Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd. and Tim Hortons have joined forces to enhance their customer engagement through a newly established partnership that integrates their loyalty programs. By connecting their Triangle and Tims Rewards accounts, customers can now receive additional benefits such as earning between two to five per cent in Canadian Tire money alongside Tims points for select purchases at Tim Hortons.
The collaboration aims to attract Tim Hortons customers to Canadian Tire and vice versa. Currently, 53% of Triangle Rewards customers are enrolled in both loyalty programs. Canadian Tire boasts 12 million Triangle Rewards members and operates 1,600 locations, while Tim Hortons has eight million loyalty program users and 4,000 restaurants nationwide.
Darryl Jenkins, Canadian Tire’s executive vice-president and chief development officer, expressed that uniting the loyalty programs will result in growth for both Triangle Rewards and Tim Hortons reward members. The amount of Canadian Tire money earned will vary based on the use of a Triangle credit card for payment and the type of purchase made.
Canadian Tire money can be redeemed for discounts at the retailer and its affiliates like SportChek, Mark’s, and Party City, while Tims points are redeemable for food and drinks at Tim Hortons. The partnership between the two companies evolved naturally, driven by shared board memberships, networking activities, and mutual event sponsorships among their executives.
Although the partnership aims to enhance customer value, Liza Amlani, principal and co-founder of the Retail Strategy Group, believes it may be more about both brands seeking additional market share in a crowded loyalty landscape. Amlani cautioned that unless the value proposition remains clear, simple, and genuinely rewarding for customers, it risks becoming just another corporate collaboration that benefits the companies more than the consumers.
Canadian Tire initially announced the partnership a year ago, taking the time to ensure the technical aspects of the collaboration were well-structured before the recent launch. Jenkins noted the coincidental timing of the launch amidst new tariffs imposed by the U.S. on Canada and Canada’s plans for retaliatory levies in September, stating that the launch was not intentionally planned to coincide with these events.
