[2] PC Connection Acquires Merisel Call Center Operation in Marlborough, Mass.

Business/Technology Editors

MERRIMACK, N.H. and EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 4, 2000

PC Connection, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCCC), a leading direct marketer of business computing solutions, and Merisel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MSEL), a leading full-line distributor of technology products, today announced an agreement that complements the strategic directions of both companies. Under the agreement, PC Connection will acquire Merisel's Marlborough, Mass.-based call center and offer employment opportunities to more than 100 of Merisel's highly trained telesales account managers and support staff to join PC Connection's corporate outbound sales organization. The acquisition supports PC Connection's initiative to add infrastructure for continued growth. In addition, the agreement supports Merisel's current focus on increasing efficiencies and lowering operating costs, and is expected to generate annual savings for the company of approximately $2 million before transition costs. This transaction does not impact the Merisel Open Computing Alliance(R) (MOCA(TM)), which will maintain its operations in Marlborough, Mass.

The 42,000 square-foot facility contains a fully equipped call center that is configured for approximately 250 workstations. PC Connection's plans for the new call center include the recruitment of additional corporate telesales account managers over the next 12 to 18 months.

Wayne Wilson, President and Chief Operating Officer of PC Connection said, "The acquisition of a Massachusetts-based call center provides an excellent platform for the continued expansion of PC Connection's corporate outbound telesales group. Today, our corporate outbound telesales organization is the key driver of our rapid growth and generates more than 65 percent of the company's total net sales." Wilson added, "This new facility with its well-organized physical infrastructure already in place offers an ideal location from which to recruit the kind of talented sales professionals we seek."

"We're pleased to have come to an agreement that creates a win-win situation for everyone," said Merisel Chairman and CEO Dwight Steffensen. "It gives us the ability to streamline our business and maximize efficiencies while providing associates in our Marlborough facility with excellent career opportunities with a successful and growing company like PC Connection."

About PC Connection

PC Connection, Inc. is a leading direct marketer of business computing solutions. The company offers over 100,000 brand-name products through its staff of technically trained corporate account managers and catalog telesales representatives, its comprehensive web sites at www.pcconnection.com and www.macconnection.com, and its catalogs, PC Connection (1-800-800-5555) and MacConnection (1-800-800-2222). Through its full-service Distribution and Custom-Configuration Center, PC Connection can deliver custom-configured computer systems overnight. PC Connection is repeatedly recognized as one of the top 50 companies doing business on the Internet. In recognition of its role as a critical link between manufacturers of computer products and end users of these products, PC Connection was the only computer reseller on the 1999 list of the "Top 100 Technology Companies that are Changing the World" which appeared in PC Magazine. In addition, PC Connection has won PC World magazine's prestigious "World Class Award" eight times over the past ten years, including 1999. PC Connection, Inc. reported net sales of $292 million for the third quarter of 1999 and $739 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999.

About Merisel

Merisel, Inc. is a leading full-line distributor of technology products to resellers throughout North America. The Fortune 500 company supports the growth of its partners with extensive business-development and educational services, expert technical support, flexible financing options, certified configuration services and progressive e-business solutions. Merisel also offers dedicated support to enterprise resellers through the Merisel Open Computing Alliance(R) (MOCA(TM)). For the 12 months ending December 31, 1999, the El Segundo, Calif.-based company expects to generate sales of $5.2 billion. Visit Merisel at www.merisel.com.

"Safe Harbor" Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the impact of competitive products and pricing, product demand and market acceptance, new products, fluctuations in operating results and other risks detailed in both Companies' 1998 Forms 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the year ended December 31, 1998.