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{{Short description|Canada-based multinational grocery and retail company}}
{{for|the predecessor fur trading company (1779–1821) |North West Company}}
{{for|the predecessor fur trading company (1779–1821) |North West Company}}


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| type = Public
| type = Public
| traded_as = {{tsx|NWC}}
| traded_as = {{tsx|NWC}}
| foundation = 1987
| foundation = {{start date and age|1987}}
| location = [[Winnipeg]], [[Manitoba]], [[Canada]]
| location = [[Winnipeg]], [[Manitoba]], [[Canada]]
| key_people = Edward S. Kennedy, President & CEO
| key_people = Daniel G. McConnell, President & CEO
| industry = {{hlist | [[Grocery store|Grocery]] | [[fur]] | general merchandise}}
| industry = {{hlist | [[Grocery store|Grocery]] | [[fur]] | general merchandise}}
| num_employees = 6,805<ref name=northwest>{{cite web|url=http://www.northwest.ca|title=Company Profile for North West Co Fund (CA;NWF.UN)|accessdate=2008-10-15}}</ref>
| num_employees = 6,805<ref name=northwest>{{cite web|url=http://www.northwest.ca|title=Company Profile for North West Co Fund (CA;NWF.UN)|access-date=2008-10-15}}</ref>
| subsid= {{ubl|
* [[Alaska Commercial Company]]
* [[North Star Air]]
}}
| homepage = [http://www.northwest.ca www.northwest.ca]
| homepage = [http://www.northwest.ca www.northwest.ca]
}}
}}


'''The North West Company''' is a [[Multinational corporation|multinational]] Canadian [[Grocery store|grocery]] and [[retail]] company which operates stores in Canada's [[western Canada|western provinces]] and [[northern Canada|northern territories]], as well as the US states of [[Alaska]], [[Hawaii]], and several other countries and US territories in [[Oceania]] and the [[Caribbean]].
'''The North West Company Inc.''' is a [[Multinational corporation|multinational]] Canadian [[Grocery store|grocery]] and [[retail]] company which operates stores in Canada's [[western Canada|western provinces]] and [[northern Canada|northern territories]]; the US states of [[Alaska]] and [[Hawaii]]; and several other countries and US territories in [[Oceania]] and the [[Caribbean]].


The company traces its history back to the [[North West Company]], a fur trading business headquartered in the city of [[Montreal]] in [[British North America]] from 1779 to 1821.<ref>[http://www.northwest.ca/BackOffice/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=3&tabid=10020 Official site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041227154153/http://www.northwest.ca/BackOffice/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=3&tabid=10020|date=2004-12-27}}</ref> It was merged into the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] in 1821. The enterprise continued as the Fur Trade Department, and then the Northern Stores Division of Hudson's Bay Company. In 1987, the division was acquired by a group of investors and in the 1990s it was relaunched as The North West Company. It is now a publicly traded company and is composed mainly of the old HBC Northern Stores Division. The [[Alaska Commercial Company]], which makes up The North West Company's Alaskan operations, traced its roots back to the [[Russian-American Company]]. Cost-U-Less, which operates in Hawaii, the South Pacific and the Caribbean, was acquired in 2007.<ref>[https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20070827006007/en/North-West-Company-Fund-Acquire-Cost-U-Less North West Company Fund to Acquire Cost-U-Less]</ref> In 2017, 76% of Roadtown Wholesale Trading Ltd, which operates in the British Virgin Islands was acquired.
The company traces its history back to the [[North West Company]], a fur trading business headquartered in the city of [[Montreal]] in [[British North America]] from 1779 to 1821.<ref>[http://www.northwest.ca/BackOffice/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=3&tabid=10020 Official site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041227154153/http://www.northwest.ca/BackOffice/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=3&tabid=10020|date=2004-12-27}}</ref> It was merged into the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] in 1821. The enterprise continued as the Fur Trade Department, and then the Northern Stores Division of Hudson's Bay Company. In 1987, the division was acquired by a group of investors and in the 1990s it was relaunched as The North West Company. It is now a publicly traded company and is composed mainly of the old HBC Northern Stores Division. The [[Alaska Commercial Company]], which makes up The North West Company's Alaskan operations, traced its roots back to the [[Russian-American Company]]. Cost-U-Less, which operates in Hawaii, the South Pacific and the Caribbean, was acquired in 2007.<ref>[https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20070827006007/en/North-West-Company-Fund-Acquire-Cost-U-Less North West Company Fund to Acquire Cost-U-Less]</ref> In 2017, 76% of Roadtown Wholesale Trading Ltd, which operates in the British Virgin Islands was acquired.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The North West Company Inc. Announces the Closing of the Acquisition of 76% Ownership in Roadtown Wholesale Trading Ltd. (operating as Riteway Food Markets)|url=https://www.canadianinsider.com/the-north-west-company-inc-announces-the-closing-of-the-acquisition-of-76-ownership-in-roadtown-wholesale-trading-ltd-operating-as-riteway-food-markets-?width=600&height=250&inline=true|access-date=2021-08-05|website=www.canadianinsider.com|language=en}}</ref>


==Brief history==
==Brief history==
{{Main|North West Company}}
{{Main|North West Company}}
The French controlled much of what is now Canada in the early 1700s. As a result, their traders had a large fur trading network. After the conquest of [[New France]] by the British in 1763, French traders founded the North West Company and continued expanding their fur trade into the Canadian interior. The competition with the Hudson's Bay Company led to a massive environmental impact with numerous fur trade posts being built, the interior of Canada being explored, and the beaver population being exhausted. The fur trade created conflict which increased tensions between the British, French and the Aboriginals.<ref>Macdowell, Laurel Sefton. "An Environmental History of Canada". University of British Columbia: UBC Press, 2012.</ref>
The French controlled much of what is now Canada in the early 1700s. As a result, their traders had a large fur trading network. After the conquest of [[New France]] by the British in 1763, French traders founded the North West Company and continued expanding their fur trade into the Canadian interior. The competition with the Hudson's Bay Company led to a massive environmental impact with numerous fur trade posts being built, the interior of Canada being explored, and the beaver population being exhausted. The fur trade created conflict which increased tensions between the British, French and Indigenous People.<ref>Macdowell, Laurel Sefton. "An Environmental History of Canada". University of British Columbia: UBC Press, 2012.</ref>


==Current operations==
==Current operations==
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The North West Company's head office is located in [[Winnipeg]], [[Manitoba]], [[Canada]], built partly on the site of [[Upper Fort Garry]]. This building used to serve as the head office of the [[Hudson's Bay Company]]. It also operates two offices in the United States cities of [[Anchorage, Alaska]], and [[Boca Raton, Florida]].
The North West Company's head office is located in [[Winnipeg]], [[Manitoba]], [[Canada]], built partly on the site of [[Upper Fort Garry]]. This building used to serve as the head office of the [[Hudson's Bay Company]]. It also operates two offices in the United States cities of [[Anchorage, Alaska]], and [[Boca Raton, Florida]].


{{Asof|2014}}, the North West Company had 4,921 employees in [[Canada]] and 1,726 employees in its international operations in Alaska, the South Pacific, and the Caribbean.<ref name ="2014-report">{{cite web|title=The North West Company Inc. 2014 Annual Report|url=http://www.northwest.ca/content/annual_filings/2014_YE_-_Annual_Report_-_APR9-15.pdf|website=The North West Company|accessdate=23 July 2015}}</ref> and was the largest employer of Aboriginal people in the business sector.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}
{{Asof|2014}}, the North West Company had 4,921 employees in [[Canada]] and 1,726 employees in its international operations in Alaska, the South Pacific, and the Caribbean.<ref name ="2014-report">{{cite web|title=The North West Company Inc. 2014 Annual Report|url=http://www.northwest.ca/content/annual_filings/2014_YE_-_Annual_Report_-_APR9-15.pdf|website=The North West Company|access-date=23 July 2015}}</ref> It was the largest employer of Indigenous People in the business sector.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}


The company operates stores under these banners:<ref name ="2014-report" />
The company operates stores under these banners:<ref name ="2014-report" />
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'''Canadian operations'''
'''Canadian operations'''
* Northern (122 stores) &ndash; Northern Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Labrador, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon,
* Northern (122 stores) &ndash; Northern Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Labrador, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon,
* NorthMart (6 locations across [[Northern Canada]], excluding [[Yukon]] and in Manitoba and Labrador) &ndash; [[Cross Bay, Manitoba|Cross Bay]], [[Manitoba]]; [[Iqaluit]], [[Nunavut]]; [[Happy Valley-Goose Bay|Goose Bay]], [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Labrador]]; and [[Hay River, Northwest Territories|Hay River]] & [[Inuvik]], [[Northwest Territories]]
* NorthMart (6 locations across [[Northern Canada]], excluding [[Yukon]] and in Manitoba and Labrador) &ndash; [[Cross Lake, Manitoba|Cross Bay]], [[Manitoba]]; [[Iqaluit]], [[Nunavut]]; [[Happy Valley-Goose Bay|Goose Bay]], [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Labrador]]; and [[Hay River, Northwest Territories|Hay River]] & [[Inuvik]], [[Northwest Territories]]
* Quickstop (5 locations)
* Quickstop (5 locations)
* [[Giant Tiger]] (31 locations in Western Canada; operated under franchise from Giant Tiger Ltd.)
* [[Giant Tiger]] (31 locations in Western Canada; operated under franchise from Giant Tiger Ltd.)
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* Crescent Multi Foods &ndash; distributor operating in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and northern Ontario
* Crescent Multi Foods &ndash; distributor operating in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and northern Ontario
* Inuit Art Marketing Service
* Inuit Art Marketing Service
* [[North Star Air]] &ndash; Cargo and Passenger airline based in [[Thunder Bay]], Ontario <ref>http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/north-west-company-purchases-airline-1.4091988</ref>
* [[North Star Air]] &ndash; Cargo and Passenger airline based in [[Thunder Bay]], Ontario <ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/north-west-company-purchases-airline-1.4091988| title = North West Company spends $31M to buy its own airline {{!}} CBC News}} </ref>


'''International operations'''
'''International operations'''
* [[Alaska Commercial Company|AC Value Center]] (30 stores in [[Alaska]])
* [[Alaska Commercial Company|AC Value Center]] (30 stores in [[Alaska]])
* Quickstop (3 stores in Alaska)
* Quickstop (3 stores in Alaska)
* CostULess (12 stores in [[American Samoa]], [[Barbados]], the [[Cayman Islands]], [[Curacao]], [[Fiji]], [[Guam]], [[Hawaii]], [[Sint Maarten]], and the [[United States Virgin Islands|US Virgin Islands]].
* CostULess (12 stores in [[American Samoa]], [[Barbados]], the [[Cayman Islands]], [[Curacao]], [[Fiji]], [[Guam]], [[Hawaii]], [[Sint Maarten]], and the [[United States Virgin Islands|US Virgin Islands]])
* Pacific Alaska Wholesale &ndash; distributor based in Anchorage
* Pacific Alaska Wholesale &ndash; distributor based in Anchorage
* Roadtown Wholesale (8 stores in the British Virgin Islands)
* Roadtown Wholesale (8 stores in the British Virgin Islands)


=== WE Financial ===
=== We Financial ===
WE Financial is the financial services division that operates a series of automatic teller machines (ATM) in each store, and offers the WE Credit Card and WE Prepaid Visa (jointly with [[Scotiabank]]).<ref>[http://www.northernstores.ca/financial/index.htm Link Financial]</ref>
We Financial is the financial services division that operates a series of automatic teller machines (ATM) in each store, and offers the We Credit Card and We Prepaid Visa (jointly with [[Peoples Card Services]]). The division also offers cheque cashing, tax services and operates 64 Canada Post Outlets.<ref>[http://www.northernstores.ca/financial/index.htm Link Financial]</ref>


==Further reading==
==Further reading==

Latest revision as of 15:17, 31 August 2024

For the predecessor fur trading company (1779–1821), see North West Company.
The North West Company Inc.
Company typePublic
TSX: NWC
Industry
Founded1987; 37 years ago (1987)
HeadquartersWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Key people
Daniel G. McConnell, President & CEO
Number of employees
6,805[1]
Subsidiaries
Websitewww.northwest.ca

The North West Company Inc. is a multinational Canadian grocery and retail company which operates stores in Canada's western provinces and northern territories; the US states of Alaska and Hawaii; and several other countries and US territories in Oceania and the Caribbean.

The company traces its history back to the North West Company, a fur trading business headquartered in the city of Montreal in British North America from 1779 to 1821.[2] It was merged into the Hudson's Bay Company in 1821. The enterprise continued as the Fur Trade Department, and then the Northern Stores Division of Hudson's Bay Company. In 1987, the division was acquired by a group of investors and in the 1990s it was relaunched as The North West Company. It is now a publicly traded company and is composed mainly of the old HBC Northern Stores Division. The Alaska Commercial Company, which makes up The North West Company's Alaskan operations, traced its roots back to the Russian-American Company. Cost-U-Less, which operates in Hawaii, the South Pacific and the Caribbean, was acquired in 2007.[3] In 2017, 76% of Roadtown Wholesale Trading Ltd, which operates in the British Virgin Islands was acquired.[4]

Brief history

[edit]
Main article: North West Company

The French controlled much of what is now Canada in the early 1700s. As a result, their traders had a large fur trading network. After the conquest of New France by the British in 1763, French traders founded the North West Company and continued expanding their fur trade into the Canadian interior. The competition with the Hudson's Bay Company led to a massive environmental impact with numerous fur trade posts being built, the interior of Canada being explored, and the beaver population being exhausted. The fur trade created conflict which increased tensions between the British, French and Indigenous People.[5]

Current operations

[edit]
Northern Store in Moosonee, Ontario
Northern Store in Fort Resolution, Northwest Territories

The North West Company's head office is located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, built partly on the site of Upper Fort Garry. This building used to serve as the head office of the Hudson's Bay Company. It also operates two offices in the United States cities of Anchorage, Alaska, and Boca Raton, Florida.

As of 2014, the North West Company had 4,921 employees in Canada and 1,726 employees in its international operations in Alaska, the South Pacific, and the Caribbean.[6] It was the largest employer of Indigenous People in the business sector.[citation needed]

The company operates stores under these banners:[6]

Canadian operations

  • Northern (122 stores) – Northern Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Labrador, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon,
  • NorthMart (6 locations across Northern Canada, excluding Yukon and in Manitoba and Labrador) – Cross Bay, Manitoba; Iqaluit, Nunavut; Goose Bay, Labrador; and Hay River & Inuvik, Northwest Territories
  • Quickstop (5 locations)
  • Giant Tiger (31 locations in Western Canada; operated under franchise from Giant Tiger Ltd.)
  • Valu Lots (1 location)
  • Solo Market (1 location)
  • North West Company Fur Marketing (2 locations)
  • Crescent Multi Foods – distributor operating in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and northern Ontario
  • Inuit Art Marketing Service
  • North Star Air – Cargo and Passenger airline based in Thunder Bay, Ontario [7]

International operations

We Financial

[edit]

We Financial is the financial services division that operates a series of automatic teller machines (ATM) in each store, and offers the We Credit Card and We Prepaid Visa (jointly with Peoples Card Services). The division also offers cheque cashing, tax services and operates 64 Canada Post Outlets.[8]

Further reading

[edit]
  • Ahrens, Merv. Fort Lac La Pluie of the North West Company, 177?-1821. Fort Frances, Ontario: Fort Frances Times Ltd, 2006.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Company Profile for North West Co Fund (CA;NWF.UN)". Retrieved 2008-10-15.
  2. ^ Official site Archived 2004-12-27 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ North West Company Fund to Acquire Cost-U-Less
  4. ^ "The North West Company Inc. Announces the Closing of the Acquisition of 76% Ownership in Roadtown Wholesale Trading Ltd. (operating as Riteway Food Markets)". www.canadianinsider.com. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
  5. ^ Macdowell, Laurel Sefton. "An Environmental History of Canada". University of British Columbia: UBC Press, 2012.
  6. ^ a b "The North West Company Inc. 2014 Annual Report" (PDF). The North West Company. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  7. ^ "North West Company spends $31M to buy its own airline | CBC News".
  8. ^ Link Financial
[edit]
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