Coleman Group supplying coats for Special Olympics Canada Winter Games

The Coleman Group is rolling out the red coats for the 2016 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games. The Newfoundland-based company, which operates 11 Colemans supermarkets, four Colemans BrandSource Home Furnishings stores and three Arthur James Clothing Co. stores throughout the province, will be the exclusive outwear supplier for the event’s nearly 800 volunteers and officials. Each of the red volunteer coats will be emblazoned with the official Games logo, as well as the name of Colemans’ parent, Coleman Management Group Ltd. The clothing commitment is valued at between $42,000 and $45,000, says Colemans spokesperson Judy Bennett. The company has also pledged to provide food for certain aspects of the week-long competition (Feb. 28 to March 6), a commitment that company spokesperson Judy Bennett said could potentially push it into the $50,000 silver sponsor level. The food requirement for the Games is significant, covering opening and closing ceremonies as well as boxed lunches for volunteers, etc. “Rather than ‘We’ll do it all’ we’re reviewing our budget and will make a decision on what we are able to do,” says Bennett. The Coleman Group has a longstanding association with sporting events in the province, having been a sponsor for the 1999 Canada Winter Games; the 2006 Newfoundland and Labrador Winter Games in Humber Valley; and the 2008 Newfoundland and Labrador Summer Games in Corner Brook. Colemans employees in St. John’s and Stephenville have also competed in the Special Olympics. “We’re not strangers to the world of athletic events,” says Bennett, adding that educating the province’s youth about the importance of eating right and staying active is a key pillar of the company’s efforts in corporate social responsibility. “The whole corporate culture of Colemans has been teaching children to live a healthy lifestyle, and that’s what people think about us,” she says. Outerwear is one of the key business pillars for The Coleman Group. The company launched the Arthur James Clothing Co., named after company founder Arthur James Coleman, in the 1980s. It now consists of three stores in Corner Brook, Mount Pearl and Deer Lake.