[2] Wolverine World Wide, Inc. Announces the Merrell Performance Footwear Brand Named by Footwear News as 1999 "Athletic/Outdoor Brand of the Year".

ROCKFORD, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 7, 1999--

Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (NYSE:WWW) is proud to announce that its Merrell Performance Footwear brand has been named "Athletic/Outdoor Brand of The Year" for 1999 by Footwear News. Merrell is in its second full year as a part of Wolverine's stable of brands.

"Merrell has exceeded our expectations by every measure since we acquired the business," stated Geof Bloom, chairman and CEO of Wolverine World Wide. "Merrell is a best-in-class brand for outdoor performance footwear and is now positioned to become a major global footwear brand."

"We have a super team in place, and a great group of customers to whom we owe many thanks," said Jacques Lavertue, Vice President and General Manager of the Merrell brand. "In combination with Wolverine World Wide resources, the brand has hit its stride. Consumers enjoy our products because they are performance based. In the last two years, we have been able to extend our offering beyond the trail, the slope, the ridge, etc. to handle more of the enthusiast's everyday needs, while continuing to provide the features that have proven successful in our more technical offerings."

"I have been in the footwear business for 30 years and cannot remember a more exciting product line-up in our family of brands," said Tim O'Donovan, President and COO of Wolverine. "The people in Merrell are the genuine article and live the active lifestyle that the Merrell brand represents. The footwear reflects their experiences and needs for product that works."

"Our vision for Merrell," states Lavertue, "is to be a global reference for performance outdoor footwear and a reference in active lifestyle footwear. While we always seek ways to make our footwear more visually appealing, the bottom line is that whatever we bring to market must work for its intended use, be it hiking, trail running or simply traveling across the world to catch an Australian sunset. This is our commitment to the consumer and retailer alike and the essence of the Merrell brand."

Wolverine World Wide, Inc. manufactures and markets a wide variety of branded footwear and performance leathers. Major branded products of the Company include: Bates(R) Uniform Footwear; Caterpillar(R) Footwear; Coleman(R) Footgear; Harley-Davidson(R) Footwear; Hush Puppies(R) shoes, slippers, and accessories; Hush Puppies(R) Homeware(TM) slippers; Hy-Test(R) occupational and safety footwear; Merrell(R) performance outdoor footwear; Wolverine work, sport and rugged outdoor footwear, apparel and accessories; and Wolverine(R) All Season Weather Leathers(TM). The Company's premier comfort technologies include: Caterpillar(R) C3; Hush Puppies(R) HPO2(R), Air Paradise HPO2(R), Bounce(R) and Comfort Curve(R); Wolverine DuraShocks(R) SR comfort technology, Wolverine Fusion(TM) and Zero-G(TM). Wolverine World Wide, Inc. can be found on the internet at www.wolverineworldwide.com