Canadian Tire is increasingly leaning on analytics and new technology to find growth as tariff threats, the Middle Eastern war and rising costs continue to rankle customers. The retailer, which also owns SportChek, Mark’s and Party City, has been working with software giant Microsoft to develop Mosaic, a new customer intelligence platform. The technology turns data from hundreds of millions of customer transactions and from the company’s Triangle loyalty program into insights Canadian Tire can use to better predict consumer needs. Based on what it uncovers, the company can then introduce new product categories, tweak pricing and improve its inventory management and marketing. Now, as back to school nears and the holiday season ticks closer, the platform and the company’s other artificial intelligence tools are “ready for prime time,” Canadian Tire chief executive Greg Hicks said Thursday. “Together, we know that the parent buying sneakers also needs crayons and some jeans. We know that the kid moving into a dorm wants a laptop, a fan, furniture and a hoodie,” he told analysts on a conference call. “We know how to serve them in each of our banners, but we now have detailed plans to solve more of their back-to-school needs.” For customers, those detailed plans will show up in some recent price reductions to merchandise like cleaning and storage essentials, but also in Canadian Tire flyers, which will contain Mark’s and SportChek marketing for the first time ever. The back-to-school season will arrive in a year that hasn’t been easy for Canadians. “For a long while now, consumers have been living with the threat of trade wars and tariffs and managing the day-to-day pressure of higher food and gas prices,” Hicks said. When his company recently looked at second-quarter spending among credit card holders, it found customers dropping significantly more on gas than they did last year. The shift was likely a result of the Middle Eastern conflict which has blocked a key fuel passageway, driving up gas prices. That pressure was one of the many factors shaping Canadian Tire’s second quarter, which ended July 4 and produced a year-over-year rise in profits and revenue. The retailer reported Thursday net income of $214.2 million or $3.65 per diluted share, up from $188.3 million or $3.07 per diluted share a year earlier. On a normalized basis, it earned $3.94 per diluted share, up from a normalized profit of $3.57 per diluted share in the second quarter of 2025. Revenue for the quarter totalled $4.30 billion, up from $4.20 billion a year earlier. Canadian Tire delivered those numbers despite “soft” consumer sentiment and “unco-operative” weather like a wet spring, Hicks said. Some of the quarter’s strength came from the FIFA World Cup, which was partially hosted in Toronto and Vancouver. Sales of items linked to the soccer tournament accounted for roughly half of SportChek’s second-quarter sales growth. Montreal Canadians’ fan wear sales also contributed. Overall, the company’s comparable sales were up 0.7 per cent. Canadian Tire comparable sales fell 0.8 per cent, while SportChek comparable sales rose eight per cent. Mark’s comparable sales were up 4.2 per cent. The quarter capped just before U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a new round of tariffs that is slated to hit some Canadian products with 50 per cent duties and imposed new charges of 10 and 12.5 per cent on goods from 60 trading partners, including the EU and China. On a lighter note, the quarter also arrived before “Heated Rivalry” star Hudson Williams carried a plaid, reusable Canadian Tire tote bag on a walk around Toronto with co-star Connor Storrie. Soon after, the $1.99 bag became such a hot commodity it has sold out at some stores. “We are thrilled that the ‘Heated Rivalry’ guys like our plaid bag,” Hicks joked Thursday. “We did not pay them to carry it, and no, I can’t get you one, but our stores would be happy to serve you in the coming days.” --- Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2026.
