Tamblyn Drugs
Tamblyn Drugs was a Canadian pharmacy chain founded in Toronto by Gordon Tamblyn and later absorbed into successor pharmacy banners.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Tamblyn Drugs was a Canadian chain of retail pharmacies established by Gordon Tamblyn in Toronto in 1904. The business began when Tamblyn, after training as a pharmacist, opened a store at Queen Street East and Lee Avenue in Toronto's Beaches neighbourhood with $500 in capital. The early operation reflected the broad role of drugstores in early twentieth-century Canada: in addition to dispensing medicines, the store included a soda fountain and provided delivery service. The company expanded through a combination of new openings and acquisitions. Tamblyn opened a second store in 1907 and took over another pharmacy in 1910. The business was incorporated in 1911 and added locations at a regular pace. During the 1920s, the chain reached approximately 60 stores, concentrated mainly in the Toronto area while also extending into other Ontario communities, including Barrie, Chatham-Kent, Guelph, and Sarnia. As the company grew, it became associated with larger corporate owners. United Cigar Stores acquired the chain a few years after the first store opened, although Gordon Tamblyn continued to control the drugstore operations. In 1929, Tamblyn reacquired the business. He died in 1933, but the company continued operating through the Great Depression and remained commercially successful in the period after the Second World War. A major change came in 1960, when George Weston Limited purchased Tamblyn Drugs and operated it alongside the Loblaws grocery business. Under Weston, the chain adopted a visual identity featuring a “T” intended to complement Loblaws' “L” logo. The chain subsequently declined under Weston's management and was sold in 1978 to the United Kingdom-based Boots Group. Boots converted the stores to the Boots banner. In 1988, Boots sold the Canadian operation to the Oshawa Group. The stores were converted to the Pharma Plus banner in 1989. Katz Group of Companies acquired Pharma Plus in 1997, and the locations were progressively rebranded as Rexall beginning in 2015. Katz sold Rexall to McKesson Canada in 2016. Tamblyn Drugs therefore no longer operates as an independent retail banner, although some pharmacies associated with later Rexall locations have continued to operate at sites with a long history of pharmacy use dating back to the Tamblyn period.
History
Gordon Tamblyn was born in Belwood, Ontario, in 1878. He spent a short period apprenticing to a druggist in Whitby before enrolling at the Ontario College of Pharmacy. After graduating in 1901, he worked at Burgess-Powell Pharmacy on Yonge Street in Toronto. In 1904, he used $500 to establish his own pharmacy at Queen Street East and Lee Avenue in the Beaches neighbourhood. The original store operated in the style common to early twentieth-century drugstores. It dispensed medicines and provided pharmacy services, but also contained a soda fountain and offered delivery. Tamblyn opened a second location in 1907, then took over another store from a retiring pharmacist in 1910. He incorporated the business in 1911 and continued expanding its network. By the 1920s, Tamblyn's chain had grown to roughly 60 stores. Its principal concentration was in Toronto, although the business also reached other Ontario communities, including Barrie, Chatham-Kent, Guelph, and Sarnia. The chain was acquired by United Cigar Stores during its early expansion period. Tamblyn nevertheless remained responsible for the drugstore operations and regained ownership of the business in 1929. Tamblyn died in 1933. The company survived the Great Depression and remained prosperous after the Second World War, but its later history was increasingly shaped by corporate ownership. George Weston Limited acquired the chain in 1960 and operated it with Loblaws. A “T” logo was developed to complement Loblaws' “L” identity. The chain later declined under Weston ownership and was sold to Boots Group in 1978. Boots replaced the Tamblyn identity with its own banner. In 1988, the Canadian operation was sold to Oshawa Group, which converted the stores to Pharma Plus in 1989. Katz Group of Companies acquired Pharma Plus in 1997. From 2015, the successor locations were rebranded as Rexall. In 2016, Katz sold Rexall to McKesson Canada. Tamblyn Drugs consequently ceased to exist as an independent operating banner, although some successor locations have reportedly remained pharmacies on sites with roots extending back to the Tamblyn era.
- 2015
Successor locations rebranded as Rexall
[1]Pharma Plus successor locations began adopting the Rexall banner.
- 1989
Conversion to Pharma Plus
[1]After Oshawa Group acquired the operation, stores were converted to the Pharma Plus identity.
- 1978
Sale to Boots Group
[1]The chain was sold to Boots Group and subsequently converted to the Boots banner.
- 1960
Acquisition by George Weston Limited
[1]George Weston Limited acquired Tamblyn Drugs and operated it alongside Loblaws.
- 1933
Death of Gordon Tamblyn
[1]The founder died, while the company continued operating under subsequent management.
- 1929
Gordon Tamblyn reacquires the business
[1]After an earlier acquisition by United Cigar Stores, Tamblyn regained ownership of the chain.
- 1920
Chain reaches approximately 60 stores
[1]During the 1920s, the chain grew to about 60 stores, principally in the Toronto area and elsewhere in Ontario.
- 1911
Business incorporated
[1]Tamblyn incorporated the pharmacy business as the chain continued adding locations.
- 1907
Second store opens
[1]Tamblyn expanded the business with a second pharmacy.
- 1904
First Tamblyn pharmacy opens in Toronto
[1]Gordon Tamblyn opened his first pharmacy at Queen Street East and Lee Avenue in Toronto's Beaches neighbourhood.
Products and positioning
Tamblyn Drugs was positioned as a convenient neighbourhood pharmacy and general drugstore chain. Its early format combined professional pharmacy services with consumer-oriented features such as a soda fountain, delivery, and accessible retail locations.
Pharmacy services · 1904
Prescription pharmacy services
Tamblyn Drugs' core business was the operation of community pharmacies serving local customers with prescription dispensing and related drugstore services. The available historical account identifies the chain primarily as a pharmacy retailer rather than as a manufacturer of branded medicines.
Retail pharmacy · 1904
Over-the-counter and general drugstore merchandise
The chain operated as a broad drugstore retailer, selling medicines and associated health and personal-care merchandise. Specific product brands and detailed assortments are not identified in the available reference material.
Food and refreshment service · 1904
Soda-fountain service
The original Tamblyn pharmacy included a soda fountain, a common feature of early twentieth-century drugstores. This was a store experience and service feature rather than a separately documented packaged product line.
Brand decisions
2015
Rexall rebrandingStrategyBackground
Pharma Plus was part of the pharmacy business owned by Katz Group of Companies.
Action taken
Successor locations began to be rebranded under the Rexall name.
Aftermath
The Tamblyn retail heritage remained only as a historical connection at some pharmacy sites.
1989
Conversion to Pharma PlusStrategyBackground
Oshawa Group acquired the Canadian operation from Boots Group in 1988.
Action taken
Oshawa converted the stores to the Pharma Plus banner.
Aftermath
The former Tamblyn locations continued operating within successor pharmacy networks under a new retail identity.
1978
Sale to Boots Group and banner conversionM&ABackground
George Weston Limited sold Tamblyn Drugs after a period in which the chain had declined under its ownership.
Action taken
Boots Group acquired the operation and changed the stores to the Boots banner.
Aftermath
The Tamblyn name disappeared from the stores and the business later passed to Oshawa Group.
1960
George Weston Limited acquisitionM&ABackground
Tamblyn Drugs had become an established Ontario pharmacy chain and was acquired by George Weston Limited.
Action taken
Weston incorporated the chain into a broader retail portfolio operated alongside Loblaws.
Aftermath
The stores used a “T” identity designed to relate visually to Loblaws, but the chain later declined under Weston's management.
Sources1 sources
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