BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. Reports October Sales.

Business/Retail Editors

NATICK, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 2, 2000

BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) today reported that sales for October increased by 14.5% to $365 million from $318 million recorded in October 1999. Comparable club sales increased by 4.0% for the month and by 5.7% for the third quarter. Year-to-date, comparable club sales are up 6.0%. The company also reported it opened one new club during October in Middleburg Heights, Ohio.

Jack Nugent, president and chief executive officer, commented, "BJ's October sales performance benefited from strong demand for women's apparel, video and audio recordings, sporting goods and tires, as well as excellent sales in our fresh food and beverage departments."

Nugent continued, "BJ's comparable club sales performance in October was negatively impacted by a shift of pre-Halloween sales to fiscal November this year. We estimate the impact of this shift was approximately 1%."

                       Sales Results for October
                           ($ in thousands)

     Four Weeks Ended                       % Change
October 28,   October 30,                Net         Comp.
      2000          1999               Sales         Sales
----------     ----------         ----------    ----------
$  364,681     $  318,461              14.5%          4.0%

  Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended                   % Change
October 28,   October 30,               Net          Comp.
      2000          1999              Sales          Sales
----------    ----------         ----------     ----------
$3,349,996    $2,864,438              17.0%           6.0%

The company also provided the following information on the factors affecting sales during October:

During October, BJ's New England and Florida markets had comparable club sales increases above the chain average. Metropolitan New York clubs trended lower than the chain comp average as this market continued to be adversely affected by a number of new BJ's clubs opened recently that compete with more established clubs in this region. As a group, sales for BJ's thirteen newest clubs (not yet included in comparable club sales statistics) continued to meet expectations.

Total chain comparable club sales trends were strongest during the first two weeks of October, weakest during the third week, and recovered in week four. The company estimates its current underlying comp sales trend to be in the 4 to 6% range.

Stronger general merchandise product categories in October included men's and women's apparel, sporting goods, video and audio recordings and tires. In food, fresh bakery, produce, fresh meat and beverages generated excellent sales.

Weaker categories included tools and hardware, reflecting significantly lower generator sales; toys, reflecting the lack of licensed products; and, seasonal products, reflecting both the shift of Halloween and warmer fall weather.

BJ's opened six gas stations during October in Orange Park, Florida; Waterford, Connecticut; Oneonta, New York; Greenville, South Carolina; Cutler Ridge, Florida; and Allegany, New York. BJ's currently has thirty-one gas stations in operation and continues to plan for thirty-eight to forty to be open by the end of the fiscal year.

Forward-Looking Statements

Any statements in this press release about management's future expectations and the company's plans and prospects, including statements about anticipated levels of sales, future comp sales trends and planned club openings, and any other statements including the words "believes," "plans," "estimates," and "expects" are intended to indicate forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of competition and economic and weather conditions in BJ's markets, as well as various other factors discussed in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 29, 2000, and its most recent quarterly reports filed with the SEC.

Third Quarter Financial Results/Conference Call

BJ's press releases and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission are available on the Internet at www.bjs.com. BJ's will issue its third quarter financial results, including management's outlook for the business, on November 14, 2000 at approximately 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time. At 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, also on November 14, 2000, BJ's management will hold a conference call to discuss the third quarter financial results and their outlook. This conference call will be broadcast live on BJ's web site; it will be directly accessible as follows: www.bjsinvestor.com/medialist.cfm. Replays will be available at the same web address for approximately one week following the conference call.

BJ's Wholesale Club introduced the wholesale club concept to New England in 1984, and has since expanded to become a leading warehouse chain in the eastern United States. BJ's currently operates 114 clubs compared with 103 one year ago.