Adecco to Acquire Two Olsten Franchise Operations.

Business Editors

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 7, 2000

Adecco SA, the world leader in personnel and career services, today announced a definitive agreement to purchase two franchises of Olsten Corporation (NYSE:OLS), a global staffing company with more than 1,000 offices and franchises in 14 countries.

In transactions that will be finalized once the merger of Adecco and Olsten is complete, Adecco will acquire Olsten of Milwaukee, Inc. and Olsten of Chicago, Inc., two independently owned operations. As part of the two agreements, all legal action taken by the franchises against parent company Olsten Corporation will be abandoned. No other terms were disclosed.

Founded in 1962, Olsten of Chicago, Inc. is the largest and oldest franchise of Olsten Corporation. The firm supports thousands of Chicagoland customers with a network of 21 offices, providing assistance in the areas of financial, industrial and office staffing.

According to B.J. Dolan, son of the founder and current chairman of Olsten Chicago, &uot;For nearly 40 years, our reputation has been built on our commitment to the customer. Our success has been tied to our focus on rigorous recruiting, selection, quality assurance and continuous improvement processes. Adecco shares these attributes and we look forward to being a member of this industry leading team.&uot;

Olsten of Milwaukee, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful staffing services in Wisconsin. For 30 years it has provided staffing assistance to businesses across the state in a variety of administrative, industrial, professional and technical fields. Today, with 10 offices in the Milwaukee metropolitan area, the firm employs about 12,000 people a year for 2,000 clients.

Olsten of Milwaukee Founder, President and CEO Anthony J. Petullo called the Adecco agreement &uot;a tremendous opportunity for us to combine the strength and resources of Adecco with our local market expertise and further enhance service to our clients. It's a great day for our clients and our people.&uot;

&uot;We are pleased to have these two companies join the Adecco North America family,&uot; said Debbie Pond-Heide, President of Adecco North America. &uot;They bring a proud heritage of service and commitment to the customer that is legendary. As we position our company for market leadership once the Adecco and Olsten merger is complete, the addition of these two organizations will ensure a continuity of superior service in two key markets.&uot;

In August 1999, Olsten announced it had agreed to merge its staffing and information technology services businesses with Adecco. The registration documents for that transaction are currently under review by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Adecco SA is the global leader in personnel services, connecting up to 450,000 associates with business clients each day through its network of over 20,000 employees and over 3,200 offices in 55 countries around the world. Registered in Switzerland, and managed by a multinational team with expertise in markets spanning the globe, Adecco delivers an unparalleled range of flexible staffing and career resources to corporate clients and qualified associates.

Adecco provides clients with staffing services and solutions covering all major industries as well as specific professions. The worldwide Adecco Brand network focuses on global industries in transition, including automotive, banking, electronics, logistics, and telecommunications. Adecco is also positioned as a worldwide leader in each of the major professional staffing segments with several world-class business lines: Accountants on Call and Jonathan Wren for Finance, Banking and Accounting; Ajilon and Computer People for high-end Information Technology, TAD and Roevin for Engineering and Technical. These Adecco businesses provide their clients with a broad range of staffing solutions, from temporary work to permanent placement, to consulting and managed services. Adecco also offers a range of HR solutions with Econova/Lee Hecht Harrison, offering outplacement and career management services.

Adecco clients retain this unique range of services through local, national and multinational contracts. Adecco SA is listed on The Swiss Exchange (ADECCO N (ADEN 700 939)); the Bourse de Paris (RM 12819) and NASDAQ (ADECY). Further information can be found at http://www.adecco.com.