Bass Pro Shops Partners With GE For New Consumer Credit Card; New Card Program to Be Unveiled in Dallas/Ft. Worth Store at 'Ultimate Outdoor Expo' This Weekend

Business Wire, May 25, 2005

DAYTON, Ohio -- Bass Pro Shops, North America's Great Outdoor Store, will introduce a new consumer credit card in cooperation with GE Consumer Finance's Retail Sales Finance unit. The new card will debut this weekend at the "Ultimate Outdoor Expo" at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Grapevine, Texas.

The Bass Pro Shops card will initially launch this weekend at three locations, including Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Bossier City, Louisiana. A nationwide rollout is planned in August. Bass Pro Shops is the first national outdoor retailer to offer a private label credit card.

"The Bass Pro Shops card will provide several important benefits to our customers," explained Stan Lippleman, vice president of marketing for Bass Pro Shops. "It's a great way to extend their buying power without tying up other credit cards."

Lippleman noted that customers with the Bass Pro Shops card will have access to exclusive promotions and incentives. Later this summer, customers may use the card at any of the 27 Bass Pro Shops locations nationwide, or to purchase Bass Pro Shops items on-line at www.basspro.com or from the company's extensive catalog sales department by calling 1-800 BASSPRO.

"Bass Pro Shops is already a well-recognized brand with outdoor enthusiasts. The new Bass Pro Shops card will only strengthen their brand awareness," said Glenn Marino, president and CEO of the Retail Sales Finance division of GE Consumer Finance. "We are honored they chose us for their consumer credit program."

The Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World store in Grapevine will launch the new credit card on Saturday, May 28, as part of the "Ultimate Outdoor Expo," a four-day consumer event that will attract thousands of outdoor enthusiasts. A number of special guests and activities are scheduled. Special product and prize giveaways and entertainment will also be part of the festivities.

About Bass Pro Shops

Bass Pro Shops, also a major catalog and Internet retailer, is headquartered in Springfield, Missouri. They currently operate 27 destination retail locations attracting over 75 million customers in 17 states and Canada. Three of their stores are the #1 tourist attractions in the states they are located with several others in the top 5 attractions of their state.

About Retail Sales Finance and GE Consumer Finance

Retail Sales Finance, based in Kettering, Ohio, is part of GE Consumer Finance and provides private label credit card programs, marketing, installment lending and financial services for national and regional retailers in key industries: home improvement, powersports, outdoor equipment, automotive/recreational vehicles, consumer electronics and appliances, furniture, floor covering, jewelry and health care. With $150 billion in assets, GE Consumer Finance, a unit of General Electric Company, is a leading provider of credit services to consumers, retailers and auto dealers in 41 countries around the world. GE Consumer Finance, based in Stamford, Conn. (USA), offers a range of financial products, including private label credit cards, personal loans, bank cards, auto loans and leases, mortgages, corporate travel and purchasing cards, debt consolidation and home equity loans and credit insurance. More information can be found online at www.geconsumerfinance.com. GE (NYSE: GE) is Imagination at Work - a diversified technology, media and financial services company focused on solving some of the world's toughest problems. With products and services ranging from aircraft engines, power generation, water processing and security technology to medical imaging, business and consumer financing, media content and advanced materials, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.

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