99 Cents Only Stores CEO Dave Gold to Share Formula for Success in Speech at LAAC, April 12

Business Wire, March 28, 2005

LOS ANGELES -- "Turning 99 Cents into a Billion Dollars" will be the subject of a special 90-minute presentation to be made by Dave Gold, Chairman of the Board and CEO of 99 Cents Only Stores, to be held at the Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC) on April 12. The presentation, which will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the Main Dining Room of the LAAC (431 W. Seventh Street), is being made available at no cost as a public service to the business community by the Los Angeles Chapter of SCORE. Reservations are required as seating is limited.

Gold, who in slightly more than two decades has parlayed a concept and a single store into a nearly billion-dollar publicly traded corporation with 219 stores in the West, will outline his formula for success. He will review the programs, techniques and systems he used to turn the 99 Cents Only Stores into the oldest existing single price retail chain in the United States.

SCORE is a nonprofit association of highly experienced current and retired business executives and owners who donate their time to advise and counsel individuals who own and operate small businesses or plan to start businesses. Now celebrating its 40th Anniversary, SCORE Los Angeles (www.scorela.org) is affiliated with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Each year SCORE holds approximately 150 workshops throughout Los Angeles County offering information on a variety of vital subjects relating to business start-up and operations, ranging from business plans, licensing and funding to accounting/taxes, labor and marketing/merchandising.

Based in the City of Commerce, 99 Cents Only Stores is a deep-discounted retailer of name brand consumable general merchandise which is sold at an affordable price. Among the items sold in its stores in California, Nevada, Texas and Arizona are: food and drinks, health and beauty aids and household supplies. The net sales of the company are approximately $800 million annually.

Gold, 71, conceived the idea for the concept of the "99 cent ceiling" while working in a family-owned liquor store. He observed that items that were priced with "99 cents" at the end always sold much better. In 1982, he opened his first store in Inglewood and the rest is history. He disputes the idea that the stores only appeal to low income earners, noting that the most successful store in the chain currently is located next to Beverly Hills.

To make reservations for the Gold presentation, please register online at www.scorela.org or by contacting Jenny at SCORE, by telephone at 818-552-3206, or via e-mail at 09@scorela.org. The first 300 registrations will be accepted. The deadline for registration is April 5. There will be a reduced rate for parking with validation.