Well.ca

Last updated

Well.ca
Well.ca logo.png
Founded2008 (2008)
Headquarters Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Area servedCanada and the United States
Founder(s) Ali Asaria
Key people
  • Rebecca McKillican (CEO) (Former)
  • Erin Young (CMO) (Former)
Nicole Flynn (VP)
Industry E-commerce
Parent McKesson Corporation
(2017–2024)
Birch Hill Equity
(2024-present)
URL well.ca

Well.ca is a Canadian e-commerce retailer based in Guelph, Ontario [1] that specializes in health, beauty, baby, home, and green and natural products. It was founded in 2008 by Ali Asaria. [2]

Contents

History

In 2008, Well.ca was created after founder Ali Asaria decided to try online selling of products from his father's pharmacy. [2] The company now has over 250 employees in offices in Guelph and Toronto and sells over 40,000 different products online. [3]

In 2013, Rebecca McKillican became Well.ca's new CEO [4] after founder and previous CEO Ali Asaria stepped down from his role to focus on a new venture. [5] In December 2017, pharmaceutical company McKesson Canada acquired Well.ca. [6]

On September 5, 2024, it was announced that private equity firm Birch Hill Equity Partners (BHEP) had reached a deal to acquire Well.ca, [7] although McKesson would continue to be its wholesale distribution supplier. The transaction with BHEP was completed three months later. [8]

Erin Young, Chief Merchant, and Marketing Officer also announced that she will be leaving McKesson Canada to pursue other opportunities in the consumer industry. Nicole Flynn, General Manager of Well.ca, will continue to lead the business.

Products and services

In 2015, Well.ca opened its first brick-and-mortar shop, located at the Shops at Don Mills, with the initial intention of remaining open for four months. Online sales information would be used to determine the selection of products for the store. [9]

In addition to a warehouse in Guelph's south end, Well.ca opened its second distribution centre in Calgary, Alberta in August, 2023.

Awards and recognition

Well.ca has received Canada Post E-Commerce Innovation awards in 2012, [10] 2013, [11] 2015, [12] 2016 [13] and 2019 [14] The company was named Best Mid-Size E-Commerce Retailer in 2013 by the Retail Council of Canada, [15] and created one of Canada's first Virtual Store experiences in 2012 at Union Station in Toronto. [16] Forrester awarded Well.ca a tie for the top spot on its Canadian Customer Experience Index. [17] [ failed verification ]

References

  1. ↑ "Well.ca Inc. Complete Profile". Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada . Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "How Ali Asaria built Well.ca into Canada's largest online health & beauty store - Techvibes.com". www.techvibes.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Keeping corporate culture unified across several locations". The Globe and Mail. June 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Founder of Well.ca steps down as CEO". www.therecord.com. April 5, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Former Well.Ca Founder Ali Asaria Raises $2.4 Million for New Waterloo Startup | BetaKit". betakit.com. October 3, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  6. ↑ "McKesson Canada acquires online retailer Well.ca". The Globe and Mail . December 4, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  7. ↑ Deschamps, Tara (September 5, 2024). "Private equity firm Birch Hill signs deal to buy Rexall Pharmacy and Well.ca". CP24.
  8. ↑ "McKesson completes sale of Rexall and Well.ca businesses to Birch Hill". Private Capital Journal. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Online retailer Well.ca launches a bricks-and-mortar store". The Globe and Mail . June 13, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Canada Post Announces E-commerce Innovation Award Winners - Techvibes.com". TechVibes. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Canada Post - The 2013 Canada Post E-commerce Innovation Awards". Canada Post. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  12. ↑ "2015 winners named in Canada Post E-commerce Innovation Awards -- TORONTO, Sept. 28, 2015". Newswire. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  13. ↑ Shipper-41, Canadian (September 23, 2016). "Canada Post announces winners of E-commerce Innovation Awards". Canadian Shipper. Retrieved January 7, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ↑ Post, Canada; Post, Canada; Post, Canada. "Winners and finalists | E-commerce Innovation Awards". www.canadapost.ca. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Retail Council of Canada Honours Excellence at STORE Conference -- TORONTO, June 10, 2013". Newswire. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Virtual shopping gets real at Toronto subway station". The Globe and Mail. April 2, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Forrester : Research : Win On The Basis Of Customer Experience". www.forrester.com. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
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