June 29, 2006

A week in the world of

Issue 45 – June 29, 2006

TRUE TO HIS ROOTS

The Great One shows his colours for Canada Day

MAKING IT PERSONAL

Actor Russell Crowe designs his own Roots

TEAM BARBADOS: 1st PLACE FOR STYLE

Caribbean nation continues winning collaboration with Roots

WAY TO GO ROSEMARY! The latest episode in her epic retail marathon

MAKING IT PERSONAL Actor Russell Crowe designs his own Roots TEAM BARBADOS IN FIRST PLACE FOR STYLE Caribbean nation continues winning collaboration with Roots MONTREAL CALLING The latest from Roots Centreville THE GREAT GIVEAWAY T-shirts supplied to XM satellite radio for use as staff gifts VETERAN ROCKERS PREFER ROOTS LEATHER GOODS Leather giveaways prove popular for concert tours of venerable rock bands GO ROSEMARY GO! The latest installment in her retail marathon UNORGANIZED NO MORE People involved in new movie receive useful accessory ON THE FRONTLINES Our ongoing series for retail staff on making a difference in Roots stores

Departments FRESH INK GUESS WHO JUST DROPPED IN… NEW AND NOTEWORTHY SPREADING THE WORD MOMENTS THAT MATTER UP FRONT ON THE MOVE OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS GREEN TIPS HEALTH TIPS SPECIAL DELIVERY

Editor: Robert Sarner The Source is published every week by Roots Canada Ltd. We welcome letters from readers for publication. Please address all correspondence to The Source, Letters to the Editor, Roots Canada, 1400 Castlefield Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M6B 4CR or by email to rsarner@roots.com Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Each issue of The Source is also available, in an abridged version, on the Roots website at www. roots.com

IN PRAISE OF THE TRUE NORTH, STRONG AND FREE Roots and Canada in perfect unison on eve of nation’s birthday This year, as part of the annual Roots tribute to Canada in connection with July1, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky came on board to show his true colours. In recent days, pictures of The Great One dressed in the 2006 Roots Canada Day collection have been appearing in posters and newspaper ads across the country. His participation has contributed to considerable media interest in the collection. This week, various Roots Canada Day items were featured in newspapers with more coverage slated for tomorrow and Saturday in Canada Day-related articles in the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, and the National Post.

Roots and Canada are of course intrinsically linked.

Canada is an inseparable part of Roots and its success. Canada is the home and inspiration for Roots. It’s where Roots started in 1973 and where it has become forever associated with the country itself as one of the quintessential Canadian brands. It’s where all Roots products are designed and many of them are made. It’s where Roots is most active in its many charitable initiatives and other community-support related efforts. Over the years, for all the tremendous acclaim Roots has garnered on the international stage, Canada is still where Roots is most… Roots.

Speaking just ahead of Canada Day, Roots Co-Founders Michael Budman and Don Green said they are extremely proud of the Canadian heritage and identity of Roots. “Although we feature Canada all year round at Roots, we always enjoy adding an extra Canadian focus in celebration of Canada Day,” says Michael. “Doing a special Canada Day Collection is one of the ways we try to show our appreciation for this remarkable country that has always been so supportive of Roots. Our love for Canada and the way we try to showcase it in what we do obviously strikes a chord in many Canadians. We never forget that Canada is at the heart of Roots.”

Indeed, the company is not called Roots Canada for nothing.

MAKING IT PERSONAL Actor Russell Crowe designs his own Roots Many TV and film celebrities have long enjoyed wearing Roots products. Taking this a step further, Roots recently began working with Academy Award-winning actor Russell Crowe to produce personalized apparel designed by the New Zealand-born star.

As part of this project, David Jackson, Product Coordinator in the Business-to-Business Department, is involved in the sampling and production of two full zip hoody styles created by Crowe. More than 200 pieces of the two styles, to be made in Toronto, will be ready for delivery at the end of July.

Crowe is a big fan of Roots. When in Toronto, he often shops for himself and his family in Roots stores. In the past, Roots also supplied products for his movie Cinderella Man. TEAM BARBADOS IN FIRST PLACE FOR STYLE Caribbean nation continues winning collaboration with Roots As part of its on-going partnership with the Barbados Olympic Association, Roots will be creating the official team clothing for Barbados at the upcoming CAC (Central American and Caribbean) Games. Roots will be outfitting the entire 370-member delegation at the games, which are being held from July 15 to 30 in Cartagena, Columbia.

Celso Afonseca, Product Coordinator in the Business-ToBusiness department, was instrumental in executing the deal. He oversaw the production of the clothes, all of which were made in Canada. “For the opening ceremonies, the men will be wearing a blue chino pant and the women will be wearing a blue Capri pant,” says Celso. “In addition, we took the World Cup jacket and incorporated the design into the podium tracksuit that the Barbados athletes will be wearing. The rest of the clothing will include T-shirts, golf shirts, pants and baseball caps.”

Next year, Roots will be the official outfitter of the Barbadian team at the Pan Am Games in Rio. The collaboration will continue in 2008 when Roots will provide the official uniforms of the Olympic team at the Summer Games in Beijing. The Roots relationship with Barbados began in 2004 when Roots was the official outfitter of the island’s Olympic team at the Summer Games in Athens. Roots also clothed Barbados for this year’s Commonwealth Games held in March in Australia.

MONTREAL CALLING The latest from Roots Centreville Here at The Source, we always enjoy hearing from the staff in Roots stores. This week, we received this dispatch from our friends in the Quebec flagship store filling us in on some recent developments at Roots Centreville.

Store Manager Aran Pamplona writes: “Carrie-Ann Kloda is our new Assistant Manager. She' s very excited about her new position, as we are to have her. We' d also like to congratulate Christina Ferreira on her promotion to Third Key. We wish both of them lots of success.

“Tourists love coming to Centreville and getting exclusive beaver gear to bring back home.

With the arrival of the warm weather, this is tourist time par excellence. Montreal summers are jam packed with events and festivals. Last week, it was great to see all the tourists who came to Montreal for the Grand Prix and we' re gearing up for those coming to town for the Jazz Fest and the Just For Laughs Festival. It' s fun to see their enthusiasm.

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“Our participation in Montreal’s Festival de Mode and Design last Friday was a big hit. Store managers from the region were all invited to see the fashion show and everyone loved getting a glimpse at the great new Roots fall collection. We want to thank Michael Budman and Anisha Pillay for their support and being here for the event. Extra special thanks to Michael for taking out all the managers for dinner after the Sensation Mode fashion show and giving one of his famous encouraging pep talks.

“Meanwhile, Sales Associate Nicole Woodward had an impressive sale this week when she sold three leather jackets to one customer! Thanks to Andrew McCurbin for the leather PK (Product Knowledge) seminar he presented to our region recently.

It definitely proved helpful and inspirational.”

THE GREAT GIVEAWAY Custom-made T-shirts supplied to XM satellite radio Last week, Roots provided more than 150 World Cup T-shirts to XM Satellite Radio to be used as giveaways by the XM staff.

Made in black cotton, the T-shirts were created by David Young, Senior Designer, Special Projects and coordinated by David Jackson, Product Coordinator in the Business-to-Business Department. They carry the XM logo on the chest and the Roots beaver on the back.

XM is the official satellite radio broadcaster of the FIFA World Cup Football in Toronto. It has also partnered with Roots to sponsor gifts for the ongoing Roots United contest, a part of the Roots United football collection.

VETERAN ROCKERS PREFER ROOTS Leather giveaways prove popular for concert tours of venerable rock bands Such was the popularity of the initial supply of Roots leather merchandise for VIPs on the Eagles “Farewell Tour”, that the band placed another order for use as VIP giveaways during the next leg of concerts in the United Kingdom. The items include leather CD holders, business card holders, luggage tags and key chains. All the merchandise comes with the Eagles Farewell Tour symbol along with the Roots logo.

Meanwhile, in a similar move, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young has ordered several hundred leather notebook covers made in the Roots factory, to be used with notebooks or agendas as VIP giveaways during the band’s upcoming tour.

Both the Eagles and CSNY projects were coordinated by David Jackson of the Businessto-Business Department.

ON THE FRONTLINES Our ongoing series for retail staff on making a difference in Roots stores Each week, Heather LambertHillen, Co-Manager of Roots Central in Toronto’s Eaton Centre, offers a new take on what makes customers enjoy shopping at Roots stores. It’s based on her many years working on the retail side of Roots.

The right questions

By Heather Lambert-Hillen “Welcome to Roots. Your table will be ready shortly…”

Have you ever paid attention to the questions you ask your customers? Do they cover all the basic needs? If quizzed, would you be able to provide the right answers every time?

What was the customer shopping for? Who were they shopping for? When did they need to make the purchase by?

Where was the purchase going?

Why did they come to Roots first?

These are the tried and tested questions that when asked, will help you determine the needs of the customer. When these questions are used properly, you can avoid misunderstandings and create a truly effective shopping experience.

Remember that product knowledge will get you through the tough questions and enable you to score 100% in the allimportant customer service department. WHO knows, WHEN you know WHAT to say and WHERE to go, you will never be left wondering WHY! 4

UNORGANIZED NO MORE People involved in new movie receive useful accessory Earlier this month, Roots supplied leather travel organizers for the cast and crew of the upcoming Hollywood film Mimzy. The Roots leather factory in Toronto produced more than 300 units in less than a week to complete the order handled

by David Jackson, Product Coordinator in the Business-to-Business Department. The organizers came with the Mimzy logo printed on the black leather cover.

Shot in Vancouver and directed by Bob Shaye, the film will be released next spring. It tells the story of two siblings who, after discovering a box of toys sent from the future, begin developing some remarkable talents that lead them into a unique world.

GO ROSEMARY GO! The latest installment in her peripatetic ways There’s no stopping Rosemary Eisenhut. In early January, upon assuming her new position as Director of Retail, she vowed to visit every Roots store in Canada by the end of the summer. Given that there are 125 stores located coast to coast, that was no casual commitment. So far, Rosemary is keeping to her plan, having now been to 108 stores in eight provinces, covering more than 30,000 kilometres in the process.

If you’re not prepared to feel dizzy, stop reading now. What follows is a seemingly endless list of places Rosemary hit last week as she brought her inexhaustible passion for Roots and her retail expertise to stores in Western Canada. We suggest you fasten your seat belts.

The journey began last Tuesday evening when Rosemary left Toronto for Winnipeg. The next morning, she was picked up by Paul Rodgers, Manager of the Kenaston Outlet who took her to St. Vital to meet with the store team. Then, it was off to the Kenaston Outlet where she met with Assistant Manager Lindsay Harris and the team for a store walk-thru. Next stop was Polo Park to meet with the store team for a store re-merch work-thru. Rosemary ended her Winnipeg visit going to the opposite side of town to research a new outlet before heading to the airport to fly to Calgary.

On Thursday morning, Shaun Bratzel, Manager of the Signal Hill Outlet, picked up Rosemary and they proceeded to his store (after a pit stop at Tim Horton' s) to meet the team including Danna Herbert and Fiona Gilfoyle. From there, Rosemary went to Chinook to meet with Store Manager Denise Bazzana and her team and then on to TD Square to meet with Store Manager Pia Lohfink and her team.

Barely catching her breath and with Shaun still at the wheel, Rosemary went to Market Mall to meet Store Manager Brandy Bertamini and her team. Next, she was off to the new Outlet location at Beacon Hill (opening in the fall). Time did not permit Rosemary to make it to Sundridge but she promises to get there on her next visit. The Calgary leg ended with Shaun dropping Rosemary at the airport for a flight to Edmonton on Thursday night.

On Friday morning, Samara Snyder, Regional Director for Western Canada, picked up Rosemary for their first stop at the West Edmonton Mall where they met with the staff and visited the new store due to open in late July. Then it was off to Kingsway Mall to meet the store team (the Manager was on holiday), and then headed to the new temporary location under construction.

Still awake? If you’re feeling tired from all of this, just think of what Rosemary endured in schlepping to all these places in such a short period. By the way, you’re only at the halfway point of her trip.

Back to live action… Samara then dropped Rosemary off at the Mayfield Outlet where she spent a few hours with Store Manager Ron Deering and his team. The journey next took Rosemary to South Park to spend time with Store Manager Johanne Chute and the team.

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On Saturday morning, she was up early to catch a plane to Vancouver.

Ross Shafer, Field Business Manager, Vancouver met her at the airport. Their first stop was the Richmond store to meet with Store Manager Barry Rooke and his team. From there, it was on to Metrotown (no manager at the moment) where she met Aimee Guido, Store Manager, Pacific Centre, who was helping out. After a visit to Park Royal, Rosemary headed downtown to Robson Street to the Roots adults store.

Here she met Lyn Frankel, Corporate Sponsorship Manager, Western Canada, who was out on the sales floor working with the Robson team on the busy Saturday. Accompanied by Lyn and Ross, Rosemary visited the Pacific Centre store, Robson Kids and then returned to Robson Street for a store walk-thru before catching dinner in the area and going to the airport for a late night flight back to Toronto. Rosemary arrived home on Sunday morning at 6:45 am, local time.

In total, Rosemary had been to some 20 stores in four days as her retail marathon continues.

Next week, she’s off to Ottawa and Montreal to visit eight more stores.

GUESS WHO JUST DROPPED IN… Taking attendance of special guests at Roots stores Celebrities have long made a point of shopping at Roots. Here are the latest sightings of prominent figures from the world of entertainment who visited Roots stores recently: Aspen (Colorado) - Actors Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith tried different clothes in the store.

Belleville (ON) - Musician Sean McCann of the band Great Big Sea visited the store.

Square One (Mississauga, ON) - Comedian Mike Bullard, actor and formerly host of the Mike Bullard Show, visited the Roots store in the Square One Mall.

ON THE MOVE New appointments and promotions at Roots stores (in alphabetical order) Christina Ferreira promoted to Third Key, Centreville, Montreal.

Carrie-Ann Kloda appointed Assistant Manager, Centreville, Montreal.

Brenda Westbrook appointed Store Manager, Cambridge, ON.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

Our weekly spotlight on new positions at various stores Here is a list of current job openings at Roots stores along with the appropriate contact person. For more information, please refer to the separate email notices sent out recently about each position: Store Manager, Eglinton Outlet, Toronto (Platinum level store). E-mail your resume to the attention of Rosemary Eisenhut at reisenhut@roots.com Deadline: Saturday, July 8.

Store Manager, Colossus Outlet, Toronto (Platinum level store). E-mail your resume to the attention of Rosemary Eisenhut at reisenhut@roots.com Deadline: Friday, July 7.

Store Manager, Burlington, ON (Gold level store). E-mail your resume to the attention of Sanjiv Khanna at skhanna@roots.com Deadline: Sunday, July 9.

MOMENTS THAT MATTER Big developments in the life of Roots staff Alexandra Chaniotis, Public Relations and Corporate Sales Coordinator in Quebec, recently gave birth to her second daughter, named Eva, earlier this month. We congratulate her and her family.

- Please send us details of similar good news and we’ll be happy to publish it in The Source (email: rsarner@roots.com)

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COOPER NATION Classic Roots font inspires new collection Targeting international cities, the Cooper Nations collection embracing the classic Roots style is set to hit Roots stores early next month. The line also pays tribute to the Cooper font used in the Roots logo.

The collection was conceived by Roots Co-Founders Michael Budman and Don Green, with the Senior Designer of Special Projects, David Young during their trip to Italy for the Winter Olympics earlier this year.

Made in Canada, the collection consists of 100% cotton jersey T-shirts, fleece pullovers and hoodies. Details include double-layer felt appliquĂŠd names of cities like Montreal and Whistler for the hoodies and screen-printed city names of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Banff, Mont Tremblant, Whistler, Aspen, Sun Valley and Park City on the Tshirts. These names are written in the Cooper font. Accessories include mesh back trucker caps.

Available in sizes XS to XL for men and women, the hoodies and pullovers will be available at Roots Centreville in Montreal and the Whistler store only. The Tshirts and hats will be sold at select stores throughout Canada.

Retail Price: Pullovers and Hoodies - $109; T-shirts - $29; Trucker Hats - $29 COLOURS OF HAWAII New Maui scarf great accessory for summer Select top stores received a special edition of the bright coloured Maui scarves last month. Made of pure cotton, the hand-embroidered scarves are sourced from India and Brazil.

Coordinated by Senior Designer of Accessories, Lynn Morris, the scarves are exclusively created for Roots and make great additions for T-shirts or summer dresses.

Retail price: $68

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FRESH INK A selection of recent coverage of Roots in the media The Globe and Mail, June 28: In Travel section, Roots Co-Founder Michael Budman featured in Executive Class column on his travel experiences and preferences.

24 Hours Toronto, June 27: Roots crested red Canada Collection T-shirt highlighted in Fashion section.

The Toronto Star, June 24: Roots Co-Founders Don Green and Michael Budman featured in series that focused on the first year in Canada of various immigrants.

Times-Colonist (Victoria, BC), June 24: Mentions Sears Canada launching a new line of patio furniture from Roots.

Toronto Life, June issue: Spotlights the Roots Home leather collection currently expanding to include more wood and stainless steel pieces. Also mentions, the bamboo fabric bed sheets.

The Look magazine, June issue: Spotlight on Roots white glasses with floral temples featured in the “Sunglasses for the summer of 2006” section.

Driven magazine, June issue: Roots linen, leather tote bag and a men’s white polo are included in a “Summer Threads” fashion shoot.

The Look magazine, June issue: Article on Patricia Miller, an aromatherapist who operates her own shop in Toronto. Mentions that select Roots stores are carrying her products, and that Michael and Don are among her many devotees.

SPREADING THE WORD Guide to new ads appearing this week and next Fri., June 30 – The Globe and Mail will run a half-page vertical black and white ad in the Globe Style section highlighting The Big Beaver Sale.

Sat., July 1 - National Post will run a full-page colour ad on the outside back cover of the Toronto supplement highlighting The Big Beaver Sale.

Sat., July 8 - National Post will run a full-page colour ad on the outside back cover of the Toronto supplement featuring current Roots products.

UP FRONT What’s in the Roots window displays in the coming days As part of the Roots celebrations for July 1, all stores feature Canada Day-themed posters with Wayne Gretzky as the primary window display.

The posters show The Great One wearing a Roots Canada Day T-shirt and a hoody with an Algonquin Park cabin in the background.

Both are part of the Canada Day collection designed by Senior Designer, Special Projects, David Young and his team.

Certain stores also have Wayne Gretzky back lits. Stores carrying Roots Kids will feature posters of Wayne and his son Tristan, both wearing Canada Day gear.

Sale, markdown and promotion merchandise will be showcased secondary to the primary Canada Day items. All stores carry a banner announcing the on-going Big Beaver Sale in stores.

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THE TOP 10 A guide to the sounds of Roots for the month of July 1. Sun Is Shining, by Bob Marley and The Wailers 2. Hips Don’t Lie, by Shakira Feat.Wyclef 3. Wonderful World, Beautiful People, by Jimmy Cliff 4. Crazy, by Gnarls Barkley 5. Where Are We Going, by Marvin Gaye 6. Spongii Reggae, by Black Uhuru 7. Smile Jamaica, by Bob Marley and The Wailers 8. Gypsy Woman, by Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions 9. Dancing In The Moonlight by Van Morrison 10. Wonderful World, by Sam Cooke - Compiled by Davin Bujalski

GREEN TIP # 11 The latest in our series of easy ways to help the environment Don’t get taken to the cleaners: Most dry-cleaning solvents are highly toxic.

Haven’t you noticed the weird smell and the scratchy feeling you get in your throat when you go to pick up clothes at the cleaners? There’s an unnerving list of chemicals used in the dry-cleaning process. Both perchloroethylene (perc) and petroleum-based solvents are toxic and should be avoided. These chemicals remain in your clothes long after you bring them home and put them next to your skin.

Greenpeace reports that more than one million people in the United States are at risk from unsafe levels of perc in their homes. In Canada, “environmentally friendly dry cleaning” is almost always false advertising. There are only eight dry-cleaning outlets in the entire country that actually fit the bill. Look for dry cleaners that use the GreenEarth dry-cleaning process, the only safe, nontoxic way to dry clean clothes. See www.ecocleaners.ca for more information.

Many items labeled “Dry Clean Only” can actually be washed by hand in cold water. If not, search out a cleaner in your area that uses GreenEarth technology. Many are starting to practice wet cleaning, using steam, heat and natural products to clean your clothes.

Don’t get taken to the cleaners. And if you must, find a GreenEarth dry cleaner or explore wet cleaning as an alternative.

(Source: Green Tips: How to Save Money and the Planet, published by Green Living Enterprises)

HEALTH TIP # 8 The latest in our series of easy ways to stay healthy Get a good night’s sleep: Adequate sleep is absolutely essential to feeling your best and having optimal health. It’s also an indicator of your health status. Check out www.mercola.com for helpful tips on how to get a good night’s sleep.

Provided by Jeff Hirst, a professional trainer, co-owner of Training Zone, and a former Olympic diver. Jeff is an acclaimed sports instructor (who was the captain of the University of Toronto swim team) and is highly knowledgeable about health and fitness.

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SPECIAL DELIVERY Recent letters from the world of Roots LOVE MY SOURCE

I am writing just to say how much we love getting The Source at the store and reading it each week. It is full of useful information and also provides lots of motivation for us.

Each issue is a great conversation starter when communicating with customers. Even the listing of celebrities who have been at Roots lately is a good item to chat it up with both younger and mature consumers to get them intrigued more in Roots clothing and accessories.

The Source also keeps us informed about the events, from film festivals to Toronto' s current Pride Week, that Roots often takes part in. It is nice to see how much Roots gets involved in a variety of events. I believe this makes a difference to all Roots employees as a motivating factor.

Improving The Source would definitely be hard, seeing how it covers a wide selection of subjects and events. The one thing I’d like to see: more motivation for Roots staff, having other Roots people write in with tips on how they get their stores pumped up. Maybe have each store send a little blurb on what they do regarding this subject.

Keep up the great job. I really love all the material that The Source brings us every week.

Don Chapman, Keyholder, Roots store Brockville, Ontario

The Source wants to hear from you. In addition to reporting on new developments at Roots, The Source also serves as a forum for ideas and commentary from readers. Please send your letters to Robert Sarner at rsarner@roots.com Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

_____________________

THE SOURCE

A week in the world of Roots Editor: Robert Sarner (rsarner@roots.com)

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