These are Canada’s Most Successful Brands

The name of Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Tim Horton may have faded into the annals of sports history had he not co-founded the quintessentially Canadian coffee-and-donut chain that has withstood fierce competition from foreign invaders such as Starbucks, and has even dipped its toe into expansion into foreign markets. Here at home, Tim Hortons isn’t so much just a brand as it is a beloved institution.

The Fairmont hotel chain was actually founded in San Francisco, but today it’s owned and operated by Canadian Pacific Hotels & Resorts. Fairmont has been named by USA Today as one of the world’s top 10 luxury hotel chains, and the brand continues its growth, with some of the world’s most lavish hotels among its more than 50 properties worldwide. They're also one of the best companies to work for in Canada if you want great discounts. For more info, see the Canadian jobs with the best discounts.

One in three French fries consumed throughout the world is produced by New Brunswick-based McCain Foods, which has long since outgrown its humble beginnings as a potato farm. Not only is McCain a trusted brand in its home country, but it’s also a major player in the international food industry — in fact, a study from a few years back ranked the brand in 18th place among all worldwide brands.

Founded by Vancouverite Chip Wilson in 1998 as a single store that doubled as a yoga studio, Lululemon now boasts more than 400 stores in a multitude of countries, as far afield as Singapore and Sweden. So hip is Lululemon that it’s far transcended its yoga beginnings; a fashion choice sported by folks who couldn’t tell a downward facing dog from a crouching tiger or hidden dragon.

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The made-in-Canada fashion retailer really landed on the map when Canadian comedy icon John Candy wore a Roots jacket in the 1993 film Cool Runnings. Since then, Roots has continued its upward climb, continually ranking near the top of branding studies as one of the country’s most successful brands.

Once upon a time, parkas were bulky, shapeless sleeping bags with arms, meant to keep us warm during cold Canadian winters. That changed with Canada Goose’s “LaParka,” which does that exceedingly well but also became a hip fashion accessory once the parkas started being worn by Hollywood stars shooting movies in Toronto. Nowadays, you’re as likely to see a Canada Goose parka worn in Milan as you are in Moosejaw as the brand’s popularity continues to explode worldwide.

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Founded in 1670 — when its primary business was trapping beaver in order to make European felt hats — this ubiquitous Canadian brand has come a long way in the 300-plus years since then. While many brick-and-mortar department stores are being hammered by the new online economy, HBC is one of the world’s fastest-growing department store groups, building on its rich heritage to keep building its still-recognizable retail brand. Meanwhile, its iconic striped blanket remains an instantly identifiable symbol of all things Canadian.

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Let’s conveniently ignore the fact that Canada Dry hasn’t actually been Canadian for a long time (it’s now owned by Schweppe’s, which produces such soft drinks as Dr. Pepper and Snapple), but instead focus on a brand that’s recognized throughout the world — and has the word “Canada” right there in its name. Meanwhile, Canada Dry remains the no. 1 ginger ale in North America.

Launched in 1971 as a Canadian alternative to outdoor brand REI (AKA Recreational Equipment Inc.), Vancouver-based Mountain Equipment Co-op has far outgrown its early ambitions to provide quality mountaineering equipment and now boasts more than 4 million members worldwide by branching out into equipment and clothing for camping, cycling, running, yoga and more.

When Vancouver-based brothers Lyndon and Jamie Cormack founded Herschel Supply Co. in 2009, they sold 8,000 backpacks in their first year of operation. Less than a decade later, annual sales are no longer in the thousands, but in the millions as Herschel backpacks have become the must-have accessory for any fashion-forward high-schooler throughout the world, sold in such storied retailers as Barneys in NYC and Selfridges in London.

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While Canadians of a certain age will still remember when TD was known as Toronto-Dominion, the bank has rebranded itself so successfully that it’s now well established in the U.S. market, with most American consumers who bank there likely having no idea they’re using a time-honoured Canadian financial institution. In fact, a 2012 study named TD Canada’s most valuable corporate brand.

Born in Toronto in the 1980s, M.A.C. Cosmetics has gone on to take the world by storm, becoming a global beauty behemoth. It has become such a ubiquitous brand that its Russian Red lipstick was worn by Madonna during her Blond Ambition tour. Its bestselling shade of lipstick: Ruby Woo, sells four tubes every minute!

As an entertainment spectacle, Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil is an international phenomenon that continues to enchant audiences throughout the world. As a brand, the melding of high-concept circus, extreme acrobatics and live music has carved out its own niche, with 5,000 employees and 19 touring and resident shows around the globe bringing in revenues in excess of a billion dollars each year.