Canadian Tire, Tim Hortons launch loyalty partnership allowing Triangle members to earn on select Tims purchases

Canadian Tire, Tim Hortons launch loyalty partnership allowing Triangle members to earn on select Tims purchases TARA DESCHAMPS TORONTO THE CANADIAN PRESS PUBLISHED YESTERDAY Open this photo in gallery: Customers receive their orders at a Tim Hortons drive through in Toronto. The chain has partnered with Canadian Tire to boost engagement with its loyalty program. SAMMY KOGAN/THE GLOBE AND MAIL COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd. CTC-T unch no change and Tim Hortons are hoping to perk up their customer bases by linking their loyalty programs. Under a partnership launched between the home goods retailer and café giant Wednesday, customers who link their Triangle and Tims Rewards accounts will earn between 2 and 5 per cent in Canadian Tire money in addition to Tims points on select Tims purchases. The arrangement is meant to draw Tims customers to Canadian Tire and vice versa. Right now, 53 per cent of Triangle Rewards customers are enrolled in both loyalty programs. Canadian Tire has about 12 million Triangle Rewards members and 1,600 locations across its banners. Tims counts eight million loyalty program users and 4,000 restaurants in Canada. Ranking Canada’s grocery loyalty programs By uniting, “both Triangle Rewards will grow and Tim Hortons reward members will grow,” Darryl Jenkins, Canadian Tire’s executive vice-president and chief development officer, said in an interview. How much Canadian Tire money shoppers earn will depend on whether they use a Triangle credit card to pay and what they buy. Canadian Tire money can be redeemed for savings on purchases at the retailer as well as its other banners, including SportChek, Mark’s and Party City. Tims points can be used to purchase food and beverages at the chain. The arrangement came about organically, Jenkins and Hope Bagozzi, Tims’ chief marketing officer, said. Canadian Tire and Tims executives sit on many of the same boards, often network with one another and their companies sponsor many of the same events, so it made sense for them to explore if they could boost the reach of their loyalty programs together. “Wouldn’t it be great to add more value together?” was the thinking, Bagozzi recalled. But Liza Amlani, principal and co-founder of the Retail Strategy Group, suspects “this is less about customer delight and more about two legacy brands scrambling for…