The Heinz brand is on the decline.
The 20th edition of an annual Leger study ranking corporate reputations shows Heinz has slipped from the number two ranking in 2016 to 23rd this year.
The study points to company uncertainty and upheaval after plant closures and layoffs.
"Over the past 20years we have seen that very few companies manage to make it out of a crisis quickly and fully recover lost brand equity," says Christian Bourque, Executive Vice-President and partner at Leger. "This year's results are compelling when ti comes to demonstrating that Canadians are not passive in their judgement and do not forgive quickly. As trust and authenticity become the dominant drivers behind brand equity, making somebody trust you again is no easy feat."
Heinz left its factory in Leamington in June 2014, laying off more than 700 people, after over 100 years of operation in the town. Highbury Canco formed and quickly moved in to fill the space left by Heinz in Leamington.
For a fifth straight year, Google topped Leger's corporate reputation ranking in Canada while Tim Hortons, Dollarama, Staples and Sony rounded out the Top 5.