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Strategies & Market Trends : Vermont Tedddy Bear --- BEAR --- up 200% or so -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bill Ounce who wrote (168)	9/14/1999 11:19:00 AM
From: Mary Cluney	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 183

Bill,>>>Not much volume, not any real news. Wonder if this 3 1/4 to 5 stuff is just a random walk...<<< The turn around is for real. Elizabeth B. Robert the new CEO is doing a terrific job. I'm looking for a good earnings report. The company is now cash positive and poised to grow using the Internet as an important marketing and sales tool. biz.yahoo.com The Vermont Teddy Bear Company(R) and Zany Brainy(R) Sign Exclusive Agreement To Roll Out Bear Making Facilities Nationwide SHELBURNE, Vt., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The Vermont Teddy Bear Company© (Nasdaq: BEAR - news) the nation's largest teddy bear maker, and Zany Brainy© (Nasdaq: ZANY - news),the multi-media educational super toy store, today announced an agreement to install the Make-A-Friend For Life© program in eleven* Zany Brainy stores by October, with plans to roll it out nationally over the next five years. In the contract, Zany Brainy holds worldwide exclusive rights to the Make- A-Friend-For-Life program, and The Vermont Teddy Bear Company is the exclusive supplier equipping each Zany Brainy store with the Huffin' Puffin'a stuffing machine and everything needed for on-site teddy bear manufacturing including unstuffed teddy bears, outfits, and accessories. ``This partnership brings out the best in both companies,' said Vermont Teddy Bear Company CEO, Elisabeth Robert. Teddy bears are our specialty and running a creative interactive toy store is Zany Brainy's. Together, our two well recognized companies can develop the make-your-own teddy bear concept into a national phenomenon.`` The two companies initially tested a satellite Make-A-Friend-For-Life installation in the Zany Brainy store in Marlton, NJ. Steady sales and positive customer feedback over the past ten months led to the decision to expand the program nationally. ``This program is just the latest example of how Zany Brainy differentiates itself from the competition,' said Zany Brainy President Tom Vellios. ``It positions us as the ultimate destination store for toys.' The Make-A-Friend-For-Life program is an interactive activity that emulates the teddy bear manufacturing process at the Vermont Teddy Bear Company's northern Vermont factory. Customers participate in the making of a teddy bear by selecting a ``fat free' bear, stuffing it and giving it a felt heart, and then sewing the bear with the help of a staffmember. Each bear is groomed, dressed and accessorized to suit individual preferences. As the last thread is clipped, ``certified officials' oversee the recording of the bear's birth time on a birth certificate and administer the Teddy Bear Oatha. It takes about twenty minutes to make and dress a bear. Depending on size, teddy bear prices range from $14.99 to $24.99. Outfits and accessories are also available. ``Make-A-Friend-For-Life transcends product on shelves,' said Tom Clark, Corporate Sales Director for The Vermont Teddy Bear Company. ``It is a destination where a family might plan to spend part of their Sunday afternoon. The experience educates and entertains, and the teddy bear becomes a treasured keepsake of the day.' The Vermont Teddy Bear Company Make-A-Friend-For-Life program began in 1996 to add value to the Company's popular tour and to compliment the Company's core business the Bear-Gram gift delivery service. A Bear-Gram gift features a customized teddy bear, personalized greeting card, and candy treat that is packaged and shipped in a colorful gift box. The Vermont Teddy Bear Company makes more than 250,000 handcrafted teddy bears annually out of its Shelburne, Vermont factory. The Vermont Teddy Bear Company's products are only available in its factory store, through its Bear-Gram© delivery service or at the Zany Brainy stores listed below. Zany Brainy, Inc. is a leading and rapidly growing specialty retailer of high quality toys, games, books and multimedia products for youngsters up to age 12. The Company's distinctive merchandise selection, superior customer service, and daily special events, ensure an exciting and rewarding shopping experience for customers of all ages. Currently, there are 98 Zany Brainy stores in 26 states. The eleven Zany Brainy stores to add permanent Make-a-Friend-For-Life installations include: Wynnewood, PA; Newport Beach, CA; Thousand Oaks, CA; Rockville, MD; Wayne, NJ; Northbook, IL; Edina, MN; Birmingham, AL; Durham, NC; Alphretta, GA ; Marlton, NJ