Press Releases

Staples Partners with Creative Channel Services to Develop Online Employee Training & Development Solution

Retailer Launches eLearning and Training Development Program for Nationwide Network of Thousands of Sales Associates.

CULVER CITY, CA – November 1, 2002 – Staples, Inc., innovator of the office superstore concept and the largest office superstore retailer, has announced a strategic partnership with Creative Channel Services (CCS), the leading provider of sales training and product education programs for the retail channel, to create and implement a comprehensive online product training and awareness program to be delivered in-store to Staples' nationwide team of thousands sales associates.

"With our continued focus on sales growth, improved margins and increased asset productivity, Staples is dedicated to helping our associates sell products that meet our customers' needs," Said Nancy Persson, Staples' Vice President, Organization Development, Training & Communications. "With CyberScholar®.com, CCS has helped to create a quality, consistent platform for tens of thousands of associates to access a rich learning environment with critical how-to-sell training, information and resources at each of our over 1,000 U.S. store locations."

Designed to create greater productivity and job satisfaction through focused sales and customer service skills training, the program's content effectively combines CCS' training materials in several product categories with Staples' own exclusive "LMA" (Learn More About) modules. Accessed in-store through Staples' exclusive intranet system, the program is delivered via CCS' CyberScholar Learning Management System, offering comprehensive product, category and manufacturer training courses to all Staples associates at nationwide retail locations.

In addition to category and certification training, the Staples Online Product Knowledge Training initiative through CyberScholar will feature training from Staples' manufacturers, who will, in turn, have the opportunity to directly target Staples' nationwide sales associates with their product training and awareness campaigns.

"We were proud to partner with Staples in its goal of creating a more knowledgeable sales force," said Andy Restivo, CCS' Senior Vice President of Business Development. "The strategic partnership provides Staples with a powerful eLearning solution for administration, delivery and tracking of all internal knowledge management initiatives, while also maximizing timely training of leading product manufacturers in key categories."

About Staples, Inc.
Staples, Inc. is an $11 billion retailer of office supplies, business services, furniture and technology to consumers and businesses from home-based businesses to Fortune 500 companies in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal. Headquartered outside Boston, Staples invented the office superstore concept and today is the largest operator of office superstores in the world. The company has approximately 53,000 associates serving customers through more than 1,400 office superstores, mail order catalogs, e-commerce and a contract business. More information about the company is available at http://www.staples.com.

About Creative Channel Services, LLC
Creative Channel Services (CCS) is a leading retail marketing agency focused on helping manufacturers and retailers improve sales performance by creating influence at the point of sale. CCS' integrated solutions include field sales & marketing, training development, interactive services and promotional marketing, with a primary focus on creating brand advocacy through retail sales associates. Established in 1995 and headquartered in Culver City, California, CCS is a part of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), a leading global advertising, marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

For more information, contact:

Mark Boeder, Director of Marketing
Creative Channel Services
310-665-9900, ext. 345
Email Mark Boeder