GlobalShop Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary With Increased 2002 Attendance; Tom Peters Sets the Stage for 3-Day Event; New Products Unveiled and Honored.

Business Editors

GlobalShop 2002

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 19, 2002

GlobalShop, the world's largest annual store design and in-store marketing show, began yesterday with a compelling keynote speech entitled "Brand Power...Now More Than Ever!" delivered by renowned author and management guru, Tom Peters.

Mr. Peters' 8am address to a room of over 900 retailing, merchandising and brand marketing professionals outlined the necessity for brand differentiation, and strengthening of market position. He urged retail management to be sure they reflect among themselves the demographic to which they are targeting - reiterating the need for brands to know their audience.

Peters gave marching orders to the group for the conference and many days ahead -- he reminded attendees that their companies should get and be engaged - they should actively "do" something - and do it well.

"In its 10th successful year, GlobalShop continues to grow. Early attendee registration estimates indicate an 8% increase - a testament to the strength of the store design and in-store marketing industries and the value that they see in this remarkable annual event," said Doug Hope, group vice president, VNU Expositions. "We were also delighted to welcome almost 300 new exhibitors to the show floor this year, bringing a total of some 1,000 exhibitors from around the world to GlobalShop 2002."

More than 15,000 retail and brand marketers, designers, visual merchandisers, advertisers, multimedia specialists, point-of-purchase (POP) marketers and retailers are expected to attend the exposition and conference sessions at GlobalShop 2002 over the three-day event.

New-Product Showcase

Many dozens of new products are debuted every year at GlobalShop. This year, the editorial advisory board of show sponsor, Display & Design Ideas Magazine, evaluated those products from the show's more than one million square feet of exhibition space, that were identified as new to the industry this year.

Brickstream Corporation was awarded the showcase's First Prize blue ribbon with its launch of Brickstream Intelligence for Space, a new technology which provides retailers with continuous and real-time insight into the effectiveness of store layout and product allocation decisions.

Brickstream leverages video technology and business intelligence capabilities to anonymously capture walking paths of customers through a store.

Honorable Mentions were awarded to:

Allegheny SST, manufacturer of Mansour Seating Collections, for the highly creative yet durable Newton Stool, made of DuPont Surfaces' Corian(R) product; Architectural Systems Inc.'s ASI Flooring brand for its four new collections of commercial vinyl for floor or wall applications; Marlite for its Visplay Area System, a range of sockets and components, including adjustable uprights and merchandising accessories systems that serve the need for more versatile visual presentations; DuPont Engineering Polymers which sponsored the DuPont Shopping Cart a customizable thermoplastic shopping cart which is making its US debut at GlobalShop; and Interlam Inc. for its Paris-designed Objectile Diffusion, computer generated dimensional patterns using MDF materials for small or large-scale wall application.

Other highlights from GlobalShop's first of three days include the National Association of Store Fixture Manufacturers (NASFM) Retail Design Awards 2002, which featured the announcement of winners in 14 categories of store and fixture design and the NASFM's highly anticipated "Fixture of the Year" and "Store of the Year."

Point-of-Purchase Advertising International (POPAI) Awards Gala 2002 honored the finest in in-store advertising, such as POPAI's Outstanding Merchandising Achievement (OMA) Awards contest.

To find out more information about attending or registering for GlobalShop 2002, call [phone] or [phone], or visit http://www.globalshop.org.

ABOUT GLOBALSHOP

GlobalShop is sponsored by the National Association of Store Fixture Manufacturers (NASFM), presented by VNU Business Publications' Display & Design Ideas, and Point Of Purchase Magazine and produced by VNU Expositions.

VNU Business Publications and VNU Expositions are subsidiaries of VNU USA, a leading publishing and information group, and publishers of other retailing titles including Retail Merchandiser, Hospitality Design, Progressive Grocer and Convenience Store News.

VNU USA is a subsidiary of Netherlands-based VNU, N.V., one of the world's leading media and information companies. VNU has major market positions in business-to-business publishing; trade shows, seminars and conferences; e-media applications; marketing information; and media information.

VNU is active in more than 100 countries worldwide, employing more than 35,000 people, and has annual revenues of approximately $35 billion.

VNU Expositions co-produces 83 annual expositions and conferences, including ShopEast in New York, NY.