PLANO, Texas –– May 21, 2003 –– PFSweb, Inc. (Nasdaq: PFSW), a leading provider of business process outsourcing solutions, today announced an expanded partnership with Roots Canada, Canada’s number one authentic athletic lifestyle brand, to provide order fulfillment, distribution and call-center support for Roots’ 2004 Olympic apparel. The agreement further solidifies the ongoing partnership between the two companies.
The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) recently announced that Roots will be the official outfitter for the U.S. Olympic team at the next three Olympic Games. (2004 Athens, 2006 Turin and 2008 Beijing). Roots has also provided Olympic apparel for the Canadian and the British teams.
“PFSweb quickly established and managed our first Web ordering tool during the 2002 Winter Olympics when demand for our apparel unexpectedly and overwhelmingly surged,” said James Connell, Manager of New Media and E-commerce at Roots. “We couldn’t have met that demand without them and have continued our partnership to match our previous success.”
Before the 2002 Winter Olympics, Roots originally forecasted about 1,500 orders during the first month, but after the Opening Ceremony and hours of media footage showing athletes in Roots gear, orders skyrocketed to more than 50,000 for the month. During that initial surge, PFSweb developed an online ordering tool within a short 48-hour timeframe to meet the high demand. PFSweb recently won a COMPTIA ASPire Award for Best Management and Operation Practices for this effort.
“Since the 2002 Winter Games, we’ve continued and expanded our partnership with Roots, enhancing their temporary Web ordering tool into a permanent, full-service solution,” said Tamy Butterfield, General Manager of PFSweb Canada. “With the new tool, Roots customers across the United States can now purchase apparel and benefit from increased order accuracy and decreased delivery time.”
PFSweb will provide support for the Olympic apparel through distribution in Memphis, Tenn. and call centers in Plano, Texas, Memphis, Tenn. and Toronto.
“The 2002 Olympics were a success for Roots and a testimony to the flexibility and productivity of PFSweb’s business solutions,” said Mark Layton, Senior Partner and Chief Executive Officer at PFSweb. “We will take this opportunity to build upon our previous achievement and strive to attain even higher goals in order fulfillment and customer satisfaction.”