Purpose of this Guide
Impressive business and marketing plans are well researched. You have to understand your competitors to be competitive. You'll need to locate suppliers and distributors. Use this guide to get hard-to-find company info.
Searching for Basic Company Information
Researching an industry or service, and looking for a list of companies? Try the following tools:
- Data Axle - Directory of Canadian Businesses (formerly Reference Group) This link opens in a new window
Search 1.5 million Canadian businesses. Build lists that Includes key contacts, annual sales, etc.
- Scott's Directories - Ontario Business Prospector This link opens in a new window
Provides company information on Ontario manufacturers, industrial and business-to-business firms.
If you're looking for a supplier, manufacturer or distributor, search the following sites to find companies by product.
- Canadian Trade Index OnlineFind Canadian companies manufacturing, distributing and/or exporting various industrial products. The online version includes more product categories than the print version, but does not include Annual Sales or Company Size statistics (the print version does, and is available in the Doon Library).
- Fraser's: Canada's Online Industrial DirectoryAnother resource that provides information on Canadian industrial wholesalers, manufacturers, distributors and their products and services, as well as international companies that supply goods and services to the Canadian marketplace.
- MacRae's Blue Book (U.S.)A buyer’s guide to the products of over 120,000 verified American industrial companies including links to most of them.
- ThomasNet: Register of American ManufacturersA directory of companies that produce industrial manufacturing supplies, equipment, plastics, valves, fasteners, motors, compressors, engineering, CAD/CAM, sheet metal fabricating, etc.
Looking for information on a local business? Check these directories for address and contact information.
Company Overviews, Histories and SWOT Analyses
Market research companies produce detailed company reports that may include overviews, histories, SWOT Analyses, financial data, and more. Try the following databases to find these valuable sources.
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new windowContains academic journals and professional magazines. Also includes country, company and industry reports.
Learn to Use Business Source Complete - ABI/Inform Collection This link opens in a new window
Contains academic and trade journal articles, dissertations, market reports, industry reports, business cases and global and trade news. Canadian content.
Learn to use ABI Inform / Terms of Use (ABI Inform) - Business Market Research Collection This link opens in a new windowInternational company, industry, economic and geopolitical market research.
- Asian & European Business Collection This link opens in a new windowBusiness and finance topics across Asia and Europe, from academic journals, newspapers,and magazines. Information on companies, economies, markets, international trade, etc.
- Nexis Uni - Company ProfilesUse "Advanced Search: Company Profiles" to search by company name or ticker. Find profiles of companies, which may include number of employees, financial statements, description of business, mergers / acquisitions, and more. Look for GlobalData or ICD Research reports for in-depth SWOT Analyses, company history charts, etc.
- Funding Universe Company HistoriesSearch thousands of company histories for prominent, international businesses.
Finding Annual Reports
A company's annual report often contains an account of the company's history, services and latest developments. Search official filings directly (below) or just Google the company's name and "annual report."
- SEDAR - Canadian Annual ReportsOfficial filings for Canadian companies. Choose the Annual Report document search.
- EDGAR - U.S. Annual ReportsOfficial U.S. filings. Annual Reports are not a SEC Filing -- see 10-k statement.
- 10K = company's annual financials
- 10Q = company's quarterly financials
- 8K = disclosure of unscheduled significant events
- DEF 14A (Proxy Statement) = matters voted on at annual shareholders meeting
Finding Company Financials
Often you'll want to know the financial performance of a company, either to assess it as a competitor to your own company, or to understand the risks involved in investing in that company. The databases in this list provided company reports that include financial data.
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new windowContains academic journals and professional magazines. Also includes country, company and industry reports.
Learn to Use Business Source Complete
- LexisNexis - Company DossiersSearch for a company and find a company snapshot, quotes and charts, as well as in-depth financial data.
For private businesses, try:
- Data Axle - Directory of Canadian Businesses (formerly Reference Group) This link opens in a new window
Search 1.5 million Canadian businesses. Build lists that Includes key contacts, annual sales, etc.
Market Share of Companies
Knowing your competitor's (or your client's) market share is important, but finding market share for a company can be difficult. Try the following:
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new windowContains academic journals and professional magazines. Also includes country, company and industry reports.
Learn to Use Business Source Complete - ABI/Inform Collection This link opens in a new window
Contains academic and trade journal articles, dissertations, market reports, industry reports, business cases and global and trade news. Canadian content.
Learn to use ABI Inform / Terms of Use (ABI Inform) - Business Market Research Collection This link opens in a new windowInternational company, industry, economic and geopolitical market research.
More often than not, you will not be able to find market share statistics for your company. In this case, you can calculate a rough market share using the database and instructions listed below.
- Data Axle - Directory of Canadian Businesses (formerly Reference Group) This link opens in a new window
Search 1.5 million Canadian businesses. Build lists that Includes key contacts, annual sales, etc.
- Tutorial: Calculating Market Share using the Reference Group Canadian Business DatabaseFrom McMaster University - use Conestoga's version above (skip step one of this guide).