Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd. and Tim Hortons have joined forces to enhance their customer loyalty programs. Through this collaboration, customers who connect their Triangle and Tims Rewards accounts can now earn between two and five percent in Canadian Tire money, in addition to Tims points, on specific Tim Hortons purchases.
The main objective of this partnership is to attract Tim Hortons customers to Canadian Tire locations and vice versa. Currently, 53 percent of Triangle Rewards customers are enrolled in both loyalty programs. Canadian Tire boasts approximately 12 million Triangle Rewards members across 1,600 locations, while Tim Hortons has eight million loyalty program users and 4,000 restaurants in Canada.
According to Darryl Jenkins, Canadian Tire’s executive vice-president and chief development officer, the collaboration aims to grow both Triangle Rewards and Tim Hortons reward members. The amount of Canadian Tire money shoppers earn will vary based on their purchase and whether they use a Triangle credit card for payment.
Canadian Tire money can be redeemed for discounts on purchases at various stores under its banners like SportChek, Mark’s, and Party City. On the other hand, Tims points can be utilized to buy food and drinks at Tim Hortons outlets.
The partnership evolved naturally as executives from Canadian Tire and Tim Hortons often interact through shared board memberships and mutual event sponsorships. This collaboration was seen as a way to enhance the value proposition for customers. However, some industry experts, like Liza Amlani from the Retail Strategy Group, view this move as a tactic by the two legacy brands to gain a larger share in the saturated loyalty market.
The launch of this partnership was officially announced after a year of planning to ensure its technical feasibility. Jenkins noted that the timing of the launch coincided with recent trade developments between the U.S. and Canada, though it was not intentionally planned that way.