News Release

For Immediate Release
AAIA-08-00

For more information, contact Rich White, (301) 654-6664.

Canadian Tire Partners with AAIA on i·SHOP Initiative
Top Canadian Retailer Provides Prototype of Integrated Repair Shop

BETHESDA, MD - August 28, 2000 - Canadian Tire, the largest hardgoods product retailer in Canada, has contributed three fully equipped service bays for the testing of i·SHOP standards at its Retail City testing facility in Toronto, Ontario, the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) announced today.

i·SHOP is an open shop integration standard that permits computer-based products and services in an automotive service facility to work together as one seamlessly integrated system. Technicians in an integrated shop can access all the information needed to complete a repair from any workstation.

"AAIA is grateful for the generous contribution by Canadian Tire to the integrated shop standards initiative," said Al Gaspar, AAIA president and CEO. "With the level of support from partners like Canadian Tire, AAIA can advance programs like i·SHOP to benefit the North American aftermarket."

The service bays, which will host the testing of i·SHOPstandards, will be housed at Retail City -- Canadian Tire's retail test laboratory located in Toronto. Canadian Tire's Retail City, the only facility of its kind in North America, is used for customer-focused research, training and merchandise testing, enabling the company to be highly responsive to the needs of its customers.

The state-of-the-art service bays will be the first fully functional integrated shop environment featuring the latest service and repair tools and diagnostic equipment from i·SHOP participants: Snap-on, SPX, Vetronix and ALLDATA, Hunter, and Autologic.

"As Canada's largest automotive service retailer, we're excited to bring our customer focus and perspective to the i·SHOPinitiative," says Steve Willert, vice president, Automotive Service, Canadian Tire. "We're working together with an excellent team and we look forward to our continued progress in developing leading-edge standards for the automotive service industry."

i·SHOPis the result of the Shop Integration Task Force, coordinated by AAIA's Electronic Commerce Committee. The technology was developed by Snap-on, the Enterprise Alliance, ASA-Net in Europe and others around the world to create a single open standard - i·SHOP.

Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited - Canada's most shopped retailer - offers a unique mix of products and services through the leadership of three specialty stores under one roof - Automotive, Sports and Leisure, and Home Products. With 438 Canadian Tire Associate Stores serving communities nationwide, Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited and the Associate Dealers together employ 38,000 Canadians and form one of Canada's best-known and most successful retailers.

The Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) is a Bethesda, Md.-based association whose member companies manufacture, distribute and sell motor vehicle parts, accessories, tools, equipment, materials and supplies. The organization is comprised of manufacturers, distributors, jobbers, wholesalers, retailers, manufacturer's representatives and other companies doing business in the automotive aftermarket. AAIA formerly served the automotive aftermarket as APAA and ASIA.

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