Great Canadian Dollar Store Ltd. (GCDS) is a privately owned Canadian franchise

dollar store A variety store (also five and dime (historic), pound shop, or dollar store) is a retail store that sells general merchandise, such as apparel, auto parts, dry goods, toys, hardware, furniture, and a selection of groceries. It usually sells th ...

. The discount merchandiser was founded in 1993 by Bud and Vivian Walker, with the set-up of a head office in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

and opening of the first BC store in

Kamloops Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the North Thompson River, North and South Thompson Rivers, which join to become the Thompson River in Kamloops, and east of Kamloops Lake. The city is the ad ...

. 126 franchised stores are located across Canada, including the Yukon territory and all nine provinces. In 2015, Great Canadian Dollar Store was purchased by Kevin & Jane Kane of Quispamsis, NB.

History

Founded in 1993 by Bud & Vivian Walker, Great Canadian Dollar Store sold products with a retail price of $1.00. As the company grew and product lines expanded, the maximum retail price moved between $1 to $3. Now with the greater access to product, Great Canadian Dollar Store has moved their to retail prices from between $1 to $20 for the majority of the product. With the purchase of Great Canadian Dollar Store by Kevin Kane, the emphasis is to grow the brand in smaller rural communities.

Awards and recognition

Individual franchise members and the company have gained awards and recognition throughout the years. * Doreen Samways, responsible for five Newfoundland stores, was recognized by Trader's Forum as 2010's "Retailer of the Year". * Kevin Kane, a franchise member with 50 stores across Atlantic Canada, had been recognized by Trader's Forum as 2007's "Retailer of the Year". * In 2003 Great Canadian Dollar Store Ltd. made it on the list of ''Profit'' magazine’s annual Profit 100, which ranks companies based on five-year revenue growth.

References

External links

* {{VarietyStores 1993 establishments in British Columbia Discount stores of Canada Retail companies established in 1993 Variety stores