- 'Tested for Life in Canada' program launches with regional 'Test Lab' 1,000 windshield wiper drop -

TORONTO, March 20, 2015 /CNW/ - Spring is finally here, and to celebrate the end of winter weather while looking ahead to warmer days, Canadian Tire has a surprise in store for the residents of Terrace, British Columbia.

This morning, to mark the launch of Canadian Tire's first regional "Test Lab" in Terrace – traditionally one of the rainiest cities in Canada – 1,000 residents awoke to find Bosch Icon Wiper Blades outside their homes, along with a challenge to test the product for one month and share their feedback.

This springtime surprise is just the first phase of Canadian Tire's recent launch of its ground-breaking 'Tested for Life in Canada' program, a national platform designed to provide customers with the country's best and most relevant products capable of withstanding life in Canada.

The program encompasses one of Canada's largest focus groups – 15,000 Canadians – who have been specially enlisted to test, experience, and provide candid feedback on key Canadian Tire products. Only the top rated products will receive the 'Tested for Life in Canada' badge, authenticating their ability to help Canadians tackle the jobs and joys of life in Canada.

"Tested for Life in Canada is about making good on our commitment to all Canadians: that Canadian Tire provides the best and toughest products and services designed for life in Canada," said TJ Flood, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Canadian Tire Retail.  "We want to reinvigorate and maintain a dialogue with our customers, while enhancing our understanding of what's happening in local markets across the country, and increasing the relevancy of the products we offer. Calling on residents in one of Canada's rainiest cities to test our wiper blades speaks to the heart of our mandate, and is just one more step towards ensuring all of our products can handle the most challenging conditions we can find."

'Tested' relies on feedback from customers from coast-to-coast, underscoring the program's promise – Tested by Canadians for Canadians.  Selected products are sent to 10 members of the 15,000 person testing panel where products are tested in a normal home use situation, addressing criteria such as durability, set-up, ease-of-use and overall functionality.

Once the product has been put through its paces, testers assign it a star rating out of five. Products that receive 4.5 stars or above receive the "Tested for Life in Canada badge," while those that receive lower scores, do not. After testing, feedback is shared with the buyer and the product vendor, providing an opportunity to improve or enhance product features and selection as required.

"I rely heavily on reviews when doing my research in advance of making purchase decisions but find there is never enough depth or visuals," Eric St-Jean, Tested Panel Member, Quebec.  "When Canadian Tire put out a call for 'Testers' via their digital flyer, I knew I had to be a part of the panel to help out my fellow consumers – since starting, I've tested products ranging from drill bits to pruners to a Panini press." 

The Terrace 'Test Lab' is one of five regionally targeted tests set to be established over the next year. Additionally, the program has a strong presence in the company's marketing activities including television ads, Canadian Tire's flyer, in-store video, digital media, priority ranking in online search, and other online features.

To date, more than 120 products have received the 'Tested' badge, with an additional 300 products scheduled to be tested by Canadians this year. For more information on Tested for Life in Canada, please visit www.canadiantire.ca/tested, or click here for b-roll, sound bites and images.

About Canadian Tire Corporation

Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited, (TSX:CTC.A) (TSX:CTC) or "CTC," is a family of businesses that includes a retail segment, a financial services division and CT REIT. Our retail business is led by Canadian Tire, which was founded in 1922 and provides Canadians with products for life in Canada across its Living, Playing, Fixing, Automotive and Seasonal categories. PartSource and Gas+ are key parts of the Canadian Tire network. The retail segment also includes Mark's, a leading source for casual and industrial wear, and FGL Sports (Sport Chek, Hockey Experts, Sports Experts, National Sports, Intersport, Pro Hockey Life and Atmosphere), which offers the best active wear brands. The nearly 1,700 retail and gasoline outlets are supported and strengthened by our Financial Services division and the tens of thousands of people employed across the Company. For more information, visit Corp.CanadianTire.ca.

SOURCE CANADIAN TIRE CORPORATION, LIMITED