Sports Specialists Limited (SSL), the specialty buying group for the
snow sports, action sports, bike, outdoor and casual outdoor furniture
industries, will be attending Interbike 2007.  The group will be
looking for new retailers in the bike industry to join its buying
group, as well as new vendors to participate as partners.  SSL
currently represents a collective bargaining clout of over $300 million
from 55 unique retailers with more than 150 storefronts across North
America.  To this end, SSL also recently joined the National
Bicycle Dealers Association.

“SSL has strong relationships with numerous cross-industry suppliers
including Easton Bell/Giro, Descente, Smith, Under Armour, Bolle,
Carrera, Swix Sport (Pedro’s) and Scott,” commented Steve Rogers, SSL
president and CEO.  “We already have 18 storefronts currently in
the bike business, so we have an advantageous head start in this
market.”

According to the National Bicycle Dealers Association, in 2006 there
were 4,600 specialty bike retailers representing 49% of the $5.8
billion (and growing) U.S. bike industry. Approximately 14% of those
stores already carry snow sports merchandise.

In other SSL news, the buying group recently became a 100% carbon free
corporation through its partnership with Carbonfund.org.  In June
2007, SSL unveiled its environmental impact reduction strategy, which
includes taking immediate conservation steps to reduce corporate office
energy consumption; offsetting annual carbon emissions through a
partnership with Carbonfund.org; and counterbalancing all corporate
energy usage, including air and ground transportation emissions,
through the purchase of renewable energy credits.