Contact: Marie Casey or Steve Houston at Casey Communications, Inc., 314/962-0944, or Dee Wetzel at Schnuck Markets, Inc., 314/994-4608.

October 13, 1998

Schnuck Markets, Inc. Honored as One of the Nation's Top Five Supermarket Video Rental Operations

ST. LOUIS -- Schnuck Markets, Inc. now ranks as one of the nation's top five supermarket video rental operations, according to Supermarket News, a national retail trade weekly. Supermarket News recently honored the St. Louis-based supermarket chain as the fourth largest supermarket video rental operation in the country, based on revenues, merchandising aggressiveness and creativity.

"Schnucks has been a longstanding leader in home video sales and rentals," said Dan Alaimo, video editor for Supermarket News. "Schnucks is one of the pioneers in DVD rentals and is constantly on the cutting edge of the video business. It's just one reason why Schnucks is a leader in all aspects of the supermarket business."

"We try to make our video stores more than just a place to rent videos," said Denis Oldani, director of video operations for Schnucks. "Our goal is to fill all of our customers' entertainment needs with such options as video games, DVD video and laser discs while also serving as a major ticket outlet for local entertainment events."

Alaimo said Schnucks was one of the first retailers to offer DVD videos for rent. "When Warner Brothers first came out with DVD videos back in 1997, it originally intended to offer them only for sale," said Oldani. "We saw a greater potential in rentals, so we purchased DVD videos from stores in one of the test markets and offered them to our customers for rent. A year later, others are following our lead."

"At Schnucks, we pride ourselves on anticipating and meeting our customer needs," Oldani added. "For example, we stay on top of the newest video game formats, but we still offer formats for machines that are no longer in production."

Schnucks offers videos for sale and rental at 73 of its 89 stores in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. The family-owned company was founded in St. Louis in 1939.