Our local teams will do the work
Finding distributors or retail sales channels might be straightforward, but discovering the right one that drives revenue for your business is a real challenge.
With our Scan-Launch-Grow approach we make this task significantly easier for you! Our local teams have a vast network of distributors and retail channels, know what is important to them and can reach out easily.
Canada, is the second-largest country in the world by land area, but also an interesting economy, and can be a trial market before going to the United States. As of 2023, it has an estimated population of about 38 million. Known for its vast landscapes, multicultural cities, and bilingual heritage (English and French), Canada is a symbol of diversity and environmental richness.
Economically, Canada has a high GDP per capita, standing at approximately $48,000 USD in 2023. The country’s economy is highly diversified, with key sectors including natural resources, manufacturing, and services. Natural resources like oil, natural gas, minerals, and timber are significant economic drivers, particularly in regions like Alberta and British Columbia. The service sector, including banking, insurance, and tourism, plays a central role in the national economy.
A huge amount of opportunities are anticipated owing to future potential of the retail sector in Canada. Canada’s retail market is believed to be more accessible to European companies due to CETA which is a free-trade agreement between Canada and the European Union.
Canadian consumers are interested in products of high quality and goods of high value. This is evident via the huge nationwide demand for international brands like H&M and IKEA.
While the nation’s retail market seems favourable in many ways, there are challenges that one may face entering this sector. Some of these are:
Loblaw Companies Limited: The largest supermarket chain in Canada, operating over 2,400 stores nationwide under various names including Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore, No Frills, and Shoppers Drug Mart.
Sobeys Inc.: The second-largest chain, with more than 1,500 stores. Their retail stores include Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland, and FreshCo.
Metro Inc.: The third-largest chain, operating over 950 stores mainly in Ontario and Quebec under the Metro, Food Basics, Super C, and Foodland banners.
Empire Company Limited: The parent company of Sobeys Inc., it holds a significant presence in the grocery market with various business units including retail (Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, etc.), wholesale, fuel, and real estate.
Save-On-Foods: A prominent supermarket chain in Western Canada, operating over 170 stores in regions like British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the Yukon Territory.
We work with local teams who already know the market, have a great network, speak the language and know the business culture.
We help you to formulate a message specifically for the companies that you want to target, because we know what is important to them.
We help you avoid cultural misunderstandings, compliance issues, and other risks associated with entering a new market.
Alliance experts has a proven methodology to start or increase your sales in a new market. Our local teams in over 30 countries help you define your pitch and to find and convince the right sales channels or clients. The scan phase can be short, but is essential as preparation. The Launch phase may take several months, depending on the country.
We put a lot of emphasis on drafting a good distributor pitch. Even if you already have great sales materials for your end-users, this often does not make clear what the benefits are for a potential agent, distributor or retailer to work with you.
If we approach potential sales channels with your standard documentation, chances are high that they are holding of. If we make it crystal clear what are the benefits for them, like in the example presentation, we get a much higher response rate.
We help you with a format specifically for your product or service that you can fill out and we give you feedback. Once we think it is great, we test it with a first few companies out of your target group.
Francis Huang
Würth
Jing Zhang
Kamtec
Nouraldin Banaeinejad
CAN Home appliances
Vitello Benevetti
Harley Davidson
James Martin
Brabantia
Mehmet Aksoy
RR Engineers
Be well prepared. All retailers expect you to prove why they are going to make more money with your product than with their current assortment. So you must know the competition.
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