INS Market

What INS Market does

INS Market is a Canadian convenience store franchise platform headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, with 130+ locations across Canada. Founded in 1994 as International News and rebranded to INS Market in 2017, the company operates franchise retail locations in high-traffic venues including hospitals, transit hubs, malls, casinos, and post-secondary institutions, offering snacks, beverages, confectionery, lottery products, mobile accessories, and — more recently — beer and wine in Ontario. Store formats span a 50 sqft kiosk model up to a 2,500 sqft multi-concept footprint, and the portfolio includes specialized sub-brands INS Food (launched 2022) and INS Vape (launched 2023).

The platform has no proprietary technology stack or app, and its only third-party integrations are conventional delivery intermediaries (UberEats, Skip the Dishes, DoorDash, Phantuon). Operating leverage comes from physical real estate access, supplier relationships with Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay, Nestlé, and Red Bull, and regulatory-grade lottery partnerships with OLG, BCLC, and AGLC. Underlying capital intensity is low at the franchisor level because store buildouts, working capital, and lease obligations sit with franchisees.

Revenue is generated through upfront franchise fees ranging from $75K–$150K+ per location, plus ongoing royalties on franchisee retail sales. Prospective franchisees must hold approximately $90,000+ in liquid assets. The customer base is bifurcated: end consumers via retail locations and prospective franchisees for unit expansion; the franchisor itself is privately held under The Davis Group as the parent holding entity, with corporate headcount in the 11–50 range.

Name

INS Market

Legal name

INS Market

Website

https://insmarket.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

INS Market is a Canadian convenience store franchisor operating 130+ retail locations across Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia, plus INS Food and INS Vape sub-brand concepts, serving on-the-go consumers and franchisees across high-traffic venues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Convenience Store Retail Franchising

NAICS

Food and Beverage Retailers (445)

SIC

Retail-Convenience Stores (5412)

akta.pro primary industry

Convenience Retail Chains & Franchises (Multi-site Operators) (CRANAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Convenience Retail with Quick-Service Foodservice (Hot Food/Prepared) (CRANAJAI), Vape & E-Cig Accessories Retail (Mods, Pods, Coils, Batteries, Chargers) (CRANAEAG)

Keywords

• Convenience retail
• Franchise operations
• Snack beverage stores
• Lottery retail
• Vending kiosks

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees and Royalties: INS Market generates revenue through franchise fees and ongoing royalties from franchisees. Franchisees pay initial investment and ongoing royalties in exchange for using the INS Market brand, receiving training, support, and access to the company's established supply chain and purchasing power.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

INS Market is a Canadian convenience store franchise that operates more than 130 locations across Canada, offering snacks, beverages, confectionery, lottery products, mobile accessories, beer and wine, and on-the-go essentials through franchise-operated storefronts in high-traffic locations. The company sells franchise opportunities to entrepreneurs and generates revenue through franchise fees, royalties, and collective buying power from its network of stores.

Product overview

INS Market operates as a convenience store franchise platform offering flexible store formats ranging from 50 sqft kiosks to 2,500 sqft multi-concept locations. The core INS Market brand provides snacks, beverages, confectionary, lottery, mobile accessories and on-the-go essentials across 130+ locations. The portfolio includes specialized sub-brands: INS Food (food-focused locations launched 2022) and INS Vape (vape/tbacco accessory stores launched 2023). The company recently expanded into beer and wine sales across Ontario locations (2024) and continues to grow through franchise opportunities across Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• INS Food: Food-focused convenience concept launched in 2022, first location opened at Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga, Ontario
• INS Vape

Products and services

• INS Market Convenience Stores Core convenience store brand offering snacks, beverages, confectionery, lottery products, mobile accessories, and on-the-go essentials across 130+ franchise-operated locations in high-traffic Canadian locations including hospitals, transit hubs, malls, casinos, and post-secondary institutions.
• INS Food Food-focused convenience concept within the INS Market portfolio, first launched at Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga, Ontario in 2022, offering expanded prepared and packaged food offerings.
• INS Vape Vape and tobacco accessory retail concept within the INS Market portfolio, first opened on Carlton Street in Toronto, Ontario in 2023 as part of the company's specialized multi-concept expansion strategy.
• INS Market Franchise Program Franchise ownership program that recruits entrepreneurs to own and operate INS Market convenience store locations, providing brand rights, training, ongoing support, centralized procurement, and access to established vendor relationships for an initial investment ranging from $75,000 to $150,000+ with a liquid asset requirement of approximately $90,000+.
• Beer and Wine Retail Curated beer and wine retail assortment launched across INS Market Ontario convenience store locations in September 2024, expanding the convenience product offering with local and popular brands including craft beers and classic wines.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• OLG (Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation)minorOthersOLG is a partner providing lottery products to INS Market locations across Ontario.
• Frito-LaycoreOthersFrito-Lay is a key snack supplier providing products to INS Market stores across Canada.
• PepsicoreOthersPepsi is a key beverage supplier providing beverages to INS Market locations.
• Coca-ColacoreOthersCoca-Cola is a key beverage supplier providing products to INS Market stores.
• NestléminorOthersNestlé provides various food and beverage products to INS Market locations.
• BCLC (British Columbia Lottery Corporation)minorOthersBCLC is a lottery partner providing lottery products to INS Market locations in British Columbia.
• AGLC (Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis)minorOthersAGLC is a lottery and gaming partner for INS Market locations in Alberta.
• Red BullcoreOthersRed Bull is a key energy drink and beverage supplier to INS Market stores.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• On the Run (Parkland): Parkland Corporation's convenience-store brand tied to fuel sites across Canada. Competes with INS Market on convenience snacking, beverages, and lottery, though INS Market's non-fuel, institutional real-estate footprint is differentiated.
• 7-Eleven: The global franchise convenience-store operator, with hundreds of Canadian locations and an overlapping franchise-led operating model. Competes directly with INS Market in Canadian urban convenience retail and on franchise growth dynamics.
• Hasty Market: A Canadian convenience-store chain with comparable footprint and product mix (snacks, beverages, lottery). Directly competitive with INS Market in the Canadian on-the-go convenience category, particularly across Ontario and Western Canada.
• Gateway Newstands: Canadian mall- and airport-based convenience retailer sharing INS Market's strategy of placing in high-traffic non-traditional venues. Comparable format and target consumer (commuter, traveler, mall shopper), with adjacent product categories like magazines and travel essentials.

Broad incumbents

• Circle K (Alimentation Couche-Tard): Couche-Tard's Circle K is the Canadian convenience-store incumbent with thousands of locations globally. Competes head-to-head with INS Market on convenience category in Canada, supplier leverage, and real-estate access, though at far larger scale and across fuel-forecourt formats INS Market does not operate.
• FamilyMart: Japanese global convenience-store franchise operator with deep experience in high-density, in-venue (transit, hospital, office) formats. Lighter relevance given geography, but shares INS Market's playbook for non-traditional site placement and format miniaturization.
• Lawson: Japanese convenience-store franchise chain with strong in-hospital and in-transit location presence globally. Conceptually comparable to INS Market's hospital- and station-anchored footprint strategy.

Regional players

• Wawa: US East Coast convenience-store chain with a strong franchise-like operating model and category innovation playbook. Operates in a different geography but is widely regarded as a format and category-execution benchmark for mid-size convenience retailers.
• Sheetz: US-based family-owned convenience retailer recognized for category innovation, made-to-order food, and tech-forward store experience. Comparable in owner-operator mindset and ability to launch differentiated sub-formats.
• Royal Farms: US mid-Atlantic convenience chain known for fried-chicken category leadership and franchisee-friendly model. Comparable in middle-market convenience scale and category-extension strategy relevant to INS Food.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/market_ins
• Facebookfacebook.com/insmarket.ca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ins-market-ca
• Instagraminstagram.com/insmarket.ca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about INS Market