Jean Coutu Group tops list of reputable retailers: Study

Jean Coutu Group is the most reputable retailer in the country, as ranked by Canadians, according to a new survey by the Reputation Institute in partnership with Argyle Public Relationships. Rounding out the list of top five retailers are Canadian Tire, Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix, Home Hardware and Amazon.

The annual survey looked at more than 250 companies, including Canadian companies and foreign-based companies that operate here. The results were based on 27,000 individual ratings by Canadians who were familiar with the companies evaluated.

Companies were rated on products and services, innovation, workplace, governance, citizenship, leadership and financial performance.

“To lead the pack in retail is an impressive achievement because there’s an overall halo around that sector,” says Daniel Tisch, president and CEO of Argyle Public Relationships.

“ tend to have higher levels of relationship with companies in the retail and consumer products spaces. That doesn’t mean it’s a slam-dunk for them, but it means they have a superb opportunity to build both relationships and reputation. So, because they’re in front of us, we’re in their stores, we’re interacting with their people and their products in a much more personal way, there is an opportunity to forge those connections.”

The top 10 Canadian companies, overall, also included Jean Coutu (second place) and Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix (fourth), as well as two CPG brands: Cascades (sixth) and McCain Foods (tenth).

Jean Coutu Group also cracked the top 10 on the international list, landing at number eight, with a score of 78.5. Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix, which was number seven last year, fell to number 20, with a score of 75.5.

“Jean Coutu was strong last year and they’re even stronger this year,” says Tisch. “Shoppers is down slightly, but still very solid at 75.5.”

Sobeys was the only Canadian grocery retailer that was ranked, landing at 145^th place, with a score of 63.9.

Shoppers Drug Mart and Cascades were also among the highest scorers in purpose and social responsibility.

Tisch says one of the key takeaways from the results is the idea of being genuine and relevant.

“If you look at companies like Shoppers, Jean Coutu and Cascades, they’re clustered mainly in retail, and these are companies that people see as genuine,” says Tisch.

“And if you look at brand strength—does it deliver a consistent experience, does it stand out from the crowd, is it genuine about what it says and what it stands for—those are where these companies are out-performing their peers.”

The most reputable global company among Canadians is Google, followed by Lego, Rolex and Nintendo.