that event total.
Retail coverage across Canada · ranked by full-period article count.
Recent and prior counts use the source comparison windows.
Retail coverage across Canada
| Keyword | Recent | Prior | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| multilateral diplomacy | 1,068 | 724 | 48% |
| angel investors | 1,034 | 387 | 167% |
| ice sports | 881 | 228 | 286% |
| international cups | 818 | 573 | 43% |
| wto rulings | 756 | 394 | 92% |
| investment deal | 754 | 440 | 71% |
| national security strategy | 624 | 388 | 61% |
| share price | 623 | 433 | 44% |
| public offering | 600 | 412 | 46% |
| international cooperation | 571 | 387 | 48% |
| tariff negotiations | 6,300 | 15,313 | -59% |
| free trade deals | 3,130 | 6,389 | -51% |
| trade dispute mechanisms | 2,929 | 4,672 | -37% |
| bilateral trade | 1,919 | 3,519 | -45% |
| preferential tariff | 1,250 | 3,255 | -62% |
Retail coverage across Canada
tariff negotiations, free trade deals, trade dispute mechanisms
36.0% critical · 35.3% positiveangel investors, investment deal, trade deficits fx
28.0% critical · 42.7% positiveleague expansion news, earnings report, quarterly financials
26.5% critical · 46.7% positiveRetail coverage across Canada. Topic labels describe recorded classifications and can include broad context.
Compare demand signals in Canada’s newsflow with the retail categories mapped to each signal.
Signal percentile − supply percentile = gap in percentile points. Positive gaps highlight questions to investigate. A high signal can reflect spending pressure or access friction, as well as potential demand.
The comparison is relative to the signal families on this page. A supply percentile of zero means the lowest relative reading, not zero companies. It is a prioritisation clue, not measured market size or unmet demand.
Signal and mapped-supply percentiles, their gap, and change in the signal’s article share.
Swipe horizontally to compare all columns →
| Signal family | Signal percentile | Supply percentile | Relative gap | Gap (points) | Signal share vs prior year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highways & expressways ↗Connectivity Build-Out | 50.0 | 0.0 | +50.0 | +70.1% | |
| Layoffs & income shocks ↗Spending Pressure | 66.7 | 20.0 | +46.7 | +20.9% | |
| Tourism footfall ↗Demand Driver | 58.3 | 40.0 | +18.3 | +43.3% | |
| Rail & metro connectivity ↗Connectivity Build-Out | 50.0 | 80.0 | -30.0 | +112.9% | |
| Housing & urban expansion ↗Demand Driver | 33.3 | 80.0 | -46.7 | +15.4% | |
| Inflation & spending pressure ↗Spending Pressure | 33.3 | 80.0 | -46.7 | -15.4% | |
| Congestion & traffic friction ↗Access Friction | 58.3 | — | No matching category | — | +14.2% |
Showing all 7 signals. Select a family for its history and mapped categories.
All 9 city readings for these demand families in the comparison geography. Canada is highlighted.
Each city’s reading is a share of its own coverage.
Congestion & traffic friction · Tourism footfall · Inflation & spending pressure
Congestion & traffic friction · Inflation & spending pressure · Tourism footfall
Congestion & traffic friction · Highways & expressways · Tourism footfall
Congestion & traffic friction · Highways & expressways · Tourism footfall
Congestion & traffic friction · Layoffs & income shocks · Housing & urban expansion
Layoffs & income shocks · Rail & metro connectivity · Housing & urban expansion
Congestion & traffic friction · Tourism footfall · Layoffs & income shocks
Congestion & traffic friction · Highways & expressways · Tourism footfall
Layoffs & income shocks · Rail & metro connectivity · Congestion & traffic friction
Corridor build-out can collapse travel time, widening every catchment.
Companies can appear in multiple categories; these counts are not a unique-company total.
Mentions per 10,000 articles · zero baseline
| Quarter | Mentions | Per 10,000 articles |
|---|---|---|
| 2024Q3 | 44 | 6.26 |
| 2024Q4 | 35 | 4.66 |
| 2025Q1 | 43 | 4.4 |
| 2025Q2 | 32 | 4.91 |
| 2025Q3 | 61 | 4.75 |
| 2025Q4 | 27 | 6.54 |
| 2026Q1 | 48 | 9.99 |
Layoff cycles can pull discretionary spend back toward value offerings.
Companies can appear in multiple categories; these counts are not a unique-company total.
Mentions per 10,000 articles · zero baseline
| Quarter | Mentions | Per 10,000 articles |
|---|---|---|
| 2024Q3 | 116 | 16.51 |
| 2024Q4 | 107 | 14.25 |
| 2025Q1 | 135 | 13.83 |
| 2025Q2 | 93 | 14.26 |
| 2025Q3 | 160 | 12.46 |
| 2025Q4 | 93 | 22.51 |
| 2026Q1 | 111 | 23.09 |
Visitor flows can convert into discretionary spend where they land.
Companies can appear in multiple categories; these counts are not a unique-company total.
Mentions per 10,000 articles · zero baseline
| Quarter | Mentions | Per 10,000 articles |
|---|---|---|
| 2024Q3 | 59 | 8.4 |
| 2024Q4 | 49 | 6.53 |
| 2025Q1 | 56 | 5.74 |
| 2025Q2 | 69 | 10.58 |
| 2025Q3 | 92 | 7.17 |
| 2025Q4 | 74 | 17.91 |
| 2026Q1 | 51 | 10.61 |
Where rail and metro build out, station-area demand can follow the footfall.
Companies can appear in multiple categories; these counts are not a unique-company total.
Mentions per 10,000 articles · zero baseline
| Quarter | Mentions | Per 10,000 articles |
|---|---|---|
| 2024Q3 | 19 | 2.7 |
| 2024Q4 | 17 | 2.26 |
| 2025Q1 | 40 | 4.1 |
| 2025Q2 | 9 | 1.38 |
| 2025Q3 | 21 | 1.64 |
| 2025Q4 | 35 | 8.47 |
| 2026Q1 | 53 | 11.03 |
New residential catchments can pull everyday demand with them.
Companies can appear in multiple categories; these counts are not a unique-company total.
Mentions per 10,000 articles · zero baseline
| Quarter | Mentions | Per 10,000 articles |
|---|---|---|
| 2024Q3 | 82 | 11.67 |
| 2024Q4 | 59 | 7.86 |
| 2025Q1 | 62 | 6.35 |
| 2025Q2 | 65 | 9.97 |
| 2025Q3 | 92 | 7.17 |
| 2025Q4 | 48 | 11.62 |
| 2026Q1 | 81 | 16.85 |
Sustained price pressure can shift spending toward value formats.
Companies can appear in multiple categories; these counts are not a unique-company total.
Mentions per 10,000 articles · zero baseline
| Quarter | Mentions | Per 10,000 articles |
|---|---|---|
| 2024Q3 | 93 | 13.24 |
| 2024Q4 | 127 | 16.92 |
| 2025Q1 | 234 | 23.97 |
| 2025Q2 | 118 | 18.09 |
| 2025Q3 | 147 | 11.45 |
| 2025Q4 | 107 | 25.9 |
| 2026Q1 | 84 | 17.47 |
Congestion friction can push footfall toward nearby formats and toward delivery.
This signal has no matching category in the page’s retail market map, so no supply percentile or gap is assigned.
Mentions per 10,000 articles · zero baseline
| Quarter | Mentions | Per 10,000 articles |
|---|---|---|
| 2024Q3 | 128 | 18.22 |
| 2024Q4 | 163 | 21.71 |
| 2025Q1 | 135 | 13.83 |
| 2025Q2 | 123 | 18.86 |
| 2025Q3 | 174 | 13.55 |
| 2025Q4 | 83 | 20.09 |
| 2026Q1 | 129 | 26.83 |
Canada retail coverage
Humanities and Social Sciences Communications
197 citations in the snapshot
Drug and Alcohol Review
162 citations in the snapshot
Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
107 citations in the snapshot
Drug and Alcohol Review
87 citations in the snapshot
Canada coverage of this page's demand families
| Keyword | Recent articles | Prior articles | Share change |
|---|
Share changes describe coverage in the stated comparison periods, not search demand or market size.
Company counts, hiring and disclosed funding across the recorded hubs.
43.7% across the displayed hubs
69 companies hiring · $1.8B disclosed funding
Explore companies in Toronto ↗
17.4% across the displayed hubs
31 companies hiring · $622.0M disclosed funding
Explore companies in Vancouver ↗
13.7% across the displayed hubs
32 companies hiring · $683.5M disclosed funding
Explore companies in Montreal ↗
6.9% across the displayed hubs
9 companies hiring · $315.2M disclosed funding
Explore companies in Calgary ↗
6.6% across the displayed hubs
7 companies hiring · $29.5M disclosed funding
Explore companies in Ottawa ↗
5.2% across the displayed hubs
14 companies hiring · $473.2M disclosed funding
Explore companies in Mississauga ↗
4.0% across the displayed hubs
7 companies hiring · $8.8M disclosed funding
Explore companies in Edmonton ↗
2.5% across the displayed hubs
2 companies hiring · $300.0K disclosed funding
Explore companies in Winnipeg ↗Clear definitions for making better comparisons.
It measures the tracked company ecosystem, recorded funding, hiring and other available evidence. It is not a market-size estimate.
No. A company can belong to several segments, so segment counts and funding can overlap.
A dash or unavailable panel means the current reviewed source snapshot does not support that figure.
Company ecosystem snapshot: 6 August 2026. Funding is recorded in USD; filed accounts retain their stated currency and reporting basis. Each section identifies its own coverage. The news and research behind these sections is explorable in Prism.
Canonical landscape ↗