Giant Tiger founder Gordon Reid has died at 89

Gordon Reid, a Canadian businessman and founding father of the favored low cost chain Giant Tiger, has died.

An announcement from the corporate stated he handed away after a quick sickness. He was 89.

Reid labored within the retail trade since he was 13 years outdated. He opened the primary Giant Tiger retailer in 1961 in Ottawa’s ByWard Market. The retailer stays in operation in the present day.

The first Giant Tiger retailer opened in May 1961 on George Street in Ottawa’s ByWard Market. The retailer remains to be there in the present day. (Photo courtesy of Giant Tiger)

Giant Tiger now has 265 places throughout Canada and employs greater than 10,000 folks.

“Giant Tiger has always been a family-owned company and is professionally managed in accordance with industry standards. No change in ownership or management is expected to result from Gordon’s passing,” the corporate stated in a news launch.

“Mr. Reid is famously known for crediting the success of Giant Tiger to its strong network of store franchisees and a profound respect for the customers and the communities the stores serve. He is well known for saying, ‘When your customers are your neighbours, you want to do things right.'”

In 2010, Reid was awarded the Retail Council of Canada’s lifetime achievement award and in 2018, the Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Board of Trade awarded him an identical honour on the 2018 Best Ottawa Business Awards.

The Giant Tiger retailer on George Street in Ottawa’s ByWard Market, because it seems in 2023. (Ted Raymond/CTV News Ottawa)

“Gordon was a giant within Canada’s retail sector, an innovator who reshaped the industry,” stated Gino DiGioacchino, interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Giant Tiger in a news launch. “To us, he was also a friend and mentor. He will be greatly missed.”

A commemoration of his legacy can be held at a later date, spokesperson Alison Scarlett stated.