Sherwin-Williams Sets Sights on Quebec Expansion

By Craig Patterson

Cleveland, Ohio-based paint retailer Sherwin-Williams continues to open stores in Canada, and the province of Quebec will be a particularly important target for the retailer this year, according to brokerage Think Retail. 

Sherwin-Williams’ growth in Canada is about 10% annually, prompting it to further seek locations. In Quebec, the company is looking to open two or three stores in 2018, and then between five and six in 2019. According to Think Retail, ideal storefronts are between 2,800 square feet and 4,000 square feet along high streets and in open air centres in several target markets. 

Sherwin-Williams has more than 225 stores in Canada with 48 in British Columbia, 28 in Alberta, seven in Saskatchewan, nine in Manitoba, 88 in Ontario, 37 in Quebec, four in New Brunswick, two in Newfoundland, six in Nova Scotia and one in PEI.

Over the past three years, Sherwin Williams has opened 48 new stores in Canada. 

Sherwin-Williams was founded in Cleveland in 1866, and it celebrated its 150th birthday last year. The company is technically a year older than Canada, and has a unique Canadian connection – Sherwin-Williams opened a manufacturing plant in Montreal in 1894, and its second CEO was Canadian. Sherwin-Williams is now the largest producer of paint in the world and its products are sold through a wide network of distributors including home centres, independent retailers, mass merchandisers, and through more than 4,200 company-operated paint stores. The company boasts annual revenue in excess of US $15 billion. 

Craig Patterson, now based in Toronto, is the founder and Editor-in-Chief Retail Insider. He’s also a retail and real estate consultant, retail tour guide and public speaker. 

Follow him on Twitter @RetailInsider_, LinkedIn at Craig Patterson, or email him at: craig@retail-insider.com.