Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., has named The Coleman Company, Inc. as its choice for the 2005 sporting goods supplier of the year. Wal-Mart, operating more than 3,800 facilities in the U.S., annually names its top performers by category, sporting goods being one of the largest.

Wal-Mart’s coveted sporting goods supplier of the year award criteria include year-to-year sales increases, superior inventory control, enhanced partnership efforts, year-to-year net margin increase, new product development and exemplary special task force efforts among others. Coleman has a long history with Wal-Mart, having been one of its suppliers almost since the chain’s founding. Coleman last won the Wal-Mart sporting goods supplier of the year award in 1999.

The news of Coleman’s achievement at Wal-Mart was greeted with pride at the company’s headquarters in Wichita.

“Our mandate is to be the best possible partner to all our customers,” said Coleman President and CEO Gary A. Kiedaisch. “We work hard to provide the best product, at the best price and deliver it on time, every time, regardless of how big or how small our customer might be. It is gratifying that Wal-Mart recognized us for doing that job well enough to be named its top sporting goods supplier for 2005. Our entire team should be congratulated for a job well done.”

The management team at Wal-Mart was also proud of Coleman’s performance. “The Sporting Goods Supplier of the Year Award says a lot about a company and its products. As a company, Wal-Mart is adamant about innovation, quality, price and profit. These variables are central to our choice of the suppliers of the year in all categories. Coleman's true team effort in 2005 on all counts made them a clear winner. We're pleased to have the company and its products as part of our offering to customers across the country.”