TORONTO, Oct. 1 /CNW/ -- At an event held earlier today, 13 Canadian Tire stores across Canada were awarded Marketing and Merchandising Awards for high achievements important to successful retailing. The award categories included Most Impactful Merchandising, Best Auto Centre, Best Summer and Seasonal Merchandising, Best Store Opening, Best Traditional Small Store, Best Local Event Marketing and Best Christmas Set-Up.

"The Marketing and Merchandising Awards demonstrate Canadian Tire's commitment to strive to always be the best, not only for ourselves but also for our customers," says Glenn Butt, senior vice president, Store Support and Operations. "The awards are a way to share best practices and for the opportunity to be recognized amongst peers."

2009 Canadian Tire Marketing and Merchandising Awards:

Most Impactful Merchandising

Peter Oliver: Toronto, Ontario

Peter and his team demonstrate a strong commitment to having products in-stock, along with innovative displays and boutique areas, such as a bike and pet boutique, to meet the needs of his customer demographic.

Daniel Legare: St. Leonard, Quebec

Achieving customer satisfaction based on customer demand is the secret to Daniel's success, as well as providing customers with a clean and clutter-fee environment to make their shopping experience as convenient as possible.

Best Auto Centre

Ross Saito: Cambie, British Columbia

In addition to a focus on having state-of-the-art equipment and training to provide his customers with best-in-class service, walking into Ross's auto centre is like no other. With granite countertops, plasma televisions and comfortable furniture, the waiting room is designed to make the customer waiting experience pleasant and relaxing.

Brian Stefan: Williams Lake, British Columbia

Strong leadership and a fully-staffed Auto Centre are ingredients that Brian and his staff believe continue to bring customers back time and time again.

Best Summer Seasonal Merchandising

Stephan Laurion: Leduc, Quebec

The spacious and well-cared for garden centre at Stephan's store provides customers with a wide breadth of plants and flowers that customers can feel proud about displaying in their homes and gardens.

Patrick Higgins: Uxbridge, Ontario

Customers at this garden centre have said they continually revisit to add-on to their existing garden because of the selection, quality and the great group of hardworking staff.

Best Store Opening

Kevin Smith: Cochrane, Ontario

To celebrate the grand opening of his store Kevin and his staff used local advertising to invite the entire community to experience the new store.