Who owns Big 8?
Big 8 is owned by Empire (Canada, TSX: EMP.A).[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Empire Company Limited Annual Information Form, fiscal year ended May 2, 2026, 17 June 2026. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Empire Company Limited reported
- Owner HQ
- 🇨🇦 Canada, Stellarton
- Origin
- 🇨🇦 Canada, Stellarton
- Category
- Beverages › Soft drinks › Bottled water
- Parent ticker
- TSX: EMP.A
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Big 8
Big 8 is a Sobeys own brand of bottled water and a range of soft drinks for customers in Atlantic Canada. Empire's 2026 Annual Information Form says the Big 8 operation is located and operated in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, the same town as Empire's headquarters, and lists it among Sobeys' own brands with Compliments, Panache, Best Buy, Chalo and Eight Treasures.
Ownership timeline of Big 8
Where Big 8 sits in Empire
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Empire ownership tree →
See the full Empire brand portfolio (9) →
Other brands owned by Empire
Empire controls 9 brands on Brandtree.
Other brands in bottled water, and who owns them
The 121 brands in bottled water on Brandtree belong to 72 owners. The largest is Spadel, with 5.
About the owner: Empire
Empire is a publicly listed company headquartered in Stellarton, Canada. Brandtree records 9 brands under its control, and it is listed as TSX: EMP.A.
Canadian food retailer headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, whose food retailing segment runs through its 100% owned subsidiary Sobeys Inc., Farm Boy and a 51% interest in Longo's. Its 2026 Annual Information Form says Sobeys owns, affiliates or franchises more than 1,600 stores in all ten provinces. The same banner list includes IGA and Safeway, which are not recorded here as owned brands; only banners and own brands the filing names for Empire's own operations are listed.
🇨🇦 Big 8 and other Canadian brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 174 brands that began in Canada. 41 of them (24%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; Big 8 is not one of them.
- Black Velvet — Heaven Hill 🇺🇸
- Canada Dry — Keurig Dr Pepper 🇺🇸
- Carling — Molson Coors 🇺🇸
- Crown Royal — Diageo 🇬🇧
- Fruité — Lassonde 🇨🇦
- Jones Soda — Jones Soda 🇺🇸
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Big 8?
The parent company of Big 8 is Empire, a publicly listed company headquartered in Canada.
Is Big 8 Canadian?
Yes. Big 8 originated in Canada and its owner, Empire, is also headquartered in Canada.
Is Big 8 still owned by Empire?
Yes. As of 4 October 2026, Big 8 is still owned by Empire. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Empire Company Limited Annual Information Form, fiscal year ended May 2, 2026 — Empire Company Limited, Annual report, published 17 June 2026; retrieved 4 October 2026.
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