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Canada's Most Trusted Retailers: Big Players Come Out On Top In Survey

Canadians tend to trust lower-priced retailers more.

Some of Canada’s largest chain stores have come out on top in a new survey of Canadians’ most trusted retailers, but the big winner is Walmart.

The Arkansas-based discount retailer took top spot in three of 16 categories in the survey from BrandSpark International: most trusted mass merchant, most trusted department store and most trusted for housewares and kitchenware.

BrandSpark says Canadians tend to favour lower-priced retailers when deciding whom to trust, and that can be seen especially with supermarkets.

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While Loblaw Co.’s Real Canadian Superstore came out on top nationally, it only ranked first in British Columbia and the Prairies. Its discount brand No Frills was the most-trusted supermarket in Ontario, while IGA won in Quebec and Sobeys tied with the Superstore in the Maritimes.

"Only in Quebec and Atlantic Canada were non-priced focused brands on top,” BrandSpark president and CEO Robert Levy said in a statement.

“Canadians continue to place value for money at the top of their list of what's most important to them and so it's not a surprise that the supermarket brands offering consistent high value fare so well.”

There were other notable regional differences:

  • Shoppers Drug Mart topped the pharmacy and beauty/personal care categories in all provinces except Quebec, where Jean Coutu was most trusted on both categories.
  • Walmart was the top department store everywhere except B.C., where The Bay is trusted more.
  • The Brick is the most trusted furniture store west of Ontario, but Leon’s dominates Ontario and the Maritimes, and Tanguay wins in Quebec.
  • SportChek is the most trusted footwear retailer everywhere except Quebec, where it’s Yellow, and B.C., where it’s a tie between the Nike store, Payless and The Bay. In Ontario, SportChek is tied with Payless.

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