A $7.5 million investment for The Jean Coutu Group.

LONGUEUIL, Quebec--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 26, 1997--The executive of The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) Inc. (ME,TSE:PJC.A) today inaugurated the new phase of its distribution center, located opposite its head office in the Longueuil industrial park.

Built and laid out at a cost of $7.5 million, this new phase has created 40 new jobs and has been in operation for several weeks.

At the inauguration, the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer, Jean Coutu, commented: "Our customers and franchisees are those who will benefit most from this expansion. From now on, they can centralize their purchases, send an order one day and receive their merchandise the next, depending on the region they are located in, and in the process, they can control their inventory more efficiently. This new phase of the distribution center is one of the many means we are adopting to provide our clientele with an exceptional quality-price ratio."

Covering a surface area of 150,000 square feet, among other features the new phase of the distribution center includes a 40- door loading dock to facilitate just-in-time entry and exit of specific merchandise, limiting handling and cutting down on storing and transportation costs. With 12,000 different items totaling an inventory of more than $65 million and the entry and exit of some 60,000 cases per day, the Jean Coutu Group distribution center, covering a total surface area of 400 000 square feet, is one of the largest of its kind in Canada.

The Jean Coutu Group, which employs close to 10,000 workers throughout its 240 franchised outlets, including 207 in Quebec, 15 in New Brunswick and 18 in Ontario, operates as a franchiser the second largest retail sales chain in its sector of activity in Canada and the ninth largest in North America. It is also the owner and operator of 239 Brooks Pharmacy outlets in five New England states.

CONTACT: The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) Inc.

Mylene Godin, 514/ 646-9611, Extension 307