Canadian Tire Corporation Limited (TSE:CTC) (TSE:CTC.A) has chosen Research in Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB)’s Blackberry 10 as the official smartphone of the corporate team of the company in Canada.
The company said its employees from its subsidiaries including Canadian Tire Retail, Canadian Tire Financial Services, as well as Mark’s and FGL Sports, will use Blackberry 10 smartphones as their primary business device by the end of April.
According to Canadian Tire Corporation Limited (TSE:CTC) (TSE:CTC.A), it will distribute several thousands of units of Blackberry smartphones over the next months. The company said it will deploy a mix of Blackberry Z10 and Blackberry Q10 smartphones.
The management of the company believe that Research in Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB)’s Blackberry 10 platform will provide a faster, smarter and secure experience for its employees and it will create a shared platform to drive innovation and improve its efficiency.
Eugene Roman, chief technology officer of Canadian Tire Corporation said, “With 90 years of history serving Canadians in communities from coast-to-coast, it’s fitting that we’re partnering with another great Canadian company to support our business.”
On the other hand, Andrew MacLeod, managing director for Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB)/Blackberry in Canada expressed his excitement in working with Canadian Tire Corporation Limited (TSE:CTC) (TSE:CTC.A) to bring innovations to its employees and customers across the country. MacLeod said, “BlackBerry is committed to being a leader in mobile computing and expanding mobility in the business world and by supporting companies like Canadian Tire with our carrier and other partners to bring innovative solutions to market.”
Canadian Tire Corporation launched its first mobile app for Blackberry three years ago. The mobile app allows customers to browse products and its availability, create a shopping list, locate store details, and access the company’s digital flyers. It became one of the most popular mobile apps in Canada. Last year, the company’s 20 million customers used the mobile app and visited its mobile optimized website.
Last month, Canadian Tire Corporation became the first retail partner of Communitech, as it opens its new digital development lab to build new applications to improve the shopping experience of customers online and in-store. Canadian Tire Corporation operates more than 1,700 retail and gasoline outlets with 85,000 employees.
Yesterday, Frank Boulben, CMO of Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB)/Blackberry confirmed that singer-songwriter Alicia Keys is active in her role as global creative director for Blackberry. He said that Ms. Keys contributions is reflected in the transformation of the company’s brand as cool and professional.
