Why is Tim Hortons still Foreign to Most Americans

 

Let’s talk about a great way to start your day.  If you lived in Canada, you would say stopping at Tim Hortons would be the best way to get off too a great start.  Today, there are close to 628 Tim Hortons in the United States which seems like just too few as Canada is so close to the U.S. and most US restaurant brands crowd the streets in every province of Canada. 

According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® companies the ilk of Mr. Sub and Tim Hortons don’t seem to be getting the exposure in the US that they should.  Consider this, TH International Limited, the exclusive operator of Tim Hortons coffee shops and Popeyes restaurants in China, announced that it has opened its 700th coffee shop and expanded into China’s Northwest as part of its broader growth plans.

Now that 700th store is the first in the northwest city of Yinchuan and spearheads Tim’s continuing geographic expansion across China. A city of nearly three million people, Yinchuan is a fabled stop along the Silk Road, where Chinese and Arab merchants have met and traded for centuries. Tim’s celebrated the milestone opening with a festive celebration and traditional lion dance, welcoming guests to witness the ribbon cutting and taste Tim’s signature warmth. 

The Yinchuan store is one of dozens of franchised stores that Tim’s China is opening in June and July, a key part of the company’s disciplined growth strategy to expand its geographic reach to over 1,000 locations by the end of 2023. Franchising allows Tim’s to develop stores at attractive locations, with great local partners, and with greater capital efficiency. Tim’s plans to open more stores in other underpenetrated cities in the coming months to support its growth, demonstrated by its 16%+ monthly same-store sales growth from February through May of this year.

Yongchen Lu, CEO of Tim’s China, said, “Our development team did an amazing job with our 700th store in Yinchuan. We designed this location to capture the unique culture and contrasts of this special part of China, and we hope both local guests and tourists feel that when they visit us. We look forward to opening more stores in the region as we continue to expand.”

If you have not visited a Tim Hortons the team at Foodservice Solutions® thinks it about time you did.

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869