BeaverTails is doubling down on its destination-first strategy, with major renovations across Canada and a continued eye on the U.S. market—even as global tensions add complexity to expansion timelines.
Pino Di Ioia who leads the iconic Canadian snack brand as its CEO, says the shift in store focus is a continuation of decisions made over the past two years.
“Our community stores, which were more relevant during COVID—those in strip malls or local neighbourhoods—don’t really represent what we are,” said Di Ioia. “We belong in big, bold, beautiful places like Banff, Jasper, Waterton. West Edmonton Mall is still a great example. 17th Avenue (in Calgary) is a decent one too—it’s a main street, but still carries that destination vibe.”
The company has divided its model into two formats: Express and Full Shops. “We now separate them into Express—like Calaway Park (in Calgary) and food trucks—and Full Shops. Those 50 full stores deliver more magic and more brand,” he said. “We call our Express stores ‘embassies.’ So, if you’re at a Ribfest, the Embassy gets you hooked on a BeaverTail. But visiting the Italian Embassy isn’t like visiting Italy, right? To really experience it, you’ve got to go to one of our full stores. That’s where we deliver the full magic.”
The focus now, Di Ioia explains, is on finding more “spectacular places” for flagship locations. “It’s tough—we’ve already done most of the obvious ones. Not much left,” he said.
Recent renovations show the scale of BeaverTails’ commitment. “Canmore went through a big renovation. It was already nice, but now it’s even more beautiful. That was about a year ago,” he said. “Banff is being renovated—both stores. They’re already high-performing, but they’re going to look beautiful by fall. Blue Mountain was just renovated. The big stores are getting the attention they deserve. The brand is 47 years old. Blue Mountain’s been there for 30 or 35 years.”
And that investment is no small number. “We just renovated both flagship stores in Old Montreal. They’re 35—maybe coming up on 40 years old. They got a combined million dollars worth of renovations. For a snack concept, that’s big money.”
On the growth front, Di Ioia says the U.S. remains a priority. “The U.S. is still on the roadmap. The spike in tariffs and the political back-and-forth has slowed things a bit. We’re being cautious, maybe moving more slowly, but it’s still very much in the plan,” he said. “The American Rockies is a priority for us. We’re talking with real estate agents and have been for six months. I expect we’ll have something signed in 2026—if not opened.”
Back at home, the Express format is finding success in the right environments. “We’re still looking at the right Express opportunities. It took us years to get into Calaway. They just weren’t ready to brand. The Calgary Zoo—we’ve talked to them. Good people. Our contact there retired, but we’re in with the next generation now. Eventually, we’ll be ready for the Zoo.”
“Express stores work well for those leisure environments because we have the perfect product for them. But the full store is where you get everything: the ice cream, the savoury items, the poutine, the BeaverDog, merchandise, beverages—it’s an experience. A destination.”
New openings continue to roll out this year. “This year we’ve done a couple of mobiles. The Windsor mobile just opened. Amherstburg—across from Detroit—that just opened too. Amherstburg is an old sports town. I think it was one of the battles of 1812. Beautiful new store, new format. That was about six months ago.”
Still, some coveted locations remain elusive.
“We’d love to be in places like Granville Island and the Distillery District, but they don’t take franchises,” he said. “Or at least, they don’t take national chains.”
“But we’d love to be in Granville Island, love to be in the Distillery District. So we keep waiting for the right time.”
In the meantime, BeaverTails is focused on making its best stores better. “We’re renovating our best stores so they look better than ever,” said Di Ioia.
In a blog post Tony Flanz, of Think Retail who is working with BeaverTails on its real estate, said the brand is targeting the following markets from coast to coast: Vancouver’s Granville Island and Water Street in St. John’s, as well as several Toronto neighbourhoods-downtown, Distillery District, Queen’s Quay, and Yonge & Dundas Streets. They will also consider other high traffic tourist and pedestrian locations in major centres.
BeaverTails offers several flexible formats and a fresh welcoming store design: Ideal spaces are 300 to 1,000 square feet (ventilation required), explained Flanz. “With an average 14 annual openings for the last six years, this team knows what they’re doing and how to set up for success in a new market. Growth continued, even during the pandemic (its grab-and-go format was ideal for that period),” he said.
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