CANEX, Canada’s Military Store, Celebrates 50 Years
News release
September 5, 2018 – Ottawa – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces
CANEX, Canadian Forces Morale & Welfare Services’ (CFMWS) retail operations, often coined as “Canada’s Military Store”, celebrates its 50th anniversary of providing goods and services to the Defence community.
First opened in 1968, CANEX currently counts 35 retail outlets across Canada, which includes bases, wings and its e-commerce store, CANEX.ca.
In Canada, business consists of mainly general merchandise with select grocery, petroleum, and food services available at Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) bases / wings and units. In Europe, retail facilities, operated under NATEX, provide similar services benefiting the local NATO communities. CANEX also manages local business concessionaires that add value and convenience to the local CAF community, such as long-standing partners Tim Hortons, Subway, barber shops, and The Personal Insurance Company, to name a few.
Over the past 10 fiscal years, more than $30 million in proceeds from CANEX sales have been reinvested in local base / wing / unit funds for the betterment of morale and wellness of local CAF communities. These funds support a variety of social, sports, and recreational programs including skating, curling, and swimming programs, libraries, hobbyist activities, and more.
CANEX, a division of CFMWS, supports the CAF operational effectiveness by contributing to morale, esprit de corps, and unit cohesion. It employs more than 500 dedicated staff across Canada, many of whom are spouses, partners, and/or dependents of serving CAF members.
Quotes
“For generations, CANEX has been a staple of our military support system. Known for their convenience in Canada and around the world, these stores provide our members and their families with high-quality services and products, which enhances our overall operational readiness. They’ve been with us through some of our most important missions, and I’m confident they’ll continue being a valuable partner well into the future.”
- General Jonathan H. Vance, Chief of the Defence Staff, Canadian Armed Forces
“The sense of community offered by CANEX and the services they provide are part of the Canadian Forces Morale & Welfare Services’ commitment to supporting military members and their families. This is especially important during difficult times, when loved ones are deployed or families are settling into new communities after being posted. Our understanding of the challenges of postings and relocation help us serve our members that much better.”
- Commodore Sean N. Cantelon, CEO, CFMWS
“CANEX’ 50-year history of providing retail and commercial services, in a highly competitive retail industry, is a testament to our responsiveness to our customers. Moving forward, we will continue to modernize our operations as was done with our new flagship store at CFB Petawawa, illustrating our strong brand and affiliation to the CAF as Canada’s Military Store, both bricks and mortar and online at CANEX.ca. CANEX, is committed to offering unique and branded merchandise with an exceptional customer experience, centered on being competitive, convenient, and relevant to our members, their families, and the extended CAF community.”
- Larry Mohr, Vice-President Commercial Services, CFMWS
Associated links
Contacts
Julie Leblanc
Corporate Communications & Stakeholder Relations
CFMWS
Phone: 613-996-4620
Email: leblanc.julie@cfmws.com
Page details
- Date modified: