TORONTO NEW YORK CONNECTION GETS EVEN STRONGER

NBC asks Roots to make a collection for its hit TV show The Office

Unknown to most Roots customers in Canada, and even to some company employees, Roots has a highly successful, on-going relationship with NBC Television in New York. Initiated in the early 1990s with the Roots/Saturday Night Live collection, the collaboration has grown over the years and, just this month, became even stronger when NBC signed a deal with Roots for a special line of merchandise for the hit series The Office.

Starring Steve Carell (from The 40-Year Old Virgin) and based on the original British series of the same name, NBC's American version of The Office is just about to launch its second season after capturing high ratings in its first year and.

In addition to the products made for NBC, Roots also has a strong retail presence at the NBC Experience Store in New York's famous Rockefeller Center where Roots has its own branded section. NBC carries a number of co-branded collections produced by Roots (and mostly made in Canada) including the US Olympic Team line; a New York City-themed collection, a Saturday Night Live collection, and now a line for The Office, many of them also available on their website www.nbcuniversalstore.com. Currently, Roots is in the process of developing a new youth product line for NBC.

"We're grateful for the on-going support and commitment from Judith Dutch, [Vice President Retail Operations and Consumer Marketing, NBC Universal] for her excellent work in continuing and growing our relationship," says Melinda McDonald, Wholesale and Business Development. "We look forward to collaborating with Judith and NBC Universal on other projects in the future."

Also key to the success of the relationship with NBC is the work of the Wholesale Department at Roots, particularly Account Representative Patricia MacInnis and Mary Jane Saliba, Senior Product Coordinator.

As part of its relationship with NBC, Roots has held a number of press conferences at NBC's headquarters in New York including the official launch of Roots Team USA Olympic collections in 2004 and 2006. NBC is also a sponsor of the US Olympic Team.

In 2004, NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment joined forces, becoming NBC Universal. Today, it's one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience.