Retail Landscape of Canada
5,640 Retail companies in Canada, in one picture: who is hiring, who is raising money, who founded them, where they are based, what the news is about and which skills employers want. Updated August 2026.
Who leads Retail in Canada
Shows 5,640 Canadian retail firms, highlighting the current hiring leaders (Winners, Ardene, North West) and best‑funded firms (Tilray, TerrAscend, Lightspeed); 305 firms are hiring and 290 disclosed recent funding.
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Winners11last posted Jun 2026
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Ardene11last posted Jun 2026
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North West11last posted Jun 2026
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METRIE11last posted Jun 2026
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Sobeys11last posted Jun 2026
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Sitter.com11last posted Jun 2026
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fgl sports11last posted Jun 2026
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Moneris11last posted Jun 2026
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Tilray$500.4MPost IPO · Oct 2018
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TerrAscend$471.8MPost IPO · May 2025
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Lightspeed$292MSeries D · Oct 2017
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HEXO$245.9MPost IPO · Jun 2023
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Flowr$196.4MPost IPO · Jul 2021
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Shoplazza$160MSeries C · Jan 2022
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BuildDirect$157.1MPost IPO · Jul 2025
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Elastic Path Software$156.7MSeries C · Nov 2024
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DIRTT$42.4MFY2025 filing
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Tecsys$11.2MFY2016 filing
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Flora Growth$7.3MFY2025 filing
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Nourish Mantra$1Msnapshot Mar 2025
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LUS Brands$24kFY2025 filing
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loblaw companies221,000tracked employees
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Alimentation Couche-Tard128,000tracked employees
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Couche-Tard105,000tracked employees
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Metro Richelieu95,000tracked employees
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lululemon34,000tracked employees
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Canadian Tire29,170tracked employees
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rona22,000tracked employees
- 01Indigo32.1%1,387 tracked events
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Shopify8.1%349 tracked events
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Dollarama2.8%119 tracked events
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DTC753articles in the window
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Eli266articles in the window
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See all 5,640 Retail companies in Canada
Filter by funding, headcount, hiring and location, and export the list.
How the Retail ecosystem in Canada grew, 2016–2025
Displays the number of retail companies founded each year from 2016 to 2025, with a peak of 618 new firms in 2020 and only 17 in 2025.
Where Retail companies in Canada are based
The Retail market map of Canada: what these companies actually do
Breaks down product sub‑categories, showing the largest groups such as consumer digital (2,552) and B2C e‑commerce (2,400), and the most common revenue models like product e‑commerce (3,885).
The biggest kinds of Retail company, by how many we track.
- Consumer Digital2,552 companies · $1.3B raised · 90 hiring
- B2C E-Commerce2,400 companies · $1.3B raised · 83 hiring
- Internet First Brands1,090 companies · $522M raised · 48 hiring
- Enterprise Tech910 companies · $2B raised · 64 hiring
- B2C Fashion E-Commerce795 companies · $502.6M raised · 39 hiring
- Commerce Enablers541 companies · $1.6B raised · 35 hiring
- Enterprise Software538 companies · $1.1B raised · 40 hiring
- Internet First Fashion Brands510 companies · $323.9M raised · 27 hiring
- Marketplaces364 companies · $338.6M raised · 13 hiring
- SaaS331 companies · $1.1B raised · 25 hiring
- Beauty E-Commerce305 companies · $50.5M raised · 12 hiring
- Retail SaaS275 companies · $788.6M raised · 21 hiring
Monetization
How Retail companies make money
How many companies earn revenue each way. Plenty use more than one model, so the counts add up to more than the sector.
Funding, M&A and the deals moving Retail in Canada
- M&AFrancisco 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.2026-05-05
- M&AIn 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.2026-04-30
- M&AWhen 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.2026-04-29
- M&ATilray completing a £33m acquisition of the BrewDog brand2026-04-23
- M&AEmblem 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.2026-04-13
- FundingPesoRama 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.2026-04-08
- M&ATulip acquired Salesfloor to expand its omnichannel retail customer experience capabilities and strengthen its position in associate-led selling.2026-03-26
- Funding"$150M in capital builds on a previous $60M, bringing the total financial support for FreshLine to north of US$200M."2026-03-11
- M&AGen, a global leader dedicated to powering Digital Freedom, announced it has acquired Trellis, a technology-driven platform that simplifies and automates shopping for insurance.2026-03-11
- FundingAvant 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').2026-03-09
Mergers and acquisitions
Deals from the last 24 months where a Retail company in Canada was the buyer or the one bought, newest first. “Undisclosed” means the price was never published — not that the deal was worth nothing.
| Acquirer | Target | Deal value | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2B | Announced | 2026-05-05 | ||
| undisclosed | Completed | 2026-04-30 | ||
| $123M | Announced | 2026-04-29 | ||
| undisclosed | Announced | 2026-03-26 | ||
| undisclosed | Rumored | 2026-03-21 | ||
| $300M | — | 2026-03-13 |
Who is listing, hiring leaders, launching and winning work
Provides details on specific events such as IPO filings, leadership changes, product launches and contract wins for companies in the sector.
Gildan BrandsMichael Kneeland · Appointment → DirectorMay 2026
ThinkificGreg Smith · Promotion → Chief Executive OfficerApr 2026
Open FarmTrevor Koons · Appointment → vice president of Growth MarketingApr 2026
Inwit Solutionswon timMar 2026
Swiftstartwon TIRXJan 2026
SSENSE~215 roles reported · cost reductionMar 2026
SRTX~100 roles reported · cost reductionOct 2025
Sheertex~140 roles reported · tariff threatAug 2025
BMTC Groupapproved for renewal of issuer bid — TSXApr 2026
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton v Lululemon Athleticaforever chemicals investigation in apparel · OngoingApr 2026
- Nike Inc. v Lululemon AthleticaFlyknit patent claims · AppealApr 2026
Half of these companies grew revenue faster than +10.1%, half slower.
Who is building Retail in Canada
Profiles 1,415 founders and CEOs across 1,191 firms, noting that the University of Toronto contributed 39 alumni and Amazon was the most common prior employer with six former staff.
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
- flagged as repeat founders7
- no repeat-founder flag1,103
- women422
- men866
Look up the people behind Retail companies in Canada
Search founders, executives and operators by company, role and location.
Who funds Retail in Canada
Records 561 funding rounds since 2016 from 520 investors, with the typical round size around $2 million.
| Investor · most active investors since 2016 | Rounds | Led | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| BDC | 30 | 14 | Nov 2025 |
| Accelerator Centre | 24 | 24 | Sep 2022 |
| Techstars | 16 | 8 | Dec 2024 |
| Panache Ventures | 11 | 2 | Apr 2023 |
| Y Combinator | 10 | 7 | Sep 2022 |
| Real Ventures | 9 | 1 | Apr 2023 |
| 500 Global | 8 | 5 | Jun 2022 |
| Acton Capital | 6 | 2 | May 2021 |
| Garage Capital | 6 | 2 | Apr 2023 |
| Invest Quebec | 6 | 2 | May 2025 |
The typical round is $2M — half were bigger, half smaller.
The biggest Retail funding rounds in Canada
Highlights the largest disclosed round—Lightspeed’s $166 million Series D—and lists ten other sizable recent funding events.
| Company | Round | Size | When | Backers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series D | $166M | Oct 2017 | CDPQ, Invest Quebec, Inovia Capital | |
| Series C | $150M | Jan 2022 | SoftBank Vision Fund, StepStone, Qianhai Ark Asset Management +3 more | |
| Series C | $144M | Apr 2024 | Streamlined Ventures | |
| Series C | $101M | Apr 2022 | Export Development Canada, H&M Group | |
| Series C | $100M | Apr 2022 | Sunstone Partners, Delta-v Capital, Salesforce Ventures | |
| Series D | $98.8M | May 2021 | Nicola Wealth, Canadian Business Growth Fund, Comerica +2 more | |
| Series D | $93.5M | Jul 2019 | Imperial Brands | |
| Series C | $65M | Jan 2021 | General Atlantic, Encore Consumer Capital | |
| Series C | $61M | Apr 2016 | General Atlantic, Insight Partners | |
| Series C | $61M | Sep 2015 | CDPQ, Invest Quebec, Inovia Capital +1 more |
51 venture rounds with a disclosed amount in the window.
Post IPO$1.8MFeb 2026
What the news says about Retail in Canada
Tracks 1,351,592 news articles in the last year, most frequently covering topics like administrative subdivisions, geographic naming, international sports competitions and trade policies.
What the coverage is about
The subjects that dominate Retail news in Canada. The arrow shows whether each one is being written about more or less than a year ago.
- Administrative and political subdivisions4,196,209▲+17%
- Geographic naming conventions and etymology81,545▲+421%
- International sports competitions39,501→+2%
- Trade policies and agreements34,454▼-48%
- International political relations29,060▲+18%
- Olympic games coverage23,102→-3%
- Sports broadcast rights updates17,337▼-36%
- Security and defense policies16,798▲+12%
- Professional league updates16,453→-6%
- Sports governance and policy changes16,301→-5%
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79 Retail companies here were named in the news over this period.
Watch Retail coverage in Canada as it happens
Prism follows these subjects story by story — which companies are named, what is said about them and how the tone moves.
Momentum
The words getting louder — and quieter
Which terms are showing up in more stories than a year ago, and which are fading. The percentage is the change in how many articles mention them.
The pressures the press keeps returning to
Three recurring angles in Canada Retail coverage, and whether each is getting more attention year on year (through 2025).
Retail jobs in Canada: who is hiring and what they ask for
Shows 13,945 job postings from 353 employers in the past year, with common skill requirements such as Microsoft Office, Excel and e‑commerce, and a median advertised salary of $33 k per year.
Demand
The Skills Employers Ask For
What Retail employers in Canada put in their job ads. The bar is how many postings ask for it; the arrow shows whether demand grew or shrank against the year before.
- microsoft office32▼
- excel32▼
- class 5 driver’s license27▲
- first aid certification23▲
- ecommerce19→
- windows19▼
- class 5 driver\'s license18→
- enterprise grade infrastructure13→
- mdm platforms13→
- outlook13▼
- Manager$46k/yr (n=391)
- Senior$73k/yr (n=133)
- Lead$35k/yr (n=30)
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Track Retail in Canada beyond this page
Radar finds and filters the companies. Prism watches what is being said about them.
Direct contact details for the people on this page are held in Fliar Radar, behind its own access controls.