
Leon's Furniture Ltd. () (Meubles Léon Limité in
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...
) is a Canadian furniture retailer which first opened its store in 1909 in
Welland
Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada. As of 2021, it had a population of 55,750.
The city is in the centre of Niagara and located within a half-hour driving distance to Niagara Falls, Niagara-o ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
. The controlling interest in the company is owned by the Leon family, while some shares are traded publicly on the
Toronto Stock Exchange
The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX; french: Bourse de Toronto) is a stock exchange located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the 10th largest exchange in the world and the third largest in North America based on market capitalization. Based in th ...
. The company has stores in all
provinces of Canada.
[ Leon’s buys The Brick in $700-million deal](_blank)
/ref>
History
Leon's originated in the city of Welland
Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada. As of 2021, it had a population of 55,750.
The city is in the centre of Niagara and located within a half-hour driving distance to Niagara Falls, Niagara-o ...
, Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
near the US border in the Niagara Region
The Regional Municipality of Niagara, also colloquially known as the Niagara Region or Region of Niagara, is a regional municipality comprising twelve municipalities of Southern Ontario, Canada. The regional seat is in Thorold. It is the southe ...
. It was founded by Ablan Leon, a Lebanese
Lebanese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Lebanese Republic
* Lebanese people
The Lebanese people ( ar, الشعب اللبناني / ALA-LC: ', ) are the people inhabiting or originating from Lebanon. The term may al ...
immigrant, who started out as factory worker and then a door-to-door salesman. He was able to open a store with his profits in 1909. The original store (A. Leon Company at 244 King Street) was a dry goods
Dry goods is a historic term describing the type of product line a store carries, which differs by region. The term comes from the textile trade, and the shops appear to have spread with the mercantile trade across the British Empire (and form ...
outlet, which subsequently converted to furniture sales.
Leon's original store was staffed primarily by his family. When he died in 1942, he left the company to his children. After expanding the original location, they built new stores in Southwestern Ontario
Southwestern Ontario is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It occupies most of the Ontario Peninsula bounded by Lake Huron, including Georgian Bay, to the north and northwest; the St. Clair River, Lake ...
.
The company moved into the Toronto area in the subsequent decades, purchasing several established outlets in the city and converting them to Leon's name. The company went public in 1969 and opened its first warehouse showroom in 1973, touting it as the only one in Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
.
Today, roughly half of the store's more than 50 outlets are owned corporately, while the remainder, mainly in rural areas or in cities with lower populations, are owned by franchisees. There were briefly two stores in Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...
in the mid 1990s.
On November 11, 2012, Leon's announced plans to acquire competing furniture chain The Brick
The Brick Ltd. is a Canadian retailer of furniture, mattresses, appliances and home electronics. The company was founded as The Brick Warehouse LP by brothers, John, Fred, and Bill Comrie. The first warehouse opened on September 1, 1971 in ...
for $700 million.
Leon's took over eight Sears Home locations in 2016, a move that allowed Leon's to open its first store in the province of BC.
Products
Leon's Furniture markets mid-range furniture, appliances and electronics; some items are discount, and some stores contain high-end showrooms with higher-priced items available. A major part of Leon's marketing strategy is its financing plans, which allow customers to defer payments for various lengths of time (the most common of which are 6 and 18-month terms). This financing is offered through Flexiti Financial.
In an effort to attract customers living in condos or smaller dwellings, Leon's launched their Urban Living Collection in June 2007, comprising smaller sized sofas, bedrooms and dining sets.
Personnel
The staff of Leon's Furniture is separated into numerous departments in many of its corporate locations (franchise operating procedures tend to vary). Employees receive a number of benefits, including profit sharing
Profit sharing is various incentive plans introduced by businesses that provide direct or indirect payments to employees that depend on company's profitability in addition to employees' regular salary and bonuses. In publicly traded companies th ...
and other benefits packages for full-time staff.
Slogans
* "All the savings you can carry" — mid-late 1970s
* "It's a better way to buy furniture" — 1992
* "Canada's Only Furniture Superstore" — 2000
* "Leon's — Where Big Is Beautiful — In So Many Ways" — 2000–2004
* "Leon's — It's All About Trust" — 2004–2016
* "Leon's — Part of the Family" — 2016–Present
Charities
Leon's celebrated its 100th anniversary with a donation to Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada
BGC Canada (Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada) is a national, nonprofit organization that supports local Boys and Girls Clubs with programs for physical activity, healthy living, learning, job training, leadership, and creative expression. With location ...
. Leon's has also supported organizations such as Canadian Cancer Society
The Canadian Cancer Society (french: Société canadienne du cancer) is Canada's largest national cancer charity and the largest national charitable funder of cancer research in Canada.
History
The idea to form the Canadian Cancer Society origin ...
, Salvation Army
Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...
, Cerebral Palsy Association and YWCA
The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries.
The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...
, among others.
Competition
Competitors of Leon's include:
* Mattress Mattress Inc
* Jeff Ware Arrow Furniture
* Sleep Country
* The Brick
The Brick Ltd. is a Canadian retailer of furniture, mattresses, appliances and home electronics. The company was founded as The Brick Warehouse LP by brothers, John, Fred, and Bill Comrie. The first warehouse opened on September 1, 1971 in ...
, competing furniture store that was acquired by Leon's Furniture Limited in 2012
* Lastman's Bad Boy Furniture
* Wholesale Furniture Brokers
* Teppermans
* Wayfair
Wayfair Inc. is an American e-commerce company based in Boston, Massachusetts that sells furniture and home goods online. Formerly known as CSN Stores, it was founded in 2002, and currently offers 14 million items from more than 11,000 global su ...
* Ashley HomeStore
References
Leon's Customer service
External links
*{{Official website, https://www.leons.ca/
Companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange
Furniture retailers of Canada
Companies based in Toronto
Canadian brands
Retail companies established in 1909
1909 establishments in Ontario