What Van De Water Raymond LTEE does

Van de Water-Raymond ltée is a privately held, family-owned Canadian sales and marketing brokerage founded in 1960, headquartered in Laval, Quebec, with owned offices in Brampton, Ontario and Waverley, Nova Scotia. The company acts as broker and sales representative for food and pharmaceutical manufacturers, deploying field sales representatives who conduct regular in-store visits, take orders, execute planograms and promotional activities, and provide competitive intelligence across pharmacy, grocery, mass market, convenience store, and distributor channels. Western Canada is covered through the Insight Marketing partnership with Calgary-based Impact Sales & Marketing, in place since 2013, giving the firm a national footprint.

The firm's underlying technology infrastructure centers on two proprietary systems: VR-Trac, a sales-rep management and tracking platform deployed on tablets since 2005, and Companion Rep2, a CIS-partnered data automation program rolled out in 2017 that enables real-time, in-store order taking and competitive data capture from grocery and pharmacy chains. The firm also owns the registered VR house brand (launched 1983, with Costco/Club Price as the first retail customer), providing private-label capability. Headcount is stated at 60+ employees.

The revenue model is professional services: commission-based representation fees earned by placing and managing manufacturer brands across Canadian retail. The go-to-market is sales-led, relying on direct field rep coverage, account managers who interface with retailer head offices, and ancillary channels such as buying shows and a corporate website. Notable manufacturer relationships include a 25+ year partnership with Naya Waters (Quebec spring water). Leadership transitioned in 2018 to second-generation president Stéphane Raymond. No external institutional capital is evidenced; the firm has remained independent and privately held throughout its 65-year history.

Name

Van De Water Raymond LTEE

Legal name

Van de Water-Raymond ltée

Website

https://vandewaterraymond.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Van de Water-Raymond ltée is a family-owned Canadian broker and sales representative for food and pharmaceutical manufacturers, deploying field sales teams and proprietary in-store data technology across pharmacy, grocery, mass market, and convenience channels nationally since 1960.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Laval-des-rapides

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Broker and Representation Services: Van de Water Raymond operates as a broker and sales representative for food and pharmaceutical products. Revenue is generated through sales and marketing representation services to manufacturers and brands, placing products in retail stores across Canada.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Van de Water-Raymond operates as a broker and sales representative that places food and pharmaceutical products into Canadian retail chains. Field sales representatives conduct regular store visits to develop distribution, take orders, execute promotional activities and planograms, and gather competitive pricing data across pharmacy, grocery, mass-market, convenience-store, and distributor channels. The company pairs this field force with proprietary in-store technology (VR-Trac and Companion Rep2) to provide manufacturers and brands with nationwide retail sales and marketing representation.

Product overview

Van de Water Raymond is a sales and marketing representation company operating two core services: Sales & Marketing Services and Technology Services. The company provides nationwide coverage for food and pharmaceutical products across pharmacy, grocery, mass market, convenience stores, and distribution channels. Their technology infrastructure includes VR-Trac proprietary software and Rep2 data automation systems that enable in-store data collection, order management, and competitive analysis. A proprietary house brand 'VR' was launched in 1983.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VR: House brand launched in 1983. Club Price (Costco) was the first customer.

Products and services

• Sales & Marketing Services Sales and marketing representation services for food and pharmaceutical products across Canada, including retail store visits, distribution development, promotional activities, planograms, pre-bookings, flyer support, and sales target management. Serves manufacturers and brand owners seeking access to Canadian pharmacy, grocery, mass-market, and convenience-store chains.
• Technology Services Technology-enabled retail data and order management services for manufacturers, providing sales tracking, distribution monitoring, market-trend analysis, store-traffic data, retail-price analysis, and in-store order management through the Companion Rep2 data-automation program. Used by manufacturers to gain visibility into product distribution, competitive pricing, and credit collection across Canadian grocery stores and pharmacies.
• VR House Brand Private-label house brand launched in 1983, with Club Price (Costco) as the first customer. Sold through Canadian retail channels served by the company's broker and representation network.

Quantifiable outcome

• Van de Water Raymond is a proud partner of Naya Waters for over 25 years

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CIS (Companion Rep2)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2017Partnership with Quebec-based company CIS for the Rep2 data automation program. This technology upgrade allows sales representatives to take in-store orders on the spot using tablets and scanners.
• Impact Sales & MarketingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2013Partnership with West Impact Sales & Marketing (based in Calgary) and creation of the Insight Marketing umbrella allowing nationwide service. Impact offers complete service in sales and marketing, specialized in food, convenience, pharmaceutical and beauty products sectors with over 30 years of experience. Impact has facilities in four provinces and provides services throughout Western Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan).
• Naya WatersminorOthersVan de Water Raymond has been a proud partner of Naya Waters for over 25 years. Naya Waters is a Quebec company offering natural spring water of exceptional quality, based in Mirabel, Quebec with over 80 employees.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• MarketWide (Canada): Canadian retail merchandising and sales agency serving CPG brands across grocery, pharmacy, and mass channels. Directly comparable in size, services, and customer base to VR.
• Impact Sales & Marketing: Direct peer and explicit partner under the Insight Marketing umbrella. Calgary-based broker covering food, convenience, pharmaceutical, and beauty products across Western Canada — directly comparable in services, customer types, and category focus to Van de Water Raymond.
• Insight Marketing Group: Umbrella entity co-founded by VR and Impact Sales & Marketing to provide nationwide Canadian brokerage coverage. Functions as both a partner and an adjacent peer in the same brokerage business, serving the same CPG manufacturer clients.

Regional players

• National Sales Inc. (Canada): Canadian retail sales broker offering in-store execution and merchandising for CPG brands. Comparable business model focused on the Canadian retail market.
• Wainwright Group (Canada): Canadian CPG broker and sales agency with multi-channel retail coverage. Comparable business model but smaller scale and regional focus.
• Horizon Sales & Marketing: Canadian sales and marketing agency with regional focus on retail execution for CPG manufacturers. Comparable service model but primarily serves Western or specific geographic regions.

Broad incumbents

• CROSSMARK: Large North American retail services and sales agency providing in-store execution, merchandising, and category management for CPG brands. Comparable service offering but operates at significantly larger scale across the U.S. and Canada.
• Advantage Solutions: U.S.-listed, PE-backed CPG broker and sales agency providing retail sales, category management, and shopper marketing to CPG manufacturers across North America. Operates at a much larger scale but in the same brokerage business model.
• Daymon (now part of Advantage Solutions): Retail branding and private label services agency that was acquired by Advantage Solutions. Historically comparable to VR in managing retail relationships and private-label initiatives for CPG manufacturers.
• Acosta: Major North American CPG sales and marketing agency with a Canadian presence, providing retail sales, marketing, and category management services to manufacturers. Operates as a broad incumbent versus VR's regional specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Van De Water Raymond LTEE