Retailers Offer Students More Than $50,000 in Scholarships through Retail as a Career Scholarship Program

Toronto, March 6, 2008 – According to recent census results released by Statistics Canada, the retail industry is now the No. 1 career destination for both men and women in Canada, and the sector also saw the largest growth in absolute number of jobs between 2001 and 2006.

These numbers are a reflection of the retail industry's growing importance to the Canadian economy, said Diane J. Brisebois, President and CEO, Retail Council of Canada (RCC), and they emphasize the need for programs like RCC's Retail as a Career Scholarship Program, which offers students the opportunity to consider retail as a career.

"The retail industry in Canada has grown significantly in the past seven years, and much of that growth can be attributed to the quality and dedication of its employees," says Diane J. Brisebois, President and CEO, Retail Council of Canada (RCC). "Retailers created the Retail as a Career Scholarship Program to provide the financial assistance that many students need to complete their studies, and also to increase awareness of retail's many career opportunities in sales, marketing, human resources, information technology, finance, and loss prevention, among other areas."

Retail Council of Canada and leading Canadian retailers developed this initiative in 2001 to recognize retail's future stars and to encourage students at the high school and post-secondary levels to consider retail as a career. This year, Retail Council of Canada and its retail partners are awarding more than $50,000 in scholarships and benefits to retail employees who are entering or currently enrolled in a retail- or business-related post-secondary program. Applicants are judged by an independent panel and rated on their academic record, references and application essay.

Scholarship recipients will receive financial assistance toward their post-secondary education costs, in addition to an all-access pass, including travel and accommodation, to attend STORE 2008 - Canada's Retail Conference in Toronto on June 2-3, 2008. All scholarship recipients will be recognized during the conference's closing Canadian Retail Hall of Fame Luncheon.

The deadline for scholarship applications is Friday, March 28, 2008. For more details and an application form, visit www.retailcouncil.org/education/programs/scholarship.asp or call (888) 373-8245.

Retail Facts:

• Retail is Canada's second-largest employer, with more than two million people employed in this sector.
• Retail is a major contributor to Canada's economy, recording $412 billion in sales in 2007.
• The retail sector saw the largest growth in absolute number of jobs between 2001 and 2006, up 1.8% per year on average, for a total gain of 155,800 employees in that time. (Source: Statistics Canada)

About RCC
Retail Council of Canada (www.retailcouncil.org) is the Voice of Retail. It is a not-for-profit association representing more than 40,000 stores of all retail formats, including independent merchants, regional and national mass and specialty chains, and online merchants.

For further information:
Mitchell Brown
Editor, Publications and Communications
Retail Council of Canada
Tel: (416) 922-0553, ext. 286
Toll-free: (888) 373-8245, ext. 286
E-mail: mbrown@retailcouncil.org