Books-A-Million Opens Superstore in Hampton.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 30, 1998-- Books-A-Million, Inc. (Nasdaq/NM:BAMM) announced the opening of a superstore location in Hampton, Virginia. The 20,000 square foot bookstore is located in Hampton Towne Center.

Books-A-Million is a dynamic discount retailer which has made its mark on the book-selling industry by offering discounts on every item every day through its Millionaire's Club Discount Card program. Books-A-Million operates with the philosophy that, first and foremost, a bookstore should be a fun and exciting place for customers to shop and enjoy themselves, and that by also offering customers a better value for their dollar, a bookstore can be a place of entertainment for the whole family. This philosophy has made Books-A-Million the industry leader in developing innovative store layouts designed to stimulate the senses and make book buying fun and approachable for customers of all ages and lifestyles.

Each superstore location offers an incredibly wide selection of books, magazines, newspapers, greeting cards, gifts and more at discount prices every day. The core offering includes thousands of current book titles including an extensive selection of exclusive bargain books, over 2,000 magazine and newspaper titles and much more.

Books-A-Million enhances value through its Discount Club program. By purchasing a Discount Club Card, customers are offered an additional 10% off every item in the store for a whole year. This means Discount cardholders are able to buy Books-A-Million's Top 10 hardcover bestsellers at 40% off every day, and the Top 10 paperback bestsellers at 25% off every day, and are able to find discounts of up to 80% off bargain books. The value of the card is further enhanced by special mailings which alert club members to unique offerings or additional savings.

Among the shop environments found in every Books-A-Million superstore is Joe Muggs, a coffee bar with an atmosphere based on the imaginary life of Joe Muggs, an explorer and pilot who has traveled the world in search of great coffee and adventure. The cafe features whole bean gourmet coffees, scrumptious, thick home-made cookies, other delicious treats and coffee related gift items.

Kids-A-Million is designed to surround kids with an interactive, bright environment that makes reading fun. The emphasis is on creating kid-style experiences with live storytelling, kid-friendly furniture and accessible shelving loaded with hundreds of colorful books to delight even the smallest reader.

The magazine and newspaper environment dominates an entire wall of the superstores with an enormous number of magazine and newspaper titles. Simply put, Books-A-Million offers customers the most comprehensive collection of periodicals found anywhere.

There is also a complete Hallmark Greeting Card store inside Books-A-Million featuring a full line of greeting cards, gift wraps and more.

Book clubs, author signings, live musical performances, school tours, community gatherings, coffee tasting, kids storytime -- all are commonplace activities at Books-A-Million. "We know people can spend their hard-earned entertainment dollars in any number of places," said Mr. Clyde Anderson, the company's President and CEO. "So we have made a commitment that we will not be undersold and we will not be outperformed."

With the fun and enthusiasm every new Books-A-Million store generates, it's little surprise that the company is one of the fastest growing booksellers in the nation with over 170 stores in 17 states. The company also sells books at its site on the World Wide Web (http://www.booksamillion.com).

    CONTACT:  Books-A-Million, Birmingham
               Leigh M. Laser, 205/942-3737