Leon's Furniture Ltd. () (Meubles Léon Limité in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

) 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-on ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. 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; ) is a stock exchange located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the List of stock exchanges, 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 A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

. Leon’s buys The Brick in $700-million deal
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History

Leon's originated in the city of

near the US border in the Niagara Region. It was founded by Ablan Leon, a Lebanese immigrant, who started out as a 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 Common ...

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 (census population 2,796,367 in 2021) is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. It occupies most of the Ontario Peninsula, bounded by Lake Huron (includ ...

. 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 Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. 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 is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

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, home appliance, 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 Septembe ...

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 refers to various incentive plans introduced by businesses which provide direct or indirect payments to employees, often depending on the company's profitability, employees' regular salaries, and bonuses. In publicly traded compa ...

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 (Formerly known as Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada) is a national, nonprofit organization that supports local BGC Clubs with programs for physical activity, healthy living, learning, job training, leadership, and creative expression. With ...

. Leon's has also supported organizations such as

Canadian Cancer Society The Canadian Cancer Society () is Canada's largest national cancer charity and the largest national charitable funder of cancer research in Canada. History The Saskatchewan Medical Association formed Canada's first cancer committee in 1929, whi ...

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

, 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, Swit ...

, among others.

References

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 Canadian companies established in 1909