Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd. and Tim Hortons have joined forces to enhance their customer engagement through a collaborative loyalty program. The partnership, unveiled on Wednesday, allows customers to connect their Triangle and Tims Rewards accounts, enabling them to earn between two and five percent in Canadian Tire money in addition to Tims points on specific Tims purchases.
The initiative aims to attract Tim Hortons customers to Canadian Tire and vice versa. Currently, 53 percent of Triangle Rewards customers are dual members of both loyalty programs. Canadian Tire boasts approximately 12 million Triangle Rewards members across its 1,600 locations, while Tim Hortons has eight million loyalty program participants and operates 4,000 restaurants in Canada.
According to Darryl Jenkins, Canadian Tire’s executive vice-president and chief development officer, the collaboration is expected to drive growth in both Triangle Rewards and Tim Hortons reward memberships. The amount of Canadian Tire money earned by shoppers will vary based on the use of a Triangle credit card for payment and the nature of the purchase.
Canadian Tire money can be redeemed for discounts on purchases at the retailer and its affiliated brands like SportChek, Mark’s, and Party City. On the other hand, Tims points can be utilized for food and beverage acquisitions at Tim Hortons outlets.
The partnership emerged naturally, as per Jenkins and Hope Bagozzi, Tims’ chief marketing officer. Given the shared affiliations of Canadian Tire and Tim Hortons executives on various boards and mutual sponsorship of events, the collaboration to enhance their loyalty programs seemed logical.
However, Liza Amlani, principal and co-founder of the Retail Strategy Group, suggests that this move may be more about the brands seeking incremental market share in a heavily saturated loyalty market rather than enhancing customer satisfaction. She emphasizes the need for a clear and beneficial value proposition to prevent the partnership from becoming another corporate consolidation that primarily benefits the brands.
Canadian Tire initially announced the partnership almost a year ago but delayed its official launch and operational details until Wednesday to ensure the technical aspects were fully functional. Jenkins highlighted the coincidental timing of the launch amidst recent U.S. tariffs on Canada and impending retaliatory levies by Canada in September, stating that it was not intentionally planned that way.