Canadian brands winning over Chinese consumers despite Canada-China spat

By Saša Petricic · CBC News
Tim Hortons recently opened first location in China
Image: Saša Petricic/CBC
Counter staff and baristas wear lumberjack uniforms as part of the Canadian theme at the Tim Hortons in Shanghai.
Planting a Canadian flag on the streets of Shanghai seems like a cheeky bit of marketing these days, given the seemingly unending war of words between Ottawa and Beijing.
Yet here it is: the first Tim Hortons outpost in China. The maple leaf glows bright red, next to a hockey stick door handle and a sign promising "nice people" inside.
The greeting at the counter is "ni hao" (Mandarin) and the menu offers a nod to local tastes: green tea matcha doughnuts and salted egg Timbits. But the rest of this place is a blast of Canadiana unseen at any Tim's back home, including baristas dressed as lumberjacks and huge maple leaf quilts on the walls.

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