The Council On Retail Excellence (C.O.R.E.), in association with DEMA, is pleased to announce the 2006 winners of the "Excellence in Retailing" Awards. The following ten (10) retailers were evaluated using criteria developed by the CORE group, and selected to be honored with this prestigious award.

Winning stores were evaluated by field representatives from major diving certification organizations and by field representatives of world renowned scuba equipment manufacturers with which they are affiliated. Evaluations were then submitted to a Third Party Administrator (TPA) who tallied the evaluation scores independently of participating companies.

Field representatives used criteria established through C.O.R.E. and DEMA with evaluators being asked to rate a variety of key areas including how well stores serve their local market; the appearance of outside and inside of store; cleanliness; personnel; inventory/product selection and display; and services offered including dive training and social activities, rental and repair. A score from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) was given for each category. Winners of the "Excellence in Retailing" Awards were each outstanding in their own way, with each exemplifying a standard to which other retailers in the scuba diving industry should strive.

The 2006 "Excellence in Retailing" Awards will be presented during the DEMA Awards Party at DEMA Show 2006. The Party will take place on November 10, 2006 at 7:30 p.m. at the Hard Rock-Orlando Coliseum in Orlando, Florida.

C.O.R.E., which was founded by major diving equipment manufacturers and training organizations, operates in association with DEMA and is dedicated to the improvement of the diving industry.

C.O.R.E. is dedicated to the belief that the diving industry can be most successful by functioning in a coordinated effort with one common purpose: To create a seamless and rewarding experience for the new diving customer, which in turn would lead to satisfied customers who buy products and services and continue to dive throughout their lifetimes. Participation in C.O.R.E. is by invitation and is open to manufacturers who take part in the DEMA Manufacturing and Economic Business Index (MEBI) and certification organizations that participate in the DEMA Certification Census. There is no membership fee to participate in C.O.R.E.

More information on C.O.R.E. and the winners of the "Excellence in Retailing" Awards can be found at http://www.dema.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=353. For more information on DEMA visit www.dema.org.