Canada Day, which happens every July 1st, marks one of the most popular shopping events of the calendar for Canadian consumers. This is mainly thanks to the wow-worthy sale events hosted by so many of our favourite retailers.
Whether you’re looking for a new summer wardrobe, some garden furniture, fun outdoor games or some must-have beauty bag essentials to see you through the (fingers crossed) months of sunshine ahead, why not seize the day and shop ’til you drop?
Retail sales in July 2024 amounted to a whopping $66.4 billion, up $700 million from the previous month and $300 million from the previous year.
Just under six in 10 Canadians who spend on Canada Day celebrations spend $50 or less, consumer research firm Caddle reports, while almost one in four spend $51–$100.
The bump in summer spending may be due to holidays and warm weather activity, with month-over-months retail gains showing across most spending categories, particularly motor vehicle/parts, health/personal care, clothing/accessories and food/beverages.
Among the top 10 retailers in Canada by revenue are Canadian Tire, Lululemon and Shoppers Drug Mart. Looking more broadly at the largest global retailers by revenue, we see corporate giants like Walmart, Amazon, Costco, IKEA, The Home Depot, Apple, Alibaba, H&M and Best Buy—all of which are available to shoppers in Canada either online, in store or both.
Popular companies in Canada are raking in the cash to the tune of billions of dollars per year. Here are 2024 revenue figures in Canadian dollars (unless otherwise noted) for some of the biggest retailers in the country and globally.
$16.65B in 2023)
$12.75B in 2023) $59.52B in 2023) $859.64B in 2023) $762.36B in 2023) $325.82B in 2023) €47.6B EUR in 2023) $202.49B in 2023) $511.58B in 2023) $173.49B in 2023) $29.52B in 2023) $57.63B in 2023)On Canada Day, you’ll find that most shopping malls, restaurants, attractions and high street stores are open for business as usual. However, a word of warning. Prolific sales events draw out swarms of eager shoppers, all desperate to get their hands on the very best deals.
Our advice? Save yourself the stress of shopping in-store during sale events and explore the deals from the comfort of your couch instead!
If you want to update your wardrobe, check out the events at Adidas, Michael Kors and Old Navy. And, for the homemakers Bed, Bath & Beyond, Wayfair and Best Buy will all be offering some great opportunities to save on Canada Day too.
Other stores that are likely to be on board this year include Gap, Indigo, Mark’s, H&M, Foot Locker, Northern Reflections and many more. Whatever you’re shopping for, you may score some deals by seizing the day and shopping during the Canada Day sales.
Is The Bay having a Canada Day sale?No, the 355-year-old Hudson Bay Company went out of business in June 2025, shutting down all but six of 80 stores across Canada. So, there won’t be any more nation-wide Canada Day sales (or any other retail events) at The Bay unless you live near one of the few stores that are still operating in Toronto and Montreal.
Celebrated annually on July 1, Canada Day is the official anniversary of the birth of our nation.
July 1, 1867, saw the uniting of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Canada province by the Constitution Act. This union grew and changed over the next century to become the Canada we know and love today.
Canadians country-wide take to the streets for patriotic parades, fireworks, family picnics, music festivals and sporting events. Good news for shoppers, retailers usually offer discounts and flash deals too.
This holiday started out under the name Dominion Day. Dominion Day was first established in 1879, but many Canadians considered themselves to be British citizens and opted not to partake in the celebrations. This changed over time and the annual holiday increased in popularity at the 50th anniversary in 1917.
In 1946, a bill was launched in a bid to rename Dominion Day. However, disagreements in the House of Commons postponed the bill from being actioned.
By the time the 100th anniversary in 1967 rolled around, substantial growth in Canadian patriotism was evident. This is when Dominion Day celebrations really began to take flight.
Many Canadians had already begun to call the holiday Canada Day—or Fête du Canada. In 1982, Canada was officially granted independence from England, and Dominion Day was formally renamed Canada Day in October of the same year.
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