ARI Adds to Its World Marketing, Support Network; Pact with Australian Firm Strengthens ARI's International Sales, Service Strategy.

MILWAUKEE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 10, 1999--

ARI Network Services, Inc. (NASDAQ/NMS:ARIS), a leading provider of Internet-enabled e-commerce services for distribution and service networks, expanded its international marketing and product support strategy with the naming of Briggs & Stratton Australia (BSA) of Victoria, Australia, as a value added sales and service agent for ARI dealer communications and electronic publishing software in Australia and New Zealand.

Briggs & Stratton Australia, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Briggs & Stratton Corporation, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a leading distributor of lawn, garden and agricultural equipment in Australia and New Zealand. BSA has 1,400 retail dealers throughout the two countries. The firm will be responsible for the sale as well as first and second level support of ARI's line of dealer communications and electronic catalog creation and viewing software for dealers and distributors in both countries.

"We are really pleased to develop this partnership with ARI because we have extensive experience in using ARI's products and we know first-hand how it has made our dealer network more efficient," said Peter Henery, managing director of BSA. "The Australian/New Zealand power equipment industry is already a significant user of ARI e-commerce products. Nearly 500 retailers are already transmitting electronic orders to nine major industry suppliers. BSA itself receives around 1,800 electronic orders per month, approximately 30% of all incoming orders. And the majority of these retailers and suppliers also use ARI's electronic catalogs."

Brian E. Dearing, chairman and chief executive officer of ARI, said that BSA is a valuable partner in assisting ARI in its efforts to provide sales and support of ARI products in that part of the world. "BSA has hands-on experience with ARI products and services ," Dearing said. "This relationship helps us both to develop new business in an area where electronic catalogs and e-commerce hold many benefits for the manufactured equipment markets."

Dearing indicated that value added sales and service agents like BSA will enable ARI to better serve the expanded international customer base that ARI gained through its acquisition of POWERCOM-2000 last year. "We are setting up a worldwide sales and service agent network to help get our products to market, while supporting our customers with experts in each geographic market," Dearing said.

In March, ARI named IBCOS Computers Ltd. of Poole, England, as a value added sales and service agent for ARI dealer communications and electronic publishing software in the U.K. and Ireland. Earlier this month, ARI named Rama Motori S.p.A. of Reggio Emilia, Italy, as a value added sales and service agent for ARI software in Italy.

ARI Network Services, Inc. provides Internet-enabled e-commerce services for manufacturers and their distribution and service networks. ARI currently serves the manufactured equipment, agribusiness, freight transportation and newspaper publishing industries. The Company's communications systems provide an electronic pathway for sales reports, product orders, warranty registrations and other transactions between manufacturers and their networks of sales and service points. ARI also builds and manages electronic commerce databases, including electronic parts catalogs and industry-common directories of products, companies and locations.

Statements in this news release include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. The forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "believes," "anticipates," "expects" or words of similar meaning. Forward-looking statements also include statements relating to the Company's future performance, such as future prospects, revenues, profits and cash flows. The forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to be materially different from any future performance suggested in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include those factors described under "Forward Looking Statements" in the Company's most recent annual report on Form 10-K or quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements. For more information, please refer to the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.