Horizon (store)

Horizon

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Retail
Founded	1972
Founder	T. Eaton Co. Limited
Defunct	1979
Fate	Ceased operations; some stores converted to Eaton's outlets
Successor	Eaton's (some locations)
Headquarters	Toronto , Canada
Area served	Canada
Key people	Robert Butler (President of T. Eaton Co. Ltd.)
Products	Apparel, housewares, sporting equipment, appliances, seasonal merchandise
Owner	T. Eaton Co. Limited
Parent	T. Eaton Co. Limited

Horizon was a Canadian discount department store chain established in 1972 by T. Eaton Co. Limited. It was developed to rival established Canadian discount retailers such as Woolco and Zellers during an economic downturn, focusing on attracting "buyers" instead of the "shoppers" typical of Eaton's mainline stores. The chain generally failed to turn a profit, as it cannibalized sales from Eaton's existing outlets and did not meet performance targets. Although originally planned to expand to 122 stores, Horizon only reached 18 locations before ceasing operations in 1979, less than seven years after its debut. The financial difficulties of Horizon contributed to the significant challenges faced by T. Eaton during the 1980s.

History

Robert Butler, President of T. Eaton Co. Ltd., made a distinction between consumers as either shoppers or buyers, which influenced Horizon’s development as a discount retailer aimed at the latter group. Stores averaged about 60,000 square feet and were typically situated in neighbourhood shopping centres or smaller towns near grocery stores. The product mix included apparel, housewares, sporting equipment, appliances, and seasonal merchandise. Unlike Eaton's traditional layout with checkout counters inside departments, Horizon used centralized cash registers.

The brand name Horizon symbolized a "progressive, modern lifestyle," supported by technological advances such as barcode scanners at checkout, making it "Canada’s most automated self-service store." The chain utilized Eaton's credit card system and computer technology to track inventory and customer purchases.

Announced in May 1972, the inaugural store opened in Scarborough, Ontario in August of that year. These initial outlets served as experimental sites to evaluate different community demographics. The goal was to develop 122 locations, each serving an area with a population of approximately 200,000 within a ten-minute drive.

While the Scarborough and Yonge-Eglinton locations showed promising results, most other stores failed to meet performance benchmarks and launched amid a challenging period for discount retailers. Publicly disclosed sales figures declined following the 1972 holiday season, with Horizon primarily eroding Eaton’s existing store sales instead of effectively competing with other discount chains. The company experienced significant management turnover early on; general manager W. A. Kelley was promoted soon after the chain’s launch.

In fall 1973, refrigerators were removed from Horizon’s offerings due to inadequate delivery capabilities and weak sales connected to its self-service model. To refine the business model and address competitive pressures, Eaton's collaborated with J. C. Penney on a joint research project in 1974. By 1975, T. Eaton anticipated that Horizon would become profitable within two years.

After closing its catalogue division in January 1976, T. Eaton announced the discontinuation of Horizon in October 1978, completing the phase-out by January 1979, less than seven years post-launch. Analysts attributed Horizon’s failure to T. Eaton entering the discount retail segment too late and expanding insufficiently to establish a strong market presence, although the company described the closure as part of a strategic pivot toward smaller suburban stores that had proven successful elsewhere.

Six stores in Metro Toronto and two in London were converted into Eaton's outlets; meanwhile, four Quebec locations kept the Horizon brand but were managed under Eaton's Quebec division. These remaining stores were smaller than typical Eaton's branches but offered comparable merchandise with a more understated design.

Legacy

Financial difficulties faced by the company during the 1980s have been attributed to Horizon and its involvement in the Ontario Downtown Renewal Program. These challenges led to budget reductions that sparked union organizing efforts, culminating in a strike across multiple stores in 1985.

Certain documents related to the stores are archived at the Archives of Ontario as part of the T. Eaton Company fonds collection.

Locations

According to the publication Eaton's: the Trans-Canada store, there were 13 Horizon outlets, aligning with reports from that era, although The Eatons: the rise and fall of Canada's royal family (1999) suggests there were 15 store openings.

• Victoria Park and Sheppard (Scarborough, Metro Toronto, 16 August 1972)
• Westmount Mall (London, 1 November 1972)
• Northland Shopping Centre (London, 1 November 1972)
• Yonge Eglinton Centre (Toronto, 27 June 1973)
• Dufferin Plaza (Toronto, 26 September 1973)
• Greenfield Park (Montreal, 15 November 1973)
• Les Galeries St-Laurent (Montreal, 15 November 1973)
• Les Galeries des Mille-Iles (Rosemere, 15 November 1973)
• Rexdale Plaza (Etobicoke, Metro Toronto, 2 October 1973), initially intended as the chain’s second store location
• Gerrard Square (Toronto, 14 August 1974)
• Place Montenach (Beloeil, 6 March 1975)
• Centre Domaine (Montreal, 6 March 1975)

Additionally, a Horizon outlet was present at Rockwood Mall in Mississauga. While Eaton's: the Trans-Canada store refers to this as Sheridan Mall with an opening date of 15 November 1972, Rockwood Mall had not opened by March 1973.