- Unaided, Tim Hortons, Canadian Tire and Hudson’s Bay are top of mind as the most iconic Canadian brand.
- A strong majority consider Canadian Tire and Tim Hortons to be Canadian, although Canadians are less decided on whether other brands are Canadian.
- Having services/products made in Canada, being owned by Canadians, and employing Canadians are key when deciding if a brand is Canadian.
June 27, 2025
With Canada Day quickly approaching, we wanted to understand which brands Canadians deem to be Canadian, and what influences whether or not a brand is considered Canadian.
Unaided, Tim Hortons is most often named as the most iconic Canadian brand, followed by Canadian Tire and Hudson’s Bay. No other brand is top of mind for more than five percent of Canadians. Tim Hortons is most often named as the most iconic Canadian brand across the country, with the exception of BC where Hudson’s Bay was top of mind.
When asked which of several presented brands are Canadian, perceptions vary notably. Across the country, Canadians agree that Canadian Tire is a Canadian brand, followed by Tim Hortons where seven in ten deem it to be a Canadian brand. No other brand, including Loblaws, Roots, Dollarama, Sobeys, A&W, or Lululemon, is considered a Canadian brand by more than half of Canadians. A few regional differences are evident, some reflecting where specific companies have their roots. Residents of Quebec (79%) are more likely to consider Tim Hortons a Canadian brand, while residents of BC are notably more likely to consider Lululemon a Canadian brand (50%). A strong majority of Atlantic Canadians (73%) consider Sobeys a Canadian brand, and most Quebecers (53%) deem Dollarama to be a Canadian brand.
Multiple factors are important to Canadians when deciding if a brand is Canadian, most notably if the product or service is made in Canada or whether the company is owned by Canadians. Employment, history and presence are also key factors with six in ten placing importance on employment of Canadians, if the company was founded in Canada or if it is headquartered in the country. Whether or not a company pays taxes in Canada is also a consideration for most when deciding if a brand is Canadian. Age influences perceptions with those aged 55+ placing greater importance on most factors.
“At a time when Canadians are placing increased focus on buying local, there is notable uncertainty on which brands are actually Canadian. Companies like Dollarama, Loblaws and Sobeys do not appear to enjoy full recognition of their Canadian heritage,” said Narrative Research CEO Margaret Brigley. “Canadians place importance on a wide range of factors when deciding if a brand is Canadian, and identity goes beyond ownership. For instance, history matters and that clearly influences perceptions of organizations that were founded in or are headquartered in Canada (like Tim Hortons, Roots and Lululemon), but have ownership held outside the Country.”
Results are from an online survey conducted in partnership between Narrative Research and the Logit Group. The survey was conducted between June 13 and 16, 2025 with 1,231 Canadians, 18 years of age or older from the Logit Group’s online Canadian Omnibus. Data were weighted based on the 2021 Census, by gender, age, and region to reflect actual population distribution. For more information, please contact:
Margaret Brigley, CEO & Partner, Narrative Research – 902.493.3830, mbrigley@narrativeresearch.ca
OR
Sam Pisani, Managing Partner, Logit Group – 416.629.4116, sam.pisani@logitgroup.com
Narrative Research (www.narrativeresearch.ca), is a non-partisan, 100% Canadian-owned, research company, certified as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE). Narrative Research provides clients with state-of-the-art research and strategic consulting services.
The Logit Group (https://logitgroup.com/) is a leading North American data collection and market research execution company headquartered in Toronto, conducting large-scale projects for a variety of well-known research agencies and brands. Logit employs industry-best technologies across an array of methodologies, and is independent, experienced and quality-oriented.
The questions asked were:
What would you say is the most iconic Canadian brand?
- [open-ended]
When deciding if a brand is Canadian, which of the following factors are most important to you?
- Product/service made in Canada
- Owned by Canadians
- Employs Canadians
- Was founded in Canada
- Headquartered in Canada
- Company pays taxes in Canada
- None of these are important
- Don’t know/Unsure
Which of the following brands do you consider to be Canadian? (Choose all that apply)
- Canadian Tire
- Tim Hortons
- Loblaws
- Roots
- Dollarama
- Sobeys
- A&W
- Lululemon
- Don’t know/Unsure
