Posted on 07/31/2005 7:16:32 PM PDT by -=[_Super_Secret_Agent_]=-
OTTAWA, July 29 - Ask Canadians about their national icons and many will name one very odd one: the Tim Hortons chain of doughnut and coffee shops.
So Friday's announcement that 10 years of control by an American company, Wendy's International, might be coming to a close was met in Canada with a great deal of interest.
"It's good to hear that Tim's will possibly be coming back to being a Canadian operation," said Ken Smith, a government employee, as he sat down for an apple fritter and an iced cappuccino at a Tim Hortons in central Ottawa.
Praise for the announcement that Wendy's, which is based in Dublin, Ohio, will offer 15 to 18 percent of Tim Hortons, which is formally known as the TDL Group, also came from investors in the United States. Several major shareholders have argued that Tim Hortons has been undervalued while it has been part of Wendy's, which acquired the company 10 years ago from one of its founders. "We're very pleased with today's announcement," said William A. Ackman, managing member of Pershing Square, a hedge fund that owns 9.9 percent of Wendy's shares. "We look forward to seeing management's successful execution of its plan." David Kolpak, an analyst with Victory Capital Management in Cleveland, said that Wendy's management had proven itself responsive to investors. "This really reverses a strategy of building a portfolio of brands," said Mr. Kolpak, who is a Wendy's shareholder and whose employer holds about 300,000 Wendy's shares on behalf of clients. "That's not an easy thing for senior management to do." Wendy's has considered spinning off Tim Hortons, which is based in Oakville, Ontario, on at least three occasions since 2000.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
As a canadian I can tell you Tim Horton is just about on every corner in canada.
I've got a sneaky suspicion that Tim Hortons will get eaten by Dunkin Doughnuts or Krispy Kreme. The assimilation continues...
An American here who has stopped at numerous Tim Horton's, at first mainly because I remembered his hockey playing days, afterward because they are fun for a quick bite or drink. Coolest one I was at (in more ways than one) was in Whitehorse, Yukon.
not gonna happen.
They said that before Wendy's bought them, too.
I still to this day don't know why Wendy bought TM. Bigger is not always better.
as for DD and krispy, NEVER!!! "Double double" for life.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
That's all the more reason for KK to take over Tim Hortons'. They get an established chain and can slowly insinuate changes.
I can tell you that anybody who open a TM won't have to worry about making money.
Just open and they will come. No matter where you build it. They will come.
Tim Horton's didn't even blink while Krispy Kreme flamed out in Canada.
Tim's owns Canada in a way that no donut chain comes close to owning the U.S. market.
Try their coffee and you'll know why.
Wendy's stock was up over 6 points this week. They must be getting on the low carb bandwagon.
I want TH to be 101% canadian own.
Whatever it takes to get a Tim's somewhere close to my house in the USA is OK by me. I LOVE Timmy's. Crullers, Sandwiches, Ice Caps . . .
Starbuck is for the rich. Tim's for the average people.
Actually, two or three on every corner. Tim Horton's sour cream donuts beat anything from Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Creme. Their coffee is great, imho.
I like Canadian Tire and that sandwich shop whose name I can't remember. The Globe and Mail is probably the best paper in North America (though liberal). Twoonies (or toonies, if you must) are kewl, too. I like one and two dollar coins, too bad the U.S. Treasury can't get it's act together and make a not ugly dollar coin.
They've completely invaded Western NY. For a quick cup of coffee, they cannot be beat.
If you really like extremely Bitter coffee with such a huge after taste it requires an immediate tounge scraping from your nearest dental hygenist then,be my guest.
Absolute worst coffee i`ve ever tasted.But hey,we`re canucks,we have no taste.
Oh,get some of their donut dough and squeeze it,watch the fat drip out.
Never happen. Since I moved to Ottawa 8 years ago, all the Dunkin Donuts stores have closed, and Krispy Kreme never got farther into Canada than one or two outlets in Toronto.
Meanwhile, Timmy's continues to build and expand.
Agreed.
Tim Horton's is HUGE in Canada. I wish I had an opportunity to go to one when I was in Vancouver three years ago. Now, I doubt it could ever make a run in the States.
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