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Men's wear collection featuring Comfort Zone by George Foreman(TM) available exclusively at Sears

TORONTO, Sep 23, 2004 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) -- Former Heavy Weight Boxing Champ and Marketing Powerhouse, George Foreman, was in Toronto today to launch Casual Male Big & Tall men's fashions featuring Comfort Zone by George Foreman(TM) available exclusively at select Sears full-line department stores across Canada.

"Sears is a leader in the men's specialty size apparel and sells more specialty size women's apparel than any other retailer in the country," said Ed Matier, Group Vice-President, Apparel & Accessories, Sears Canada. "Big and tall men are often faced with either poor selections, ill-fitting clothing or they have to pay a large premium for fashionable garments," said Matier. "By bringing Casual Male Big and Tall shops to Sears, we are able to offer big and tall men the same great affordable fashions that regular-size shoppers are offered while meeting their specific needs."

Casual Male is not only the No. 1 retailer of big and tall men's clothing in the United States it's also the preferred retailer of men's apparel in big sizes from 1X to 6X and XLT to 5XLT, 50-60 regular and long pants with waist measurements from 42" to 60" and inseams 30" to 38".

Casual Male Big & Tall men's fashions offer quality that combines contemporary style with guaranteed comfort. The collection includes sporty activewear, sophisticated suit separates, casual tops and pants, t-shirts, and jeans in a variety of designer brands and popular name brands, Izod(R), Drill, and Reebok(R).

Comfort Zone by George Foreman(TM) features stylish casual wear that takes its cue from today's contemporary fashion trends, while remaining comfortable for big and tall men. The brand offers an extensive range of shirts, sweaters, pants and blazers that mix and match effortlessly. With shirts and pants in a choice of colours, fabrics and styles, there's no shortage of looks or options for the big and tall man. Each garment packs a 'one-two' punch of technical features combined with special fabrications to provide comfort without compromising style.

As a big guy himself, Foreman understands the struggle to find stylish and comfortable clothes in larger sizes. "Big and tall guys like myself want to look good comfortably and the Casual Male collection gives us the very best of both worlds," said George Foreman, Casual Male spokesperson.

Comfort, fit and technology are the focus of the Comfort Zone apparel brand. Exclusive technical features such as Waist-Relaxer(TM) provide a four-inch stretch to allow for waist variation in size and shape, and Neck-Relaxer(TM) stretches one full neck size for invisible comfort all day long. Jacket-Relaxer(TM) is composed of stretch knit panels sewn into the lining of the garment to provide an extended range of movement, and Dry-Action(TM) technology dries two-times faster than cotton, quickly removing moisture to provide comfort and performance combined with uncompromising style.

Sears has opened 13 Casual Male Big and Tall stores within Sears full-line department stores across Canada and intends to open an additional 68 stores in 2005. Casual Male Big and Tall apparel is expected to be available in Sears Canada's catalogue and website beginning in 2005.

The 13 initial Sears full-line department stores to carry the collection are Pickering Town Centre, Scarborough Town Centre, Toronto Yonge and Dundas, Sherway Gardens, London Masonville, Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener, Devonshire Mall in Windsor, Calgary North Hill, Calgary Southcentre, Edmonton Kingsway, Edmonton Southgate and Vancouver Downtown (Robson).

Men's fashions in both regular and specialty sizes are available in all Sears full-line department stores across Canada, in the Sears catalogue and online at www.sears.ca.

Sears, where more Canadians spend more of their fashion dollars than anywhere else in Canada, currently has 122 department stores and 47 Sears Home stores. The Company publishes Canada's most extensive general merchandise catalogue and has over 2,200 catalogue merchandise pick-up locations. Additionally Sears has 148 dealer stores, 12 outlet stores, 51 floor covering centres, 110 Sears Travel offices and offers shopping online at www.sears.ca.

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available

on the Canadian Press Photo Network/

VIEW ADDITIONAL COMPANY-SPECIFIC INFORMATION: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/orgDisplay.cgi?okey=58312

CONTACT:          For further information: Contact: Christine Hudson, Sears Canada,
                  (416) 941-4423, christine.hudson(at)sears.ca; Eliana Cugini, Sears Canada,
                  (416) 941-4426, ecugini(at)sears.ca

News release via Canada NewsWire, Toronto 416-863-9350  

Copyright (C) 2004 CNW, All rights reserved

SOURCE: Sears Canada Inc.