- It was the Billes’ brothers, J.W. and A.J., who in 1922 purchased the Hamilton Tire and Garage Ltd. Store in east-end Toronto; relocated in 1923 to downtown Toronto, it became Canadian Tire Corporation.
- By 2012, Canadian Tire had diversified and expanded to include all the following brands:
- The Forzani Group Ltd.
- Mark’s Work Wearhouse®
- PartSource®
- Canadian Tire Petroleum
- Canadian Tire Financial Services
- Canadian Tire Automotive
- Canadian Tire Roadside Assistance®
- Canadian Tire has almost 70,000 employees, coast-to-coast across Canada.
- One of the brother co-founders, A.J. Billes, was awarded the Member of the Order of Canada in 1976 for his contributions to the business community and generosity to his employees.
- On the automotive side of their business, the company stocks over 300,000 unique parts.
- In their almost 90-years of operation, Canadian Tire has reached several milestones. In 1980 their corporate gross operating revenues exceeded $1 billion. In 1991, they opened a 100-acre distribution centre in Brampton, Ontario.
- This Canadian company is well-known for its corporate philanthropy. Canadian Tire Foundation, and later, Canadian Tire Jumpstart, would become recognizable for providing help for families in need in terms of basic necessities, and also to help address the national concern of inactive children by helping kids with no financial wherewithal to get involved in sports.