Golf Town's Stephen Bebis Honoured as Canadian Retail Hall of Fame Inductee by Canadian Retail Industry

Toronto, May 15, 2008 – Retail Council of Canada (RCC) announced today that Stephen Bebis, President and CEO of Golf Town, will be honoured as the 2008 inductee into the Canadian Retail Education Hall of Fame. Mr. Bebis was selected by a distinguished panel of current and former retail executives, as well as representatives from the financial, academic and consulting communities.

"Mr. Bebis is being honoured for his passionate commitment to promoting retail as a career and for his many contributions to the retail industry in Canada," says Diane J. Brisebois, President and CEO, Retail Council of Canada.

"His status as a leader in the retail community is also evident in the many charities that Golf Town has supported, with more than $2 million in donations to various organizations since 1999."

In his more than 30 years of retail management experience, Bebis has held leadership positions at Grossman's Lumber, Home Depot, Home Depot Canada, Sears and Roebuck and Aikenhead's Home Improvement Warehouse. As founder of Aikenhead's — one of Canada's first big box retailers — Bebis introduced a new level of customer service to the industry, staying on as CEO after the company was sold to Home Depot. He then went on to launch Golf Town in 1999, rapidly transforming the golf retail industry. In less than a decade, Bebis has altered the way golf merchandise is sold in Canada and abroad by offering strong pricing, broad selection and knowledgeable staff. From its first store in Scarborough, Ont., Golf Town has flourished to currently encompass 38 retail centres from coast to coast.

Bebis's management philosophy mandates that Golf Town recruit and hire the best people possible and promote nearly all management positions from within. Committed to training and development, he has founded several employee programs such as Golf Town University and the Spirit of Excellence Award, and he has created a strong and energetic work environment defined by knowledgeable and passionate staff.

Mr. Bebis has also served on many charitable boards in both Canada and the U.S. Most recently, these included the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada, Outward Bound Canada and the Moffit Cancer Centre. Bebis's devotion to giving is evident in Golf Town's multiple charity initiatives, including the golf tournament support program "Chips In", Golf Town Charity Classic and Annual Golf Town Invitational.

This award will be presented to Mr. Bebis on behalf of the retail industry at the Canadian Retail Hall of Fame luncheon on Tuesday, June 3, 2008. The luncheon, part of STORE 2008 - Canada's Retail Conference, will take place at the Toronto Congress Centre at 1:30 p.m. RCC will also award 26 high school and university students with $1,000 each in scholarships to help advance their careers in the retail industry.

The Canadian Retail Hall of Fame was established by RCC to recognize merchants who have demonstrated leadership in advancing retail as a career and who have supported lifelong learning in retail. Mr. Bebis joins a notable list of past inductees including Steve Matyas, STAPLES Business Depot (2007); George Heller, Hbc (2006); Harry Rosen, Executive Chairman of Harry Rosen Inc. (2006); Christine Magee and Stephen Gunn, Co-Founders of Sleep Country Canada (2005); and Mario Pilozzi, President and CEO of Wal-Mart Canada (2004).

For more information about STORE 2008 — Canada's Retail Conference, log on to www.storeconference.ca.

About Retail Council of Canada
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.

Media are invited to attend STORE 2008.

For further information: and to RSVP, contact: Meredith Roberts, Account Manager, Pipeline Communications, (416) 694-2777, ext. 223, e-mail: meredith@pipelinecommunications.ca.