Giant Tiger
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Giant Tiger Stores Limited | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Type | Private |
| Founded | 1961 |
| Headquarters | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Key people | Gordon Reid, Founder, Chairman & CEO Jeff York, President & COO |
| Industry | Retail |
| Employees | 6,500 |
| Website | www.gianttiger.ca |
Giant Tiger Stores Limited is a Canadian discount store in Canada and the United States founded on May 13, 1961, by Gordon Reid, who served as the Chairman and CEO. Reid opened his first store in Ottawa. The business was launched with a $15,000 investment, and first-year sales were $139,781. As of 2005, annual sales exceeded $1 billion.
President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff York is the brother of former National Hockey League player Jason York.
There are now 185 stores employing over 6,500 people. There are 106 stores in Ontario, 44 stores in Quebec (as Tigre Géant), 11 stores in Manitoba, five stores in New Brunswick, eight stores in Saskatchewan, seven stores in Alberta, one in British Columbia, two in Nova Scotia and one in Potsdam, New York, the only location in the United States.
The headquarters and main distribution centre are located on Walkley Road in Ottawa.
In 1968, Giant Tiger opened its first franchise stores, which now account for the majority of locations. The goal was to better serve the customer by having local owners in the stores.
In 1977, Giant Tiger established Chez Tante Marie stores in Hull and Gatineau, Quebec.
In 1987, Tiger Trucking began operations and started making shipments from the warehouse to stores.
On September 1, 1990, Giant Tiger established a clothing and footwear buying office in Montreal, Quebec. The objective was to be closer to the suppliers and manufacturers in order to be in a position to pick up trends faster and move merchandise to the stores faster.
On May 31, 1996, Giant Tiger purchased and took possession of a 29,000 m² (315,000 sq. ft.) distribution centre on Walkley Road in Ottawa, previously occupied by Sears Canada.
Also in 1996, the Scott's Discount brand was launched as an alternative format for smaller stores.
In 2001, Giant Tiger and The North West Company (NWC) signed a 30-year Master Franchise Agreement that grants NWC the exclusive right to open and operate 72 Giant Tiger stores in western Canada.
In December 2005, Giant Tiger opened a new 3700 m² (40,000 sq. ft.) distribution centre for frozen and refrigerated products in Brockville, Ontario.
"GT Boutique" is a nickname customers have come up with to refer to apparel bought at Giant Tiger. In recognition, the company has printed shopping bags with this logo for clothing purchases.
The chain has undertaken a major expansion in the Greater Toronto Area since 2005. They have recently opened six stores in Bradford, Brampton, Markham, Mississauga, Newmarket, and Scarborough. All of these stores were other stores prior to the Giant Tiger opening in these locations.
On June 30, 2006, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, accompanied by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, chose to announce the decrease of Canada's Goods and Services Tax (GST) from 7% to 6% at an Ottawa-area Giant Tiger store (Store #92 on Bank Street). Harper was accompanied by Giant Tiger founder Gordon Reid. Harper may have chosen Giant Tiger because Scott Reid, a Conservative MP, is the son of Gordon Reid, as well as a member of the Giant Tiger board of directors.
