Canadian Tire launches interactive website tools to help Canadians get ready for the holidays

• Press Release
• Source: Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited
• On 9:16 am EST, Monday November 9, 2009

<< canadiantire.ca features inspirational holiday home decorating tips from Debbie Travis; interactive tree and holiday home decorator tools; gift- giving made easy >>

TORONTO, Nov. 9 /CNW/ - In addition to providing customers with great products, prices and savings heading into the busy holiday season, Canadian Tire has launched a new Christmas site to help Canadians get organized for holiday home decorating, entertaining and gift shopping. For the millions of customers that visit canadiantire.ca each month, the site features a new series of innovative and interactive tools to help customers find the right holiday look for their home, select the right gift and get how-to information and tips on preparing for a stress-free and festive holiday season.

"Canadian Tire continues to have one of the busiest websites in Canada, and the launch of the Christmas site is one of the ways we continue to deliver an exceptional online retail experience featuring information that is interactive, inspirational and practical for our customers," says Reg McLay, senior vice-president, marketing and sourcing services, Canadian Tire. "Canadian Tire is one of the leading retailers of Christmas trees, lights, home décor items and gift ideas and the new interactive website tools make it even easier for customers to make decisions and find what they're looking for."

To help customers make even more informed shopping decisions, more than 60 percent of Canadian Tire's online product line-up has been rated and reviewed by customers, providing shoppers with third party feedback on products of interest.

Highlights of the special Christmas site at canadiantire.ca include:

	    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
	    Tree decorator                     -  an interactive tool that allows
	                                          customers to decorate a tree with
	    www.canadiantire.ca/treedecorator     Canadian Tire's Christmas
	                                          assortment.

	                                       -  customers can determine how they
	                                          want their tree to look this year.
	                                          Canadian Tire makes tree
	                                          decorating easy with six different
	                                          themes of Christmas colour
	                                          combinations

	                                       -  Style maven Debbie Travis provides
	                                          customers with tree trimming tips
	    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
	    House decorator                    -  an interactive tool where the
	                                          customers can use a home from the
	    www.canatiretire.ca/homedecorator     site or download a picture of
	                                          their own home to try out
	                                          different outdoor décor looks

	                                       -  home décor icon Debbie Travis
	                                          provides customers with holiday
	                                          lighting tips
	    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
	    Gift selector                      -  a tool that helps customers choose
	                                          from a wide range of gifts to suit
	    www.canadiantire.ca/gifts             everyone on their holiday list

	                                       -  gifts can be selected by price
	                                          point, interest/hobby (eg. tools
	                                          and projects, toys and games,
	                                          fitness, electronics, personal
	                                          care, etc.) or relationship
	                                          (eg.husband/wife; boy/girl;
	                                          father/mother; pet, etc.)
	    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
	    Countdown calendar                 -  a calendar that provides tips and
	                                          inspiration for each day leading
	    www.canadiantire.ca/holidaysetup      up to Christmas

	                                       -  Debbie Travis offers home
	                                          preparation tips to make for a
	                                          stress-free and festive holiday
	                                          season
	    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
	    

Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited, operates more than 1,200 general merchandise and apparel retail stores and gas stations in an inter-related network of businesses engaged in retail, financial services and petroleum. Canadian Tire Retail, Canada's most shopped general merchandise retailer, with 476 stores operated by dealers across Canada offers a unique mix of products and services through three specialty categories in which the organization is the market leader - Automotive, Sports and Leisure, and Home Products. www.canadiantire.ca offers Canadians the opportunity to research more than 25,000 products online. PartSource is an automotive parts specialty chain with 87 stores designed to meet the needs of purchasers of automotive parts - professional automotive installers and serious do-it-yourselfers. Canadian Tire Petroleum is one of the country's largest and most productive independent retailers of gasoline, operating 274 gas bars, 267 convenience stores and kiosks, and 74 car washes. Mark's Work Wearhouse is one of the country's leading apparel retailers operating 374 stores in Canada. Under the Clothes that WorkTM marketing strategy, Mark's sells apparel and footwear in work, work-related, casual and active-wear categories, as well as health-care and business-to-business apparel. www.marks.com offers Canadians the opportunity to shop for Mark's products online. Canadian Tire Financial Services has issued over 5 million Canadian Tire MasterCard credit cards and also markets related financial products and services for retail and petroleum customers. Canadians can also access Financial Services online at www.ctfs.com. More than 57,000 Canadians work across Canadian Tire's organization from coast-to-coast in the enterprise's retail, financial services, and petroleum businesses.

For further information

Lisa Gibson, Canadian Tire, (416) 544-7655, lisa.gibson@cantire.com

Buzz up!