Find Industry Info

Find Industry Info

 Conduct Your Industry Research 

Checklist

Tip: Make a note of any questions you have, the resources in this section can help you answer these and complete the checklist.

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Industry Codes

Industry Codes

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)

At the start of your research, it may not be clear what specific industry you should be examining. A good strategy is to find out if your business idea is classified in an industrial classification system. These systems organize industries by assigning them a numeric code. The most commonly used system is the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Once you know your Industry Classification Code you can use this number to:

  • Find industry-specific statistics on government websites or in library databases
  • Generate lists of competitors in company directories

Another common classification system is the Standard Industry Code (SIC). NAICS have mostly replaced the SIC, but the SIC is still used by some commercial databases. Finding and using these classification systems to effectively search can be tricky, so don't hesitate to ask a librarian for help.

Try These

Type Code Description
NAICS 4451 Grocery Stores
NAICS 445110 Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience Stores)
NAICS 424490 Other Grocery and Related Products Merchant Wholesalers
NAICS 424410 General Line Grocery Merchant Wholesalers

Search or browse all NAICS or SIC codes on the NAICS Association website. Some NAICS codes are different in Canada — you can search by keyword or browse Canadian NAICS codes at Statistics Canada or Canadian Industry Statistics. To search for a SIC code using a NAICS code and vice versa, use the NAICS & SIC Crosswalks.   

For more information about planning your industry research, including identifying your industry codes, check out the video tutorial for Module 3: Planning Your Industry Research.

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Library Databases

Library Databases

The Expensive World Of Business Information

Believe it or not, you cannot find everything on Google! Have you ever done an online search and found the perfect industry report only to find that it costs over $5,000? Did you know that libraries pay for many expensive databases that could be helpful in your secondary market research? 

Search engines like Google can only provide direct access to freely available information. Most of the web, including business information, lives in databases behind expensive paywalls. This paywall-protected section of the Internet is known as the deep web. Fortunately, some libraries pay to subscribe to databases so they can provide free access to their patrons — and many business databases can contain useful information such as articles, market research, and company reports.

There are several strategies you can use to access relevant business information on the deep web. First, we urge you to look up what business resources your local public or academic library can provide access to. Each database has its own arrangement, with unique interfaces and search features. It helps to know the structure and search terms of the specific database you are working with in order to retrieve effective results. 

Also, it is important to know that library databases are restricted by specific usage agreements. It can help to consult with a librarian if you have trouble navigating a specific database. They may also be able to help you find comparable information elsewhere. Libraries with robust business collections might have useful e-books, directories and trade journals. As you conduct your secondary market research you will likely need to consult both free and deep web resources.

For more information about how and why to use business databases, check out our video tutorial, Module Four: Conducting Your Industry Research.

Business Resources at Academic Libraries 

Colleges and Universities with business programs will have useful business collections you may be able to get access to through their academic library. Often these academic libraries can provide the general public with access to their collections, which include electronic resources like databases and e-books. For example, they could have alumni or community cards, and can provide temporary "guest" passes in certain situations. Contact your local college or university library to see what they can provide. Please note: you probably will not get access to their electronic resources with remote access.

Databases For Industry Research

UBC Library Business Databases

How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you may have access to business databases through the David Lam Management Research Library and Canaccord Learning Commons through the links below.

Full Listing By Title or Full Listing By Subject

There are two different ways to identify databases: Use "by title" if you already know the name; otherwise you can search the list "by subject" to find starting places for undertaking market research, finding articles or researching companies. To learn more about how you can access library resources if you are a community user or temporary visitor, check out the UBC Library Community Users & Visitors Guide. Community users and temporary visitors may have additional access restrictions to specific databases because of license agreements.

Provincial Library Database Partners

How to access: Check out the database list and note the License Participants to find out which institutions have access. Otherwise, contact your local post-secondary library to see what they offer.

BC Electronic Library Network (ELN) Research Databases

ELN licenses databases with partner academic libraries. These include LexisNexis, Canadian Newsstream, Hoovers, CBCA Business, ABI/INFORM Complete and others that may be of interest to business researchers.

ABI/INFORM Collection

How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource.

Created by ProQuest this database contains full-text articles from over 1,000 business magazines and journals that track business conditions, trends, management techniques, corporate strategies, and industry-specific topics.

BCC Research Centre

How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource. Otherwise, contact your local library to see if they provide access.

Publishes 250 reports annually that are complete with market intelligence, five-year forecasts, statistical and analytical data, key players, market share, industry structure and dynamics, and technological shifts and trends.

Business Source Ultimate

How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource. Otherwise, contact your local library to see if they provide access.

Includes financial data, books, videos, company profiles, SWOT analyses, industry profiles, country reports, market research reports and case studies. Also includes information on industry trends, forecasts, outlooks, competitors, how to run a specific business and much more.

First Research Industry Profiles

How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, or faculty you can access many of these reports through ABI/INFORM and/or Business Market Research Collection (Proquest).

Covers over 900 industry segments. Updated on a quarterly basis, these industry profiles contain critical analysis, statistics and forecasts to help you engage key prospects, coach key clients, and deepen customer relationships. You can search for reports by NAICS, SIC or keyword or browse by category.

IBISWorld Industry Reports

How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource.

IBISWorld research is an independent, professional publisher of high-quality market research reports. These reports analyze the underlying structure and external forces that drive an industry.

Marketresearch.com/Freedonia Focus

How to access: Check your local public or academic library to see about access. If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource.

While you can search this website only some Canadian libraries provide full-text access to the market research reports on industries and demographics for North American industries. They can range from 50 to 400+ pages in length, and contain charts, tables, and graphs, and key facts. Marketresearch.com has varied industry coverage and includes US and international information.

Mergent Online

How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource.

Provides access to US and international public company data. This database also contains data on companies that were acquired, went bankrupt, liquidated or merged out of existence from 1995 forward. Users can compare companies and export data into programs like Excel.

  • Mergent – Retailing North America – A Company and Industry Analysis (2018). FSTE Russle Retrieved March 26, 2020, from Mergent database.

Statista

How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource.

A simple to use statistics portal that integrates statistics from thousands of sources, on topics related to business, media, public policy, health and others. Statistics can be exported in PPT, XLS, PDF, and PNG formats. Some basic content available for free.

WARC: World Advertising Research Center

How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource.

WARC has case studies from major companies and advertising agencies, as well as articles from leading advertising journals and unpublished papers. It also includes company profiles, advertising spending statistics, and demographic and economic data.

Newspapers and News Sources - UBC Library Research Guide

How to access: The guide can be viewed through the link below. Individual resources and databases will have different access requirements.

UBC Library has an excellent collection of current and historical newspapers from B.C., Canada, and around the world. UBC affiliates will have access to these resources.

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Industry News

Industry News

In this section we have gathered some of the most popular information sources, such as trade journals, magazines, blogs, and association websites. Industry information is always changing. For the latest news, current issues and popular opinions, try following one or more of these sources. In addition, interacting with the websites that provide this information through commenting and asking questions may also provide you with more information.

Associations 

Trade associations often publish free industry newsletters that are excellent sources of information for your business plan. Such newsletters often have articles that cover in-depth topics on business management, manufacturing practices, how-tos, and current industry news.

Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG) | The CFIG is a non-profit trade association founded in 1962 which continues to be a collaborative community, equipping and enabling independent, franchised and specialty grocers for sustainable success. Check out the News page.

Convenience Industry Council of Canada (CICC) | The CICC is a national, not-for-profit council that unites our members who put the needs of the customer first. The four pillars of the Convenience Industry Council of Canada are Advocacy, Research and Education, Responsible Retailing and Events and Awards; all with a focus on serving our industry customers. Check out the News page. Check out the News page.

Food and Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC) | The FCPC is the largest industry association in Canada representing the food and consumer products industry.

Retail Council of Canada (RCC) | RCC is a not-for-profit, industry-funded association representing more than 43,000 store fronts of all retail formats across Canada, including department, specialty, discount, and independent stores, and online merchants.

National Grocers Association (NGA) | The NGA is the US national trade association representing the retail and wholesale grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry.

TIP: Use ASAE Gateway to Associations Directory to search for an association by name, interest area, or international geographic location (including Canada and BC). You can also search using a combination of various fields.

Magazines & Trade Journals

Trade journals (often called magazines or trade publications) can be very useful in helping you find current articles relating to business research. Contact your local research library to determine which trade journal subscriptions they have. There are also free trade publications that you can access online. 

Canadian Grocer | The top grocery industry magazine covering Canada. Subscribe to their print magazine or view online content.

Progressive Grocer | This magazine offers authoritative, comprehensive, relevant, research-based editorial content on the grocery industry and need-to-know news. Print magazine published 12 times per year, or check out their online content.

Supermarket News | A US-based weekly trade magazine for the food distribution industry. The publication's readership includes retailers, manufacturers, brokers, analysts, association executives. and others connected to the industry.

Consultant & Other Websites

Statista

How to access: If you are a UBC student, staff, faculty or in-person library visitor you can access this resource.

A simple to use statistics portal that integrates statistics from thousands of sources, on topics related to business, media, public policy, health and others. Statistics can be exported in PPT, XLS, PDF, and PNG formats. Some basic content available for free.

Firsthand | A free source of industry information. Use the Industry Profiles to research growing industries and best industries by major, and Company Rankings and Profiles to find news, company information, and industry-specific sample professions. Basic monthly membership is free and offers access to blogs, discussion forums, and job listings.

TIP: As with all sources, news articles and blogs should be carefully evaluated. For information on how to evaluate your information, watch video tutorial Module Five: Using Information Responsibly.

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Government Websites

Government Websites

In this section we have gathered some of the most reliable freely available online government and employment websites for you to use in your research.

Canadian Websites

Statistics Canada Data | Formerly known as CANSIM, Statistics Canada's key socioeconomic database is updated daily. It is free to search the data tables.

Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada

Provides market research, industry statistics, licensing information for intellectual property, and information about doing business internationally. The Industry Canada site features interactive applications such as customizable trade reports, cost calculators, and online business planning guides. You can also search broad Canadian industry statistics.

The Daily - Statistics Canada

The premier source for Canadian statistical information, including census information. Search 'The Daily' releases by subject to identify corresponding census tables, latest news, and publications. Similarly, you can browse by data source, including surveys & questionnaires relevant to your market research, which also link to census tables, latest news and publications.

Canadian Industry Statistics (CIS) - Industry Canada | CIS analyses industry data on many economic indicators using the most recent data from Statistics Canada. CIS looks at industry trends and financial information, such as GDP, Labour Productivity, Manufacturing and Trade data.

WorkBC | Find current employment outlooks, labour market information, relevant links, and a geographic representation of the BC workforce. Start by searching your Industry Profile.

US & International Websites

Small Business Administration: Free Small Business Data

This site is created and managed by the US Small Business Administration (SBA) and provides a list of free sources of information that you can use to obtain data about markets in the US.

US Census Bureau: Industry Statistics Portal 
Provides access to high level US Industry overviews and statistics. Searchable by 2012 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code or keyword.

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Regulations

Regulations

Learn More About Compliance Issues

When it comes to starting a business, one of the first decisions you need to make is the legal structure of your business - sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability partnership, or limited company. You'll also need to register your business and you'll need to be aware of many municipal, provincial or federal regulations. The websites in this section will help you.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada - Permits and Licenses Search

Search for the permits and licenses applicable to your industry and location to meet all federal, provincial and municipal regulations.

General Business Resources

BizPaL

This is the one-stop website to assist Canadian businesses that are just starting up, or expanding into new areas. BizPaL asks you a short series of questions about the nature and scope of your current or proposed business. Based on your answers, BizPaL provides you with a customized list of government permits and licences that you may require to operate your business. All of the information that you provide is kept anonymous, and you may save or print your results for future reference.

Canada Business
This page provides a look at creating checklists for retailers, getting to know the industry, the type of supports and advocacy available for the retail industry, and more.

Canada Revenue Agency - Business

This section of the Canadian federal tax agency's website contains important taxation and documentation requirements that businesses operating in Canada must adhere to.

Small Business BC (SBBC)

SBBC is a great place to start for information on BC specific regulations and guidelines, for whatever stage you are in your business development. This is a great post on the topic.

The Province of British Columbia

Provides information on programs and resources available to small business owners in British Columbia. Includes information on taxes and industry regulations. Start with the Permits, Licences & Registrations section.

 

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