Mark's (known as L'Équipeur in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the 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 one of the thirtee ...

) is a Canadian clothing and footwear retailer specializing in casual and industrial wear. Beginning in 1977 as Mark's Work Wearhouse in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, it evolved from an industrial accessories dealer to a men’s casual and industrial wear retailer. The company operates over 380 stores across Canada and has been a subsidiary of

Canadian Tire Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited is a Canadian retail company which operates in the automotive, hardware, sports, leisure and housewares sectors. Its Canadian operations include: Canadian Tire (including Canadian Tire Petroleum gas stations a ...

since 2002.

History

Mark Blumes, formerly a retail executive for the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...

, opened Mark's Work Wearhouse in Calgary, Alberta, on August 14, 1977. The store was located in the southeast corner of Calgary, at Centre Street and Glenmore Trail. Following rapid expansion, the company became publicly traded in 1981, with an initial public offering worth $14,000,000. In 1995, the Board of Directors appointed Garth Mitchell as President and Chief Operating Officer of the company. Under Mitchell, the chain entered a new phase characterized by growth and acquisition. The 140 stores generated a revenue of $250 million in 1996, and the company acquired Work World, which increased revenues by $500 million in six years.

Canadian Tire Corporation Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited is a Canadian retail company which operates in the automotive, hardware, sports, leisure and housewares sectors. Its Canadian operations include: Canadian Tire (including Canadian Tire Petroleum gas stations a ...

purchased Mark’s Work Wearhouse for $109 million in early 2002. At this time, Mark's Work Wearhouse operated 325 corporate and franchisee stores in Canada. The acquisition provided Mark’s Work Wearhouse with additional capital which allowed it to grow between 2001 and 2008 to 372 stores across Canada. Together, Mark’s Work Wearhouse and Canadian Tire created "combo stores" at 65 Canadian Tire locations. In 2012, the company rebranded as "Mark's" as part of a strategy to appeal to a wider customer base and reflect an expanded product assortment. In May 2018, Canadian Tire Corporation announced their purchase of

Helly Hansen Helly Hansen (HH) is a Norwegian manufacturer and retailer of clothing and sports equipment and a subsidiary of the Canadian retail chain Canadian Tire. Currently headquartered in Oslo, it was previously headquartered in Moss, Norway from its fou ...

, a brand Mark's previously featured for over ten years.

Products

Mark's is an apparel and footwear retailer, selling men's and women's industrial, business, casual and active clothing and footwear, as well as a full line of health wear, including hospital scrubs, hygienic wear and accessories. Mark’s holds a number of private labels, including Dakota, Denver Hayes and WindRiver. They also carry an additional assortment of national brands, including

Levi's Levi Strauss & Co. () is an American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's () brand of denim jeans. It was founded in May 1853 when German-Jewish immigrant Levi Strauss moved from Buttenheim, Bavaria, to San Francisco, California, to o ...

Carhartt Carhartt, Inc. is an American apparel company founded in 1889, known for heavy-duty working clothes such as jackets, coats, overalls, coveralls, vests, shirts, jeans, dungarees, fire-resistant clothing and hunting apparel. Carhartt remains a fami ...

, and

(owned by parent company Canadian Tire since 2018). A variety of Mark’s footwear is

CSA CSA may refer to: Arts and media * Canadian Screen Awards, annual awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television * Commission on Superhuman Activities, a fictional American government agency in Marvel Comics * Crime Syndicate of Amer ...

approved.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Clothing brands of Canada Canadian Tire Clothing retailers of Canada Companies based in Calgary Retail companies established in 1977 1977 establishments in Alberta 2002 mergers and acquisitions