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A Toronto furniture store has rewarded a loyal customer with a prominent place in its marketing materials.

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A Mr. Robert Bruce Ford, a lifelong resident of Etobicoke and a football enthusiast, appears in newspaper ads running in the Toronto Star this week for the Bad Boys furniture chain, founded by former Toronto mayor Mel Lastman and known for claiming that “noooobody” can beat its prices.

An ad that ran in the newspaper Wednesday shows Mr. Ford, currently undergoing treatment for an aggressive form of cancer, reclining in a leather sofa and posing with staff.

“He came into the store, he bought something,” Bad Boy CEO Blayne Lastman told Metro.

He added that Mr. Ford “negotiated a great deal.”

When a manager asked Mr. Ford if he wanted to be featured in an ad, he readily agreed, apparently indifferent to the fact that Bad Boy’s logo is of a convict wearing prison stripes. Perhaps he was simply flattered for the exposure.