Twice annually, Statistics Canada releases data on the number of business locations in a wide range of sectors, subsectors, industries and industry groups.
The data for June 2023 were recently released, and we thought we’d do a Throwback Thursday of sorts.
In other words, let’s take a look at what types of businesses are still around that have either already had their heyday or have some nostalgia attached to them. You might be surprised!
Arcades
Miss the days when you ran over to the local arcade with a pocketful of change to spend an afternoon playing games? You’re still in luck!
As of June 2023, there were 451 business locations in the amusement arcades industry across Canada. Business locations in this industry also include family fun centres and indoor play areas, in addition to arcades with video games and pinball machines.
Bowling
Pinball is fun, and so is knocking down all the pins at the local bowling alley! There were 589 bowling centres across Canada in June. Do you prefer 5-pin or 10-pin?
Landlines
Need to call and book a lane, but your smartphone’s battery is dead and you’ve lost your charger? In June, there were 59 business locations in the telephone apparatus manufacturing industry, which is primarily engaged in manufacturing wired telephone and communications equipment.
The industry also manufactures answering machines, facsimile equipment and cordless telephones (except cellular), in addition to products such as local area network equipment and routers.
Shoe repair
Whether it’s bowling shoes or other footwear, sometimes you need some repairs. There were 477 footwear and leather goods repair business locations across the nation in June. This industry includes cobblers, boot and shoe repair shops, as well as saddlery repair.
Still, it seems most of us are less likely to repair our worn-out or ripped shoes, and more likely to toss them and buy new ones. Footwear prices were up 0.9% in July 2023 on a year-over-year basis and trailed headline inflation every month since June 2021.
Laundromats
We profiled laundromats last year, and how about this—the 1,097 business locations across Canada in the coin-operated laundries and dry cleaners industry in June 2023 were up by five from a year before!
Photo finish to this article
In June, there were 124 photo-finishing laboratories in Canada, which typically serve commercial clients. These businesses develop film and make photographic slides, prints and enlargements on a large-scale basis.
And remember the days when you just couldn’t wait to get that film developed? If you’ve got a film camera, you’re still in luck, depending on where you live! There were 78 one-hour photo finishing locations in six provinces.
Click here for more information on Canadian business counts.
Contact information
For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).