Sears Canada and Scouts Across Canada Join Together to Plant Over 200,000
Trees

TORONTO, April 9 /CNW/ - Sears Canada Inc. (TSX: SCC) announced today that it has joined forces with Scouts Canada and L'Association des Scouts du Canada, to raise funds and awareness for Scoutrees, a program which involves 25,000 youth in an effort to plant approximately over 200,000 trees across Canada this year. During Sears Days, Sears biggest sale event of the year, customers can contribute in two ways. At the point of sale, customers can either round up their bill to the next dollar amount with donations going to buy trees or customers can make a donation directly to the Scouts themselves who will be in the stores.

Sears department stores across the country will host a local Scout group during Sears Days, on either Saturday, April 10 or Saturday, April 17. Customers can check with their local store for in-store promotion details in their area.

"Sears is very proud to be part of a program that has planted more than 75 million trees since its inception," said Dene Rogers, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sears Canada. "Fundraising for Scoutrees is a natural for Sears. First of all, we have been long-time supporters of Scouting as part of our community investment after-school program support. Secondly, we add Scoutrees to the growing list of activities with which Sears is involved to help improve our environment. Our customers have always been generous during in-store fundraisers and we trust this will be a successful endeavour for Scoutrees during our biggest sale event of the year."

"This is a great initiative," says Rob Stewart, Executive Commissioner and CEO for Scouts Canada, who says he's excited to be joining in this venture with Sears. "Scoutrees is only one of many Scouting activities youth can undertake to show their concern for the environment, but it's a phenomenal program. Other initiatives include activities around climate change, emergency preparedness, world conservation and assisting third world community development projects." With over 100,000 co-ed members from all provinces and territories across the country, Scouts Canada and L'Association des Scouts du Canada focus on programs that embody healthy active living and leadership in addition to programs designed to develop sound environmental ethics.

Sears is also taking significant steps in helping Canadians improve the environment through its newly launched "Live Green" program by providing products and solutions that reduce energy and save money, such as high-efficiency heating and cooling products, windows, drain-water heat recovery systems and tankless water heaters. Sears sells over $600 million of ENERGY STAR(R) major appliances and installed home products and was named 2009 and 2008 ENERGY STAR Retailer of the Year by Natural Resources Canada. Sears also has made improvements in the energy efficiency of its own buildings and was awarded the BC Hydro PowerSmart award for Outstanding Energy Efficiency Project in 2008 and won Natural Resources Canada's ecoENERGY 2007 Building Award for energy efficiency.

A tree planted in Canada absorbs between a half tonne and one tonne of carbon during its life. Planting four to five trees a year roughly offsets the carbon from a Canadian driving his or her car. Thanks to youth planting trees as part of their Scouting program and leaders volunteering their time, a donation to Scoutrees is an effective means of getting more trees planted.

Sears Canada is a multi-channel retailer with a network of 197 corporate stores, 204 dealer stores, 35 home improvement showrooms, over 1,800 catalogue merchandise pick-up locations, 108 Sears Travel offices and a nationwide home maintenance, repair, and installation network. The Company also publishes Canada's most extensive general merchandise catalogue and offers shopping online at www.sears.ca.

Scouts Canada and L'Association des Scouts du Canada are the country's leading youth organizations, offering fun and exciting programs and adventure for boys, girls and youth ages 5 to 26. Through our recreational, social, environmental, and community development programs, Scouting teaches youth about the active role they can play in helping to create a better world. Over 100,000 young people enjoy Scouting programs which are provided by close to 35,000 caring and dedicated volunteers. Scouts Canada and L'Association des Scouts due Canada are members of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) which has grown to 28 million members in 217 countries and territories.

For further information: Scouts Canada Contact for Media: Heidi Vincent, Director of Communications, Scouts Canada, [phone] ext. 271, [email protected]; L'Association des Scouts du Canada contact for Media: Lauréline Manassero, tél.: [phone] poste 14, [email protected]; Sears Canada Contact for Media: Vincent Power, Sears Canada, Corporate Communications, [phone], [email protected]