September, 8 2006

1Issue 55 - September 8, 2006 The Source

A week in the world of Roots Issue 55 – September 8, 2006

ROOTS HELPSKICK OFFTORONTOFILM FESTIVAL

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Flagship store hosts freeopen-air concert byBarenaked Ladiesas part ofspecial eventsplanned for2006 film fest

Thursday, Sept. 7, 2006, 12:15 pm:The Barenaked Ladies perform songsfrom their new album outside Roots.


SPECIAL DELIVERYA selection of recent letters from the world of Roots

I N S I D EI N S I D EI N S I D EI N S I D EI N S I D EI S S U E 55I S S U E 55I S S U E 55I S S U E 55I S S U E 55

PublishersMichael Budman, Don Green

EditorRobert Sarner

Editorial AssistantPaulomi Patel

The Source is published every week byRoots Canada Ltd. We welcome lettersfrom readers for publication. Pleaseaddress all correspondence to TheSource, Letters to the Editor, RootsCanada, 1400 Castlefield Ave., Toronto,Ontario, M6B 4CR or by email [email protected] Letters may be editedfor length and clarity.

Each issue of The Source is alsoavailable, in an abridged version, on theRoots website at www.roots.com

DepartmentsFRESH INK

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

GUESS WHO JUST DROPPED IN

SPREADING THE WORD

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

MOMENTS THAT MATTER

GREEN TIPS

HEALTH TIPS

STAYING POWER

GETTING TO THE SOURCEI was just on the Roots websiteand read The Source for the firsttime on your blog. After readingthe piece about the first anniver-sary of The Source, I was sadthat I had missed out reading itfor the past year.

I can’t believe Roots has ablog. I recently learned from aCanadian friend about the whole“new” (to me) approach ofRoots in terms of your initiativesregarding recycling, globalwarming, and promoting healthand wellness.

I’ve admired Roots for thepast five years, especially withthe United States Olympic teamwear, but now I have an evenbetter reason to appreciateRoots. Clothes companies herein the US that the youth of mygeneration (I’m 16) likes seemvery superficial and unreal. A&Fmodels clothes with naked mod-els and Hollister seems the same.Everything seems so sexual andwrong. But Roots is a break-through!

Maybe I’m biased becauseI’m a nature/health chick but stillI think health, literature and theenvironment are important. I justwish that clothing companiescared more about what they’repromoting since fashion influ-

GREAT MOMENTS INTHE SPOTLIGHTRoots and TIFF continuetheir storied relationship

IN PRAISE OF A PROSpotlighting the MVP of themonth, Julie O’Neill

DOING THE RIGHTTHINGThe latest example of Rootspeople helping others

LENDING A HANDRoots shows support inSuperwalk 2006

KING IS QUEEN OFGOOD VIBESJodi King back in Winnipegfor encore presentation

TRUE TEST OF SERVICEWaterloo store repeatssuccess in “mystery shop-ping” program

HARD WORK PAYS OFFEmployees win big in newincentive program

ences much more than just theclothes people wear but also theculture. That’s why, for me,Roots is amazing.

Now that I’ve been on yourwebsite and seen the blog, I’llkeep checking in for updates.Rachel Lee ThaiWalnut, California

THANKING ROOTSAlthough I am moving on laterthis month, I am writing to saywhat a great experience I’ve hadworking for Roots over the pastyear and a half in the SquareOne store in Toronto. I haveacquired skills that I will use infuture career opportunities.

I would like to thank RootsCo-Founders Don Green andMichael Budman for believingin and achieving their dreams. Ithas taught me to follow mydreams.

I would also like to thankAleksandra Rotko in the Hu-man Resources Department andPayroll Department. Her exper-tise was outstanding, not oncedid I encounter a problem.

Daniel Galliera, thank youfor handling all my customerservice issues.

In addition, I would like tothank Robert Sarner, Editor ofThe Source. Every week, it was

always a fun and informativeread.

I would also like to thank the“voice” of Roots radio, AndrewMcCurbin. I think that is what Iwill miss the most - the greatmusic.

Thank you also to LauraClark, Director of HR, for thegreat work she continues to do.Debbie ShirleyFull-time KeyholderSquare One, Toronto

WRITE ON!Get into print in The Source

The Source wants to hear from you.Please send your letters to RobertSarner at [email protected]. Lettersmay be edited for length and clarity.

Portraits by George Pimentel on the way up to second floor of Roots flagship store

Calling all writers. We arelooking for people who

would like to write for TheSource. If you are

interested in writing andhave some related

experience, please sendyour resume and a coverletter to Robert Sarner,

Editor,The Source at

[email protected] please include yourideas for articles that you

would like to write.THE SOURCE

A week in the world of Roots


Roots and the Toronto International Film Festival continue their storied relationshipmore than 30 years after it first began.

Longtime observers of theToronto InternationalFilm Festival (TIFF)

were not surprised this weekwhen the Roots flagship storewas the site of one of the mainevents helping kick off thisyear’s 10-day showbiz ex-travaganza.

Yesterday, in an initiativeco-sponsored by Roots, theBarenaked Ladies performed afree mid-day open-air concertjust outside the store on BloorStreet. It helped create thebuzz and set the scene for theofficial opening of TIFF 2006later in the day.

Roots and the Toronto FilmFestival. They are both crea-tions of the 70s and havegrown up together. Both haveevolved tremendously sincetheir inception. Both have at-tracted great acclaim toCanada, adding cachet to thecity they call home. Both ex-ude style, flair, and excite-ment. Both attract celebritiesand the media spotlight. Bothhave benefited from theirlongtime collaboration. Bothare exceptionally busy duringa 10-day period every Septem-ber.

This year is no exceptionas Roots is involved in amyriad of TIFF-related events,including hosting the AOL

Moviefone’s Unscripted on-line interview show and CTV’seTalk entertainment program at100 Bloor Street. The two havefound temporary homes at thespecially prepared Rootslounges on the store’s secondfloor, where countless celeb-rity interviews will be filmedduring the festival. Coordi-nated by Raymond Perkins,Director of PR and SpecialEvents, the lounges and the

Roots eTalk Hello! magazineClubhouse at the Roots storewere inaugurated yesterday inconnection with the BarenakedLadies concert.

Roots and TIFF go wayback together. Although Rootswas only three years old whenthe festival began in 1976, itwas one of the first sponsors ofthe event. Roots Co-FounderMichael Budman was one ofthe Festival’s original boardmembers.

Since then, there’s been agreat synergy between TIFFand Roots. From the officialmerchandise Roots has de-signed for TIFF to the numberof prominent friends of Rootsthe company has connected toTIFF to the countless happen-ings Roots has hosted for TIFF,it’s clear Roots contributesgreatly to the annual event.And no one would deny thatthe associationwith TIFF hasnot exactlybeen bad forRoots busi-ness, either.

Every yearsince 1976,Roots has pro-duced, organ-ized, andsponsored somany festival-related eventsit’s impossibleto do themjustice in onearticle. Sufficeit to say theyhave created many special mo-ments and left lasting memo-ries for those fortunate to havebeen in attendance.

To cite but a few: The Clos-ing Party for the Festival at thePalais Royale in the late 70s;The first George Christieluncheon created by Roots atthe Westside Grill in 1984 (thatRoots has sponsored everyyear since); The launch partyfor the film Les Canadiens at

the old Squeeze Club in 1985;The party for Jesus of Mon-treal at a church on AvenueRoad in 1989 with Brad Pittand Denys Arcand; The JackNicholson After Party at theRoots Coach House in 1993;The party for film directorBernardo Bertolucci in 2003;

The Us magazine event atRoots 100 Bloor St., that fea-tured world-famous ParisianDJ and club maestro ClaudeChalle, and actors DanAykroyd, Fran Drescher andKim Cattrall in 2003; Thegarden party for photographerand filmmaker Bruce Weberin 2004; The reception for theGoldeneye Film Festival in2005; The party for renowned

The Roots store on Bloor St.

Continued on next page

GREAT MOMENTS IN THE SPOTLIGHT


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architect Frank Gehry (whowas the focus of SydneyPollack’s documentary) lastyear; The many dinners forproducer Jerry Bruckheimer;The Spaghetti at Midnight af-ter-parties at Sotto Sotto andSisi Trattoria. The list is virtu-ally endless, as are the numberof celebrities attracted to Rootsduring the film festival.

The first big name to dis-cover Roots while in town forthe festival was HenryWinkler in 1977. He was star-ring as Fonz in the hottest TVshow at the time, Happy Days,and was then in a new movieat the festival. He came into a

Roots store but unfortunatelythere was no camera around.The next day when BillMarshall, the Co-Founder ofthe Festival, heard what hadhappened, he told MichaelBudman: “Never let that hap-pen again!” And he was right.Roots has learned a lot sincethen as evident in the hundredsof photos of celebrities inRoots stores seen in the media.

Of course, Roots - like theToronto Film Festival itself - isabout a lot more than just ce-lebrities. And that’s whatmakes these two importantinstitutions so vital andenduring.

Let this year’s show begin!

LIGHTS, CAMERA, APPARELRoots creates official merchandise for TIFF

By now, after somany years, it’s

become a traditionof the Toronto Inter-national Film Festi-val (TIFF). For the31st edition of TIFF,Roots is the officialsupplier of apparelfor the annual event.The limited editionmerchandise - con-sisting of custom-designed T-shirts and caps for men andwomen - is now available inselect Roots stores in the cityincluding of course the flag-ship store on Bloor Streetwhere many festival goers of-ten visit.

The short-sleeved, white T-shirts featurethe TIFF printlogo on thefront, and aRoots logo onthe left sleeve.The TIFFprint logo isblue on themen’s shirtand purple onthe women’s.Both shirts aremade of 100%

cotton and featurebasic crew necks.

The twill uni-sex baseball capsare also white andfeature the TIFFprint logo on thefront.

All made inCanada, the TIFFitems are availablein Toronto (in addi-

tion to the Bloor St. store) atBCE Place, Roots Central in theEaton Centre, Queen St, TheLodge, St. Clair, and the re-cently opened Roots Rosedale.· Women’s Film Festival T-Shirt, sizesXS-XL, retail price: $30; Men’s FilmFestival T-Shirt, sizes S-XXL, retailprice: $30; BB TIFF Cap, one size,retail price: $35

(Left to right) Members from The Barenaked Ladies with Adam vanKoeverden and Michael Budman at the Roots Lounge on 100 Bloor St.Continued from previous page

This year, the flagship store onBloor Street is the main focus

of Roots initiatives for the film fes-tival. It may not be a movie set butat times over the past week it al-most looked liked one. Amid aflurry of activity, Roots peopleworked against the clock to geteverything ready in time – andsucceeded.

On Wednesday evening,Pauline Landriault, Director ofVisual Planning and Store Devel-opment, along with PeterPaquette, Senior Visual Merchan-diser; James Wilford, Field VisualMerchant; and Carrie Pcora,Visual Consultant, did a numberon the store. They transformed it,remerchandising the entire store to ac-commodate the two lounges set up onthe second floor – the AOL on the northend and the eTalk Hello! clubhouse onthe south end.

The visual team also installed largegraphic murals for the lounges and pre-pared the large backdrop on the outside

TAKING SHAPEFlagship store pulls out the stops for film festival

window on Bellair Street behind thestage for yesterday’s nationally tel-evised Barenaked Ladies concert.

Joining them Wednesday eveningwere Store Manager Brenda Prestonand Assistant Manager MarkChatarpal, along with several otherstore employees who kindly stayed late

to help with the preparations.The visual team also customized the

large store windows for the festival fea-turing Roots leather bags and jackets,

and lifestyle clothing. Adding tothe look of the interior of thestore are numerous graphicsand 85 black and white moviecelebrity portraits by GeorgePimentel exhibited on both floors(See The Source cover story,Issue 53).

Howard Pollack, Director ofPurchasing and Facilities,showed his real colours, helpingin countless ways with the instal-lation of large murals and withvarious technical and electricalissues in the hours before theBarenaked Ladies concert.

On the public relations front,Raymond Perkins and AnishaGliddon have an intense week

ahead as they help coordinate the vari-ous special events at the store they’vebeen busy organizing over the pastmonth or two.

With the Film Festival now underway,it’s going to be an exciting time for shop-pers, staff and festival goers at Roots100 Bloor Street. Roll the film!

Roots,100 Bloor Street: A major destination during TIFF


IN PRAISE OF A PROJulie O’Neill latest to be inducted into exclusive MVP of the Month club

Madonna and The Who place custom orders for current world toursTHAT’S ENTERTAINMENT

Lately, it seems barely aweek goes by withoutthe Business-to-Business

Department chalking up yetanother sale of Roots productsto a new movie production,TV show or major rock per-formers. Last week, we re-ported on the deal with SteelyDan that followed hot on theheels of an order from the pro-ducers of NBC’s hit TV series

The Office. We could go onlisting the many others butregular readers of The Sourceknow what we’re talking aboutand need only consult backissues to see the A-list roster ofclients from the entertainmentworld who have ordered Rootsmerchandise during the pastyear.

This week, in the latestsuch installment, Roots re-ceived custom orders from twomore heavyweights in the mu-sical arena. The Roots leatherfactory is now hard at workmaking 210 large Banff Bagsin gaucho leather for Madonnaand her on-going ConfessionsTour. They will be shipped toJapan to be presented as giftsto her band and productioncrew at a concert in Tokyo later

Ask people atthe RootsHead Office

about JulieO’Neill, andyou’re sure tohear sincere su-perlatives fromanyone whoworks with her.With her easysmile and even-keeled, extremelypleasant manner,Julie alwaysbrings a positive,team-orientedattitude to her jobas MerchandiseManager in the Women’s De-partment. Proactive with anunfailing sense of initiative,Julie never shies away fromtaking on new responsibilities.

But for all her attributes,Julie was selected this week asthe latest Roots MVP of theMonth for other reasons aswell. In recent weeks, the re-sults of her work have shownthemselves in the particularlystrong sales of the women’sfall collection. Of course, oth-ers in the Women’s wear also

deserve credit. Jules Power,Senior Designer in Women’swear, plays a big part in thisachievement having createdthe winning styles. LikewiseStephanie Briers (GraphicArtist), Nikki Kime (SeniorTechnician), and Yougin Lee(Technician) are also impor-tant players in the process.

In the general scheme ofthings in the fashion business,design is relatively easy to un-derstand and more celebrated.Not so the role Julie performs

this month.At the same time, the fac-

tory is also making some 100large Banff Bags in brownfootball leather for the 2006/07world tour of the legendaryBritish rock band The Who.They will be shipped to Phila-delphia to be presented as giftsfor the musicians and produc-tion crew next week.

which is just ascritical to the suc-cess of sales.

At a companylike Roots that is atonce a major manu-facturer and re-tailer, Julie’s well-honed buying skillsare vital. She’s re-sponsible for as-sortment planning— deciding on theright quantities toorder for each style,colour and size —pricing and meetinggross margin targetsto ensure profitabil-

ity and growth in the women’swear department. No smalltask, especially given thenumber of products the wom-en’s wear department are pro-ducing each season. It’s a tallorder but Julie does it withbrio and makes it look almosteasy, season after season.

Hats off to Julie on thiswell-deserved honour. Next week, a full-length profile ofJulie will be published in the MVPof the Month section (Behind theScenes - Team Roots) on the Rootswebsite.

ON THE MOVE

• JonathanGauthier, pro-moted toKeyholder, SouthKeys, Ottawa• Angela Martin,

promoted to Keyholder,Metrotown, Burnaby, BC• Darren Maskell, promoted toKeyholder, South Keys, Ottawa• Brad Stocks, promoted toKeyholder, Pacific Centre, Van-couver, BC

New appointments andpromotions at Roots

This month, many Roots employees marked major anni-

versaries of their time at thecompany. By ‘major’, we meanbenchmark achievements as in 5,10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 yearsspent at Roots. We invite anyonecelebrating such an anniversaryat Roots to send the relevantinformation to The Source.

Saluting those who gothe distance

STAYING POWER

Congratulations to the fol-lowing employees for their hugecontribution and enduring loy-alty to Roots:• Lalmanie Baul, Administra-tion, Distribution Centre, To-ronto, 5 years• Savitree Gobin, Administra-tion, Distribution Centre, To-ronto, 5 years• Jacqueline Morris, ReceivingCoordinator, Head Office, To-ronto, 5 years• Rakhee Nazir, Picker Packer,Distribution Centre, Toronto, 5years• Anthony Palermo, Sales Associ-ate, 100 Bloor Street, Toronto, 5years

The Who in concert

THE NUMBERSThat’s howmany activepages therenow are on

the Roots website. It’s morethan double the number lastApril, reflecting the sharp in-crease in material on the site.And it’s still growing. Over thenext 10 days, another 500pages will be added for a newRoots store locator for the Eng-lish Canadian, French Cana-dian and American versions ofthe site.

More for the eye


The latest in our series on Roots people helping others

This week, Nikki Kime,Senior Technician fromthe Women’s Wear De-

partment, traveled south toPhiladelphia to participate inthe 2006 Livestrong Chal-lenge, a fundraising event bythe US-based LanceArmstrong Foundation(LAF). As part of the initia-tive this weekend, walkers,runners, cyclists and volunteers raisefunds for the LAF’s mission to help peo-ple affected by cancer.

In May this year, Nikki’s brother,Charlie Kime, was diagnosed with tes-ticular cancer, the most common solidtumor type of cancer afflicting men be-tween the ages of 15 and 35 years. Fortu-nately, Charlie’s cancer was detected earlyand he had an excellent prognosis. Thoughhe had a good fight ahead of him, he suc-cessfully finished his treatment in July andis currently working in New York as an

DOING THE RIGHT THINGequities analyst.

In an effort to support andinspire cancer survivors,Charlie will also be partici-pating in a 10K bike, walkand run as part of theLivestrong Challenge. Thisannual event takes place incities across the US, enablinganyone to support the LAF’smission to inspire and em-

power cancer survivors.Nikki, who is a part of his team of six

runners, has helped him raise funds forLAF. Together the team has raised some$42,000 in donations, which will go to theLance Armstrong Foundation. The fundswill be used for cancer research and toprovide practical information and tools forpeople living with cancer.• Those wishing to make a donation to Nikki’sefforts should go to her personal fundraisingpage at: <http://www.livestrongchallenge. org/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=153531&u= 153531-132482625&e=6293 48040>

Head office employee bakes and runs for a good causeMAKING IT COUNT

Leather MerchandiseFlow Analyst LeeFancy wants to help in

the fight against breast can-cer. To that end, he will beselling cookies at the RootsHead Office next week toraise funds for the CanadianBreast Cancer FoundationCIBC Run For The Cure.

Lee, who recently foundout that a close friend isfighting breast cancer for the second time,will be taking part in the CIBC Run in To-ronto on October 1.

“It makes you realize that everyone outthere probably knows someone who isfighting this terrible disease,” says Lee. “It

could be your mother, aunt, sis-ter or a friend. This is my way tosupport my friend and to showthat everyone, including men,can do their little bit to help.”

In his own words, Lee makes‘a mean cookie.’ He will be sell-ing individual packs of thehomemade chocolate-chip cook-ies in The Hub area of the HeadOffice on Tuesday, Sept. 12 for asuggested donation of $5. He

hopes to raise at least $250.• Those wishing to make additional donationsto Lee’s efforts can also enter his first name,last name (Lee Fancy) and Run For The Curelocation (Toronto) on: https://www.cibcrunforthecure.com/html/participant_search.asp?languageid=1

THE HOT LIST

1. Men’s Cooper Kanga Hoody2. Men’s Basic Cooper Pant3. Men’s Cooper Zip Polo4. Women’s Basic Kanga Hoody5. Women’s Varsity Sweatpants-Roots6. Women’s Basic Varsity Sweatpants7. Women’s Basic Full-Zip Hoody8. Women’s Stadium Fleece Hoody9. Women’s Grassroots Hoody10. Women’s Stadium Sweatpants11. Women’s Tamara Sueded Fleece Jacket12. Women’s Varsity Sweatpants13. Baby’s Warm Up Hoody14. Baby’s Smoothie15. Roots Bottled Water 355 ml16. GA Backpack17. Roots Eco-Bag18. GA Kids Backpack19. Crocs Beach Clogs20. Village Bag Prince Leather Bag

Based on the latest sales figures fromall Roots stores in Canada and the US,here are the 20 top-selling products:

A fast look at what’s flying off theshelves at Roots stores

Here are some recent sightings of Roots in thepages of newspapers and magazines:

• Toronto 24 Hours, Sept. 9.Roots Village Bag featured inTrendy and Laid Back section.• Strategy magazine, Sept. issue.In article on companies takinginitiative to benefit the environ-ment, Roots is cited as a leaderin “green practices.” RobertSarner is quoted.• The Look, Fall issue. Cover-age of dinner hosted by Roots at

Head Office (featuring special guest artist/film-maker Julian Schnabel) to raise funds for ArtGallery of Ontario• Toronto Star, Sept. 7. Spotlight on the Rootsleather Saddle Bag featured in the “Giddy Up”equestrian gear article in Fashion Section.• Toronto Star, Sept. 3. Mentions the Foo Fight-ers shopping at Roots flagship store in Torontowhile in town for their Hummingbird Centre concert.• The Globe and Mail, Aug. 30. Roots passportwallet featured in “Essential carry-on items” inTravel Section.

FRESH INKA selection of recent media coverage

Guide to new ads appearing this week and nextSPREADING THE WORD• Sept. 21 – On-going ad campaign using ‘outdoor transit’ featuring the ‘Roots Anatomy of a GreatSweat’ theme. In Toronto, the ads will appear on the subway, on streetcars, buses and bus shelters.In Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, the ads will be featured on bus shelters.• Thurs., Sept. 7 – Now magazine (Toronto): Full-page colour ad on the inside front cover featur-ing the Venetian Bag, and citing Roots as a sponsor of the Toronto Film Festival.• Thurs., Sept. 7 – Eye Weekly (Toronto): A full-page colour ad on the back coverfeaturing the Venetian Bag, and citing Roots as a sponsor of the Toronto Film Festival.• Sat., Sept. 9 – National Post: A full-page colour ad on the outside back cover of the Torontosection featuring the new red Venetian Village Bag in vegetable tanned leather.• Thurs., Sept. 14 – Hello! magazine: A full-page colour ad featuring the new red Venetian VillageBag in vegetable tanned leather.

Join the team at our new Roots storein the West Edmonton Mall

The Roots West Edmonton Mall location islooking for great Full-Time Sales Associates,3rd Keys and Assistant Managers to work at

this store for a minimum of two weeks startingnext week. This could lead to bigger

opportunities such as a 1-year contract.If you are interested, please contact

Rosemary Eisenhut @ 416-856-8621 orSamara Snyder @ 780-710-0367

without delay!Flight, accommodations and food allowance

will be included.Details will be communicated directly.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS


Performer makes a return appearance at Winnipeg storeKING IS QUEEN OF GOOD VIBES

Raeann Gray, Rachelle Budge, Joe Meissner, Jodi King, Joe Curtis,Paul Rogers, (above), and Jodi King performing, (below right).

Following the success ofher first concert at theRoots store at Winnipeg’s

St. Vital Centre two monthsago, singer/songwriter JodiKing was invited back for areturn engagement. Last week,she seemed right at home asshe made beautiful sounds forcustomers and employees dur-ing a two-hour performance.

She attracted a large crowdof all ages packing the storewith people responding to theWinnipeg-born classical pian-

ist and lyricist. It didn’t hurtthat regular announcementsabout the concert were madeon the mall intercom servicedirecting shoppers towards theRoots store.

“Jodi King is an amazingperformer and a great pro-moter of Roots,” says StoreManager Joseph Meissner.“She makes a point to talkabout Roots items to the cus-tomers during her perform-ances.”

Jodi’s energetic perform-

ances in the store are creatingadded interest in her music andled many customers to askabout her products. Later thisyear, Roots stores in Winnipegand Toronto plan to sell Jodi’ssoon-to-be-released first albumand her personalized T-shirts,to be made by Roots.

Jodi is the latest among themany upcoming Canadian mu-sicians that Roots has sup-ported over the years. In thecoming months, she’s alsoslated to perform in otherRoots stores. Last spring, shesang at the Roots-sponsoredFashion Targets Breast Cancerevent in Toronto at the flagshipstore on Bloor Street.

No surprise that you feelbetter when you wearcomfortable clothes that

look good on you. What youdidn’t realize perhaps is thecognitive factor at work whenyou put on certain items.

In the current issue ofMen’s Health magazine,there’s a report on a new studyby Harvard University that hasfound that dressing comfort-ably can boost brainpower. Ina just released study of 88 stu-dents, those wearing sweatsearned higher marks on cogni-tive-ability tests than thosedressed in suits.

“We had assumed thatlooking good made people feelgood and helped them per-form,” says lead author Rich-ard Bell, Ph.D.

Of course, when it comesto Roots, wearing sweatsmeans looking good - and be-ing comfortable. Wearing a suitmay actually distract the brainand make it harder to retrieveinformation.

Taking attendance of special guests at Roots storesGUESS WHO JUST DROPPED IN…

CCCCCelebrities have long made a point of shopping at Roots. Here arethe latest sightings of prominent figures from the world of enter-

tainment and sports who visited Roots stores recently:· Toronto (100 Bloor Street) – Members of the Canadian rock bandBarenaked Ladies visited the store after performing just outside aspart of a free concert (See cover story). Canadian singer/songwriterEsthero and Canadian actress Tonya Lee Williams of the Americansoap opera The Young and the Restless were also present at the con-cert and later at the store.· Windsor Crossing (Windsor, ON) – Former NHL player and five-time Stanley Cup winner John Ferguson Sr. of the MontrealCanadiens, was in the Roots outlet store with his son John FergusonJr., current General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, shoppingfor back-to-school kids items.

Members of The BarenakedLadies with Michael Budman,Esthero, Tonya Lee Williams,(above right), John Ferguson Sr.and his son John Jr. (above).

OF MINDAND MATTERThis just in: Proof thatRoots sweats helpyou smarten up


GREEN TIP #21Easy ways to help theenvironment

SmoothMove:Changingthe oilregularly is

a double bonus for your carand the environment: whenyour engine is running in topcondition, it’s burning fuelmost efficiently.

Average recommenda-tionfor oil changes is every threemonths or 5,000 km. Ask themechanic to see that your oldengine oil gets recycled, andcheck the replacement oil: thebest oils for fuel efficiency arelabeled “Energy Conserv-ing” and can reduce your fuelconsumption by 3%.Frequent tune-ups of yourvehicle will keep it runningsmoothly (poorly maintainedvehicles operate 50% lessefficiently!). A healthier car isa greener car.

More quick Tips fromNatural Resources Canada:<http://www.oee.nrcan .gc.ca/transportation> Source: Green Tips: How to SaveMoney and the Planet, published byGreen Living Enterprises.

HEALTH TIP #18Easy ways to help youstay healthy

Eat therainbow:Residentsof theJapanese

island of Okinawa are knownfor being the world’s healthiestand longest-lived people: Theyhave the least rates of heartdisease, stroke and cancer ,and the highest percentage ofpeople living over 100.

The Okinawans eat 15 to18 different foods every day.The staples of their diet arefish, vegetables, fruits, wholegrains and legumes, predomin-antly tofu and other soy foodsin primary cooking fat isomega-3 rich canola oil. Theyare pioneers in “eating therainbow,” believing that everymeal should contain at leastfive colours for health andaesthetics. They’re obviouslydoing something right. Source: Self-Healthing Newsletter,www.drweilselfhealing.com

Roots makes its presence felt at SuperWalkLENDING A HAND

Waterloo store again scores big with mystery shopper

Six times a year, theConestoga Mall inWaterloo, Ontario,

carries out secret shop-ping exercises in whichevaluators go into storesunannounced to seewhat’s what. For the pasttwo years, Roots has con-sistently received a 90-plus score in every one ofthe exercises. In the mostrecent one, some of the neweststaff members of the storewere responsible for acquiringtop scores.

Earlier this year, whenSales Associate AlisonMcDougall greeted a customerand directed her toward theBabies Department, she had noidea that the pregnant lady shewas serving was actually a se-cret shopper.

The then Keyholder now

Assistant Manager AdrienneWilford helped the undercovershopper buy babies items be-fore she went on to the Men’sDepartment where Sales Asso-ciate Letizia Ferreira guidedher through the sweatshirts.She helped the lady pick theright sizes for her husband andsuggested styles that would fither.

Last month, the store re-ceived their score sheets from

the mall administrationand the three girls hadhelped the store achieve a95-plus score for cus-tomer service. At the timeof the exercise, Alison hadbeen working at the storefor only a few months andboth Adrienne and Letiziaeven less.

“It is amazing thatwithin the short time since

they started working at Roots,they played a vital role in thestore receiving such above av-erage results,” says Store Man-ager Alison Sochasky. “It’s thesource of great pride for me tobe working with such a greatteam.”

Last year, after a similarperformance, the store was therecipient of a Customer Serv-ice Award from the mall ad-ministration.

THE TRUE TEST OF SERVICE

This weekend, for the sixthconsecutive year, Rootsis a sponsor of the

SuperWalk for Parkinson’s. Insupport of the initiative, or-ganized by the Toronto-basedParkinson Society Canada(PSC), Roots is donatingseven leather bags as prizes inthe event’s National TeamChallenge draw. To be eligi-ble, teams of 4-10 walk par-ticipants must collectivelyraise at least $1,000. Eachmember of the winning team,in addition to receiving theirindividual SuperWalk prizesfor how much they raise, willreceive one large leather BanffBag, (retail value: $358).

Roots will also provide giftcertificates of different

amounts. Par-ticipants willreceive a $10gift certificatefor every $100s/he raises,and one $500gift certificate

will be rewarded to the top-earning student.

Registration for theSuperWalk in Toronto starts at9 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 10 atEarl Bales Park at Bathurst andSheppard. The SuperWalk it-self, dedicated in Toronto tothe memory of Jerry Friedman,who helped increase aware-ness and raise money to con-quer the disease, kicks off anhour later.

Established in 1965, theParkinson Society Canada is anon-profit volunteer organiza-tion aiming to find the causeand cure for the disease.• For more information, or to skipregistration lines and save time bypre-registering and pledging on-line, visit the official website at:www.superwalk.com

PPPPPhil Papadopoulos, StoreManager, Masonville

Place, London, Ontario is on amultiple celebration spree.Tomorrow he will be gettingmarried with his fiancéeKaren Buckrell. This a fewweeks after celebrating his 30th

birthday. On Tuesday, he willalso mark his second anniver-sary working at Roots. Con-gratulations Phil!• Please send us details of similargood news and we’ll be happy topublish it in The Source (email:[email protected])

MOMENTSTHAT MATTERBig developments inthe life of Roots staff

Adrienne Wilford, Letizia Ferriera, Alison McDougall


A guide to just-launched Roots productsNEW & NOTEWORTHY

RE-INVENTING ATHLETIC FLEECETwo new ways for men to wear stripes

Following the current all-over print trend, the TrentStripe Hoody and

Dalhousie Stripe CrewSweatshirt combine athleticfleece with preppy stripes.

Made of 80% cotton and20% poly-fleece, the hoodyand sweatshirt are great forearly to mid-fall weather. Addi-tional details include the clas-

sic beaver patch on the leftchest and an all-over yarn-dyed finish, meaning all stripesare knit into the sweater, notprinted.

Created by Senior Designerfor Mens, Rita Shulman, boththe pop-over hoody and crewneck sweatshirt come in differ-ent colours. The hoody isavailable in black with port

stripes, walnut with mediumgrey mix stripes, and mediumgrey with grey mix stripes.Midnight navy with grey mixstripes, and charcoal mix withport stripes make up thesweatshirt colours.

Coordinated by MarthaGalora, Merchandise Managerfor Mens, the hoody and

sweatshirt are set to hit storesnext week and are available atselect Roots stores in Canada.

• Trent Stripe Hoody, sizesXS-XXL, also available at se-lect Roots stores in USA, retailprice: $88

• Dalhousie Stripe CrewSweatshirt, sizes XS-XXL,retail price: $84

Dalhousie Stripe Crew Sweatshirt

Trent Stripe Hoody

Early last month, Rootsintroduced a new salesincentive program for

store employees, offering awide array of prizes. To win,stores had to achieve at least100% of their month’s salesbudget. The prizes included: a$3500 travel voucher fromVibe Travel; a choice betweena 30GB Apple iPod Video,Sony Digital Camera, or a

HARD WORK PAYS OFFRetail employees score sweet prizes in new incentive program

Our weekly spotlight onnew positions at Roots

OPPORTUNITYKNOCKS

Sony Portable DVD Player;and a Roots $50 gift card.

Stores with the highest per-centage won the most valuableprizes, with winners picked ina random draw. However, ofthose stores, only the sales as-sociates who made theirmonth’s sales-per-hour goalreceived ballots for the draw.One cashier or stock associatewas chosen by the store man-

ager to receive a ballot as well.The three lucky winners of

the travel voucher areVeronique Girard from Cha-teau Frontenac (Quebec),Laurence Belzile from St. Foy(Quebec), and Donna Leachfrom Thunder Bay, ON.

Congratulations to the fol-lowing winners for secondprize: Louelene Asayo, ReganTennyson, Karen Joseph,Jacqueline Spadafora,Darlene Thorne, ZoeDoucette, Natasha O’Brien,Chanel Sutherland, SusanZerafa, Edgar Zarzoso, KristaCarson, Jason Rinas, VanPhac Cung, Jayne Panttila,Janet Vanderhor, CherylBaksi, and Brandy Davis.

Here is a list of currentjob openings at Roots

stores and at the Head Of-fice. For more information,please refer to the separateemail notices sent out re-cently about each position:• Store Manager, Waterloo,ON (Silver level store) E-mail your resume to the at-tention of Sanjiv Khanna [email protected] Dead-line: Sunday, Sept. 10.• Website Designer, To-ronto, working at the HeadOffice in Toronto. Email yourresume to [email protected] File# IP867-0906and your salary expectation.Deadline: Sept. 20, 2006.• PO Administrator, To-ronto, working at the HeadOffice in Toronto. Email yourresume to [email protected] File# IP930-PO.Deadline: Sept. 20, 2006.

September, 8 2006

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Transcript of September, 8 2006