The new merchandise will be available at Canadian Tire stores and online starting on May 1.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
Canoes, outdoor furniture, pickleball sets and towels are among the first products Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd. CTC-A-T has designed with the iconic Hudson’s Bay stripes.
The retailer revealed Wednesday its summer collection of 32 HBC items, which also includes point blankets, canvas bags, a beach chair, a cornhole game and various housewares.
The collection marks the first time Canadian Tire has put its own stamp on the HBC trademarks it bought for $30-million last year, when the 355-year-old retailer filed for creditor protection and closed its stores.
While Canadian Tire released striped merchandise – ornaments, stockings, nutcrackers and point blankets – in time for the holiday season last year, the products were entirely comprised of past HBC designs.
Eva Salem, Canadian Tire’s senior vice-president of marketing and brand, said reaction to that collection “exceeded our expectations.”
“This collection is about building on that momentum in a way that feels natural for how Canadians live, especially in the summer,” she said in a news release.
Canadian Tire tops revenue, profit estimates as ‘resilient’ shoppers spend on winter essentials
The collection features beach, backyard and cottage staples, though kitchen items like mugs, oven mitts, aprons and pot holders are also in the mix.
Canadian Tire says the cedar canoe, Muskoka chair, outdoor cushions and decorative paddles in its new collection were all made in Canada.
The 16-foot canoe will set shoppers back almost $10,000 while a nine-foot version is priced at $6,000.
Point blankets, which will come in four sizes, will range in price from $350 for a twin to $530 for a king.
Most of the other items are more moderately priced with mugs going for $8 and outdoor cushions about $30.
All of the merchandise will be available starting May 1 at Canadian Tire stores and online. In another first, some products will also be sold through Mark’s, the clothing retailer also owed by Canadian Tire.
Hudson Bay Company products are displayed at Canadian Tire in Toronto on Wednesday.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
Elisha Ballantyne, a Toronto-based retail consultant who has worked for Target, Walmart and Zellers, thought the collection was a good mix of HBC staples and items that Canadian Tire is known for now with stripes.
It takes advantage of nostalgia and both brands’ strengths but also includes trendy summer items like pickleball and cornhole sets, she said.
“I was a little surprised that they didn’t have more in the patio dining area like melamine dinnerware or patio glasses – things the Bay had offered that also fit really well with Canadian Tire,” she said. “But you can only put out so many items to start with.”
With Mark’s also selling some of the items, she expected to see more apparel as well.
The challenge Canadian Tire has now is learning from this collection and maintaining the buzz, she said.
When it revealed its holiday collection, people flocked to stores because it was the first time Canadian Tire sold HBC products and the merchandise was only made in limited quantities.
“It’s different when it’s a limited time assortment that immediately triggers people to buy it before it’s gone, versus this is our summer assortment … that’s in Canadian Tire stores for three months,” Ms. Ballantyne said.