INFORMATION OVERVIEW FOR PROSPECTIVE SUPPLIERS

Company Overview

Images of Canada is a Canadian, privately-owned company with our head office located in Edmonton, Alberta comprising all Customer Service, Warehousing, Order Fulfillment and administrative functions of the company. We are the leading mail order giftware and clothing catalogue business in Canada, selling products to a predominantly over-50, educated, female clientele by phone, fax, mail and the Internet. Images of Canada has been in Canada since 1995. In August 1995, the company published its first mail order catalogue under the title Images of Canada: Quality Gifts Reflecting Canadian Creativity.

The Images of Canada catalogue is neither an advertising only vehicle nor a consignment operation. The company selects giftware, clothing and home décor items based on excellence of design, quality of craftsmanship, supplier reputation and lasting appeal. Products are sourced largely from individual artisans and small businesses across Canada and are purchased by us, warehoused in Edmonton and shipped to customers on receipt and payment of orders. Products are sourced primarily at industry trade shows and from samples submitted by prospective suppliers. Virtually all products are Canadian designed and manufactured; and a very small proportion is produced overseas under license to Canadian vendors.

The growth prospects and future profitability of IOC's business is based on established relationships with reliable product suppliers, a high quality customer list, and a strong Order Fulfillment capability. In recent years, the company's brand name has becoming increasingly popular, synonymous with quality products, excellent service and support for Canadian artisans and small businesses.

Company Operations

Our group of roughly 300 currently active suppliers includes small and large clothing producers, individual jewelry makers, glassblowers and woodworkers, a small number of museum reproduction programs, as well as Canadian publishers of books, CDs and images. The performance of each product and each supplier is evaluated at the end of each season to determine which products should return in subsequent seasons.

In a first season, suppliers are generally represented by one product. If the first season is successful, additional products may be added from the new supplier in subsequent editions. Each supplier is evaluated on the profitability of their company's performance and this includes sales, shipping costs, returns & exchanges, damages and ability to move inventory at the end of the season. Established suppliers are encouraged to keep us informed of new products and to submit these for consideration.

Becoming an Images of Canada Supplier

We select new products bi-annually. We are presently searching for new products for our 2008 Fall/Holiday issues. You may, of course, submit samples for consideration at any time. Please bear in mind, however, that we will not review product again until we begin selection in late April and early May.

Unless we have requested specific items, you will need to prepare a submission of a few items (please, no more than 4 items; 2 or 3 are fine). Before you decide what to submit, please review at least one recent catalogue to learn what price points and what types of merchandise we select. If you need a catalogue, please fax your request to the 1-780-628-4166 or check us out online at www.imagesofcanada.com. We will contact you by phone, fax or e-mail when/if we select one of your products. If you have questions at any time, please fax (1-780-628-4166) or e-mail (iocconfirm@gmail.com) them to the addresses above and mark them attn: Sample Room. Samples selected for the 2007 catalogues will be forwarded to our photographer. Please keep a record of what you have sent us as we do not return selected samples; they are necessary throughout the catalogue production process to ensure good quality photos and copy.

You should charge samples sent to us to your promotional expenses; please do not invoice us for samples unless you have received authorization. Samples that are not selected and are not under active consideration for a future season may be returned to you after the selection process is complete, but we cannot undertake to return samples within any given period (e.g. 30 days). If it is important that a sample be returned by a specific date - for a trade show, for example - please fax or email us as shown above.

Each season, we select new products, set some products aside for possible inclusion in a future issue, and return others. Please be assured that we treat all samples with care. If you discontinue an item you have sampled to us, please notify us in writing by fax or e-mail.

Samples can be sent to:
Images of Canada
4140B Sladeview Cres. Unit 8
Mississauga, Ontario
L5L 6A1


SAMPLE SUBMISSION DEADLINES