The Canadian Retail Shippers' Association was formed in 1954 by the major players in the retail industry in Canada. In response to the uniqueness and the reality of population demographics and supplier concentration in Canada, the CRSA was originally a domestic initiative to design transportation programs in a cooperative effort to reduce physical distribution costs. In 1978 the CRSA expanded their cooperative effort to include products sourced from vendors outside of North America. The primary focus of the offshore initiative was and continues to be in Asia.

Market size and supply chain management techniques have changed the face of Canadian retailer's domestic distribution needs. While this has reduced the need for this level of cooperation in our domestic market, the Offshore Program continues to expand and drive value to the retail participants.