Leading Retailer Expands Corporate Sales Program
(TORONTO) – Golf Town – Canada’s largest golf retailer with unequaled selection and competitive prices at 39 locations coast to coast – announces the acquisition of Accolade Reaction Promotion Group Inc. (ARPG), the nation’s largest provider of corporate promotional products.
As Golf Town’s new Executive Vice President, current ARPG CEO Marc Roy will oversee all corporate merchandising activities of the combined companies. Existing staff will be retained, creating a national sales force of more than 75 representatives with operations centers in Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto and account executives at every Golf Town superstore. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Already a leader in logo products for golf events and other programs, Golf Town’s purchase of the country’s most recognized corporate merchandise supplier creates a one-stop-shop for the promotional needs of businesses, meeting planners, sales and marketing executives, and human resource professionals. Named a 2008 Top 40 Distributor by the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI), ARPG is the first Canadian corporate merchandise services firm to achieve ASI Top 40 Status.
“This acquisition is the latest step in Golf Town’s continued evolution, and establishes us as the leading player in a market with enormous potential,” says Stephen Bebis, Golf Town President and CEO. “With the strength of our existing Corporate Sales Division and ARPG’s dedicated professionals under the leadership of Marc Roy, we offer the best value on hundreds of thousands of high-quality customizable items.”
“The elite roster of lifestyle brands ARPG offers complements Golf Town’s stable of top golf lines,” says Roy. “The expansion of product offerings enables us to service an even broader audience from Victoria to Halifax.”
The new ARPG showcases a wide range of logo-ready products – such as accessories, apparel, appliances, electronics, equipment, home goods, jewelry, luggage and musical instruments – for companies to strengthen customer relationships, leverage sponsorships and reward employee performance.
Industry-best pricing includes selections from golf and non-golf brands like Adams, Apple, Ashworth, Ben Hogan, Bose, Bridgestone, Bugatti, Bulova, Callaway, Citzen, Cleveland, Cobra, Cross, Danier Leather, Delta Tools, Dunning, FootJoy, Greg Norman, Hugo Boss, Kodak, LaCoste, Maxfli, Mizuno, Motorola, Movado, Nike Golf, Nintendo, Phillips, Pinnacle, Pioneer, Precept, Sony, TaylorMade adidas Golf, Timex, Titleist, Top Flite, Toro, Tour Edge, Under Armour, Whirlpool, Wilson, Yamaha and more.
For more information: www.golftown.com (905.479.0343), www.arpg.ca (877.733.7800).
About Golf Town
Founded in 1999, Golf Town is Canada’s largest golf retailer with 39 retail centers across the country. With an average size of nearly 18,000 square feet, these superstores serve as sanctuaries where players of all ages and abilities try, buy, learn about and improve their games.
A center of the Canadian golf community for individuals and organizations, Golf Town guarantees customers find what they want, when they want it at the best price. Each store features all of the major brand-name golf clubs, bags, balls, apparel, footwear, accessories, gifts, professional services and more.
Golf Town has also established Canada’s leading customer advantage initiative via its Leaderboard Membership Privileges Program. Benefits of this free membership include the chance to win a $500 gift card in a national monthly draw, timely e-newsletters to keep players up to date on the latest and greatest in golf; members-only special offers on equipment, accessories, golf lessons and more; advance notice of new equipment releases and opportunities for private test drives; invitations to exclusive in-store events; in-store exchanges or returns made easier than ever thanks to a member-purchase tracking program; and a special introductory offer just for joining.
Among the largest charitable givers in the Canadian golf industry, Golf Town is an official partner with the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada (www.prostatecancer.ca) in the Drive for a Cure and has donated more than $2 million to various causes since 1999. The company’s initiatives include the Golf Town Charity Classic, Annual Golf Town Invitational and “Chips In” donation program, pledging $100 in Golf Town gift cards to all qualifying golf tournaments raising funds for a non-profit organization.
Golf Town was acquired by OMERS Capital Partners, the entity responsible for private equity investments of the OMERS pension fund, in September 2007. For more information: www.omerscapital.com.
About Accolade Reaction Promotion Group
Accolade Reaction Promotion Group (ARPG) is Canada’s leading corporate merchandise services firm. It has been voted Canada’s Distributor of the Year by the Promotional Product Professionals of Canada for an unprecedented five consecutive years as well as receiving top designation in Canada for sales volume by the industry group ASI Canada (formerly Team Task Force) since 2003. The clear leader in the Canadian Advertising Specialty industry, ARPG and its subsidiaries employ 145 dedicated and energetic individuals including 46 sales executives within its offices in Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto.
Contact:
Kevin Satz
Buffalo Communications
703.891.3394
ksatz@billycaspergolf.com
