Canada is the second-largest country in the world by land area, located in the northern part of North America. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west, the U.S. state of Alaska to the northwest, the contiguous United States to the south, and the Arctic Ocean to the north, with a coastline of approximately 240,000 kilometers.

• Area: 9.98 million square kilometers, the second-largest in the world, with 9.09 million square kilometers of land and 890,000 square kilometers of freshwater coverage.
• Population: 39.29 million (Statistics Canada, October 2022). English and French are the official languages. Approximately 63.2% of the population are Christians.
• GDP: 2.08 trillion Canadian dollars (November 2022).
• Per Capita GDP: 53,000 Canadian dollars (November 2022).
• Economy: Canada is one of the G7 industrialized nations. It has a developed manufacturing, high-tech, and service industry. The main pillars of the national economy are resource industries, primary manufacturing, and agriculture. Canada is a trade-oriented country with a significant dependence on foreign trade, deeply influenced by the United States economically. The country has a serious dependence on foreign trade, with a total export of 776.6 billion Canadian dollars and an import of 738.4 billion Canadian dollars in 2022, achieving a trade surplus of 3.82 billion Canadian dollars for two consecutive years. Over the past two years, inflation and the rising cost of living have been a pain point in Canada, leading to more price-conscious shoppers and a change in consumer habits. According to Euromonitor International, discount retailers have benefited the most as consumers seek affordable groceries. The number of stores for the Canadian discount store Dollarama has expanded from 1,444 to 1,525.

Loblaw Group:

59.5 billion Canadian dollars (2023, 315.5 billion RMB), with a market share of about 28%. Loblaw’s history dates back to 1919. It is Canada’s largest retail group with various formats such as Loblaws, Zehrs, and other supermarket sub-brands, as well as warehouse stores (Wholesale Club), discount stores (No Frills), drugstores (Shoppers), clothing (Joe Fresh), Chinese supermarkets (T&T), and even financial services like credit cards and insurance. The group has about 2,400 stores, as well as wholesale and export B2B businesses, and rapidly growing e-commerce, with over 190,000 employees. In 2023, the revenue was 59.529 billion Canadian dollars, an increase of 3.025 billion Canadian dollars, or a 5.4% increase year-on-year.

Empire Group:

30.7 billion Canadian dollars (2022, 162.8 billion RMB), with a market share of about 20%. Empire Group is the second-largest retailer in Canada, with about 130,000 employees. In 2023, the revenue was 30.7 billion Canadian dollars. Its wholly-owned subsidiary, Sobeys, has over 115 years of history in the food retail industry, with about 1,600 stores and well-known brands such as Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland, Farm Boy, FreshCo (discount store), Thrifty Foods, and Lawtons Drugs (drugstore), as well as 146 retail gas stations.

Metro Group:

20.7 billion Canadian dollars (2023, 109.8 billion RMB), with a market share of about 13%. Metro Group was established in 1947, with an annual turnover of over 20 billion Canadian dollars, about 100,000 employees, and about 1,650 stores. Its business covers retailers, franchisees, distributors, and manufacturers, with several brands including Metro (supermarket), Metro Plus, Super C, Food Basics (discount store), Adonis, and Première Moisson, as well as 641 drugstores.

Costco:

Market share of about 9%. The first Costco in Canada opened on October 30, 1985, in Burnaby, BC. Currently, Costco has 108 warehouse stores in Canada, 51,000 employees, and a market share of about 9%. The renewal rate of Canadian members is 90.4%. In addition to regular warehouse stores, there are also Costco Business Centers in Canada. In the first 8 years of operation in Canada, customers (referred to as members) had to be business owners or government employees to be eligible for membership. In 1993, Costco Canada changed these requirements and opened membership to businesses and the public.

Walmart:

Market share of about 8%. Walmart entered Canada in 1994, and this year marks its 30th anniversary in the country. The retail giant currently has over 400 stores in Canada, more than 100,000 employees, and cooperates with 2,000 Canadian suppliers.