Borders Books and Music to Open Store in Brighton, Mich

Business Wire, August 27, 2002

Business Editors

ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 27, 2002

Borders Books and Music(R) will open a 23,000-square-foot store in Brighton, Mich., this November. The store will be located in the Brighton Towne Square at Grand River Avenue and I-96, a site that is central to commercial development in the city.

Borders will offer Brighton residents a comfortable place to explore over 200,000 book, music, DVD and periodical titles, as well as the opportunity to experience cutting-edge service technology backed by a knowledgeable staff with a commitment to the community.

"Borders appreciates the value of becoming a part of the community," said Amy Beth Edwards, district manager for the new Brighton location. "Our stores host free events such as lectures, author signings, musical performances, children's activities and `Benefit Days' that support local charities. The store will also have a dedicated corporate sales representative to address the needs of schools, libraries, hospitals and businesses in the area."

Borders selected the Brighton location based on a variety of factors including demographics, traffic patterns, the availability of parking, and the attractiveness of the site.

As a retailer, Borders is unique in tailoring its title base to respond to the interests of the customers who shop each store location. Just 50 percent of Borders' title base is common to all stores, while the other half is customized to the location by experienced buyers using the company's sophisticated computerized inventory system.

In addition to offering books, music and movies, Borders invites shoppers to unwind at Cafe Borders. In the Brighton store, customers of the cafe can choose from a variety of gourmet coffees, teas and beverages and enjoy desserts and light lunch items.

"Brighton is a satellite community close in proximity to Detroit, Ann Arbor and Lansing that has seen enormous residential growth in the past few years," said Edwards. "People will come to our new store to read, meet with friends, study or just sip a cup of coffee while reading the newspaper. Borders will be a welcome addition to the community."

Borders Group, Inc., (NYSE: BGP) is a leading global retailer of books, music, video and other information and entertainment items with stores in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. A FORTUNE 500 company headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., Borders Group employs 32,000 worldwide and operates over 375 Borders domestic superstores, 23 international Borders stores, 36 Books etc. locations and approximately 810 Waldenbooks stores. Teamed with Amazon.com, the company also offers online shopping through Borders.com (www.borders.com).

More detailed information for journalists is available at www.bgimediacenter.com. Financial data is hosted on www.bordersgroupinc.com and information on Borders stores is available through www.bordersstores.com.