HearCANADA, the retail division of Denmark-based WS Audiology, is planning to rapidly expand its footprint in Canada over the next few years.
The company currently has 81 locations in the country, primarily in Ontario, but spread from coast to coast.
Terri Brzozowski, Interim Marketing Director for HearCANADA, said over the years the company had acquired a number of different smaller brands and rebranded them under the one umbrella.
“The kickoff (to expansion) is really this rebranding – aligning the brand to create some awareness nationally and then the next phase of this is a significant growth opportunity for us in terms of adding new clinics,” she said.
HearCANADA offers a range of hearing aids and accessories. Consumers can purchase hearing aids, accessories, and batteries from one of its local hearing clinics. It also offers a variety of services related to hearing care and hearing aids including hearing tests, earwax removal, or hearing aid repairs.
Image: HearCANADA 
Image: HearCANADA
Brzozowski said the company’s overarching goal is to add 100 new clinics. She said 80 per cent of its business is done in Ontario currently. The expansion will move more into western markets such as Alberta and British Columbia being priority areas.
“Obviously we’re going to take a scaled approach to that. I think in our next fiscal (year) that starts in October we’ll start with at least 10 clinics,” she said.
Aurora Realty Consultants is the real estate representative for HearCANADA on their Canadian national growth project, to expand access to hearing aids and care, in order to reach more people around the country, coast to coast.
The company said the new facilities will be in traditional and nontraditional medical, office, hybrid and retail commercial real estate facilities with emphasis on client access and convenience.
“Our demographic is growing to begin with. I think hearing care is becoming more important to the consumer. There’s a great understanding of the importance of hearing health care. We’re finding studies that can directly relate hearing loss and cognitive decline. So I think people are just becoming more aware of the importance of managing their hearing health,” said Brzozowski.
“I think the pandemic has taught us it’s important to really manage our own health in general and hearing is a big part of that.
“What we’re trying to do as a company, there’s always this stigma around hearing decline and wearing hearing aids in general. So what we’re trying to do with this rebrand is knock down that stereotype and WS (Audiology) is also a manufacturer of hearing aids. We have a wholesale partner as well so we’re trying to take the product and the image and tie them together so creating products that are more adaptable to the changing demographic. The demographic alone, if you think of a 70-year-old plus now versus a 70-year-old plus 20 years ago, their lifestyles have certainly changed. Quality of life has improved. So they want to take charge of their hearing.”
Brzozowski also said the company is starting to see a younger demographic – 55 years old plus – with mild, slight hearing loss.
“Between changing demographics, changing stigma, they all create opportunities for us to jump on,” she said.
