Digital Mapping Solution Will Centralize Data and Improve the Quality & Speed of Decision-Making

TORONTO – July 9, 2012 – Retailers with a large physical footprint need access to timely and consistent information about their operations to effectively manage their business. To address this challenge, Canadian Tire is centralizing its location-based business data using Esri's enterprise digital mapping technology also known as a geographic information system (GIS). This will streamline data management and improve access to spatial data and analytical tools to support more rapid and informed decision-making throughout their organization.

“An enterprise mapping system will increase our productivity and efficiency,” says David St. Amand, Associate Vice President, Real Estate Operations, Canadian Tire. “This integrated system will allow us to spend less time on compiling numerous data and focus more on analyzing the data to make better informed decisions in a complex competitive environment. It will allow us to easily map data to discover valuable insights about our markets, determine the best sites for new development and successfully target marketing efforts.”

“Ninety percent of Canadians live within 15 minutes of a Canadian Tire store,” says Alex Miller, president, Esri Canada. “With such a vast retail network, it's crucial that each store's performance is optimized and that there's no market overlap. To effectively design sales territories, they need to analyze various factors such as current stores, demographics and competition. This could take weeks or months using traditional methods, whereas with an enterprise GIS, they can instantly pull all relevant information, create various what-if scenarios and select the choices with the best potential outcomes.”

While Canadian Tire, which operates more than 1,700 retail and gasoline outlets across the country, has used Esri technology in some areas of its operations for more than 20 years, this is the first time the retailer will deploy GIS as an enterprise system and integrate it with other corporate systems including their real estate management system. To help ensure the project's success, Canadian Tire selected Esri Canada's Professional Services group to create a blueprint that will develop the vision, strategy and implementation plan for the system.

Incorporating Esri's ArcGIS platform into the retailer's IT infrastructure will enable Canadian Tire to consolidate more than 300 databases containing location-based information into the GIS. This will reduce redundant information, enable automatic data updates and the creation of consistent data maintenance standards. ArcGIS is fully compliant with the company's IT standards and can seamlessly integrate with Web applications and reporting tools, allowing staff to leverage advanced mapping and spatial analysis tools to gain more useful intelligence from business data.

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About Esri Canada
Founded in 1984, Esri Canada provides enterprise geographic information system (GIS) solutions that empower businesses, governments and educational institutions to make timely, informed and mission-critical decisions by leveraging the power of geography. The company distributes the world's leading GIS software from Esri, Telvent, Cityworks – Azteca Systems, Inc. and other technology partners. Headquartered in Toronto, the company serves over 10,000 customers from 16 regional offices across Canada and has been named as one of the Top 250 Canadian IT Companies and Top 25 IT Professional Services Providers in Canada by the Branham Group, as well as one of Computer Dealer News' Top 100 IT Solution Providers in Canada. Information about Esri Canada can be found at esri.ca.