Lands' End Corporate Sales Expands Corporate Programs With 4imprint Sales and Marketing Agreement; Lands' End/FORTUNE Announce Licensing Agreement.

Business Editors

DODGEVILLE, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 6, 2000

Lands' End Corporate Sales, the business-to-business division of Lands' End, Inc. (LE) and 4imprint, an international advertising specialty firm based in Oshkosh, Wis., today announced the signing of a major sales and marketing agreement. The agreement expands the product and marketing reach of both companies and collectively positions them among the leaders in the promotional products industry.

According to the most recent numbers available from the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), apparel comprised 28 percent of the $13 billion promotional products industry. The remainder is made up of various other items, including writing instruments, glassware/ceramics, calendars, desk/office/business accessories and more.

Since 1992, nine out of 10 FORTUNE 500(R) companies have purchased from Lands' End Corporate Sales apparel and select accessories, such as soft luggage, portfolios and towels, with embroidered corporate logos. Lands' End's partnership with 4imprint expands the offering, allowing Lands' End Corporate Sales to offer its customers one-stop shopping for a full array of promotional products.

"The Lands' End brand has opened many doors for us, and now our agreement with 4imprint allows us to expand our product offering, attract new business and build more meaningful relationships with existing corporate customers," said David Zentmyer, senior vice president, Lands' End Corporate Sales.

"We reached sales of about $140 million last year addressing the apparel needs of corporate customers. Many have asked us to expand our offering, and the agreement signed with 4imprint will allow us to offer quality apparel and traditional promotional products such as mugs, pens and other premiums to meet customers' needs."

4imprint Agreement Detailed

The Lands' End Corporate Sales national account team, working with 4imprint account representatives, will interface with large corporate customers, offering both Lands' End and 4imprint products. Customer service will be seamless, including one toll-free number and one purchase contract for the combined product offering. By this fall, 4imprint products will be incorporated into Lands' End's Online Custom Stores.

"In a fragmented industry known for various levels of quality and service, Lands' End and 4imprint are a very compatible team," said Dick Nelson, chief executive officer of 4imprint. "We achieved worldwide sales of about $115 million last year, and service is how we differentiate ourselves and stake our claim. Like Lands' End, we provide quality products at a good value, leverage technology to provide great service, delight our customers by exceeding their expectations and provide the best guarantees in the business."

FORTUNE Agreement Detailed

Lands' End's increased promotional products capability will broaden the scope of its business. An inaugural effort is the arrangement between Lands' End Corporate Sales and FORTUNE(R) magazine. Lands' End Corporate Sales and The FORTUNE Group at Time Inc. today announced that FORTUNE has granted Lands' End the exclusive right to market licensed apparel and promotional products to companies that are named to certain FORTUNE magazine lists, including the FORTUNE 500. Lands' End Corporate Sales will leverage its new relationship with 4imprint to provide these companies with an extensive range of promotional products to commemorate their being named to a FORTUNE list.

The FORTUNE program, being unveiled to corporations over the next few weeks, features customized apparel and promotional products for companies named to certain FORTUNE lists including: the FORTUNE 500(R), FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For(TM), America's Most Admired Companies(R), FORTUNE Global 500(TM), FORTUNE 100 Fastest Growing Companies(TM), and World's Most Admired Companies(TM). Merchandise will include the company's logo and the logo of the particular FORTUNE list to which it was named. Products will include quality apparel, attaches, golf accessories, mugs, pens and the like from Lands' End.

"We're immensely pleased to have the opportunity to create and distribute merchandise featuring the various FORTUNE list logos to these elite companies," said Lee Eisenberg, executive vice president and creative director at Lands' End. "We're looking at a host of ways to reach this market -- through printed catalogs, our online channel, as well as the great conferences that FORTUNE is known for."

"Lands' End and FORTUNE make a great team," said Jack Haire, president of The FORTUNE Group. "Both have a reputation for the highest standards of quality, and we look forward to this creative and unique strategic alliance."

The apparel and promotional products for companies on designated FORTUNE lists will be marketed by Lands' End through direct mail pieces and a dedicated toll-free 800 number. Customer service representatives will be dedicated to this program to specifically support the product ordering and service issues of this audience. An online service component is planned for this fall.

Lands' End Corporate Sales will also provide apparel and promotional products for participants at select FORTUNE conferences, including the FORTUNE Communications and Marketing Forum, FORTUNE Growth Company Forum, FORTUNE 500 CIO Forum, and FORTUNE 500 CEO Forum.

About 4imprint

As a member of the Bemrose Corporation of Beverley, England, 4imprint offers a global presence in the advertising specialties business with offices in the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, and Hong Kong, and access to over 400,000 items that can be imprinted with a logo or message. 4imprint serves more than 145,000 customers, including all the FORTUNE 100 companies, and achieved worldwide sales of about $115 million. 4imprint's U.S. base is in Oshkosh, Wis.

About FORTUNE

FORTUNE, the business magazine of CEOs for 70 years, is known for its unrivaled access to industry leaders and decision makers. With a circulation of 810,000, and a worldwide readership of more than six million, FORTUNE reaches a wide and influential audience every two weeks. FORTUNE.com, which averages 7.5 million page views per month, keeps visitors ahead of the business curve by providing up-to-the-minute information and analysis of the people and trends driving business innovation.

The FORTUNE Group, comprised of FORTUNE, FSB: FORTUNE Small Business, and eCompany Now, is also the leading producer of top-level business conferences. America's leading CEOs, CFOs, and CIOs attend FORTUNE Conferences year after year to mingle with their peers, brainstorm new ideas, and receive briefings on corporate business intelligence in a collegial atmosphere that allows for spontaneity of thought and dialogue. Designed and moderated by FORTUNE editors in a fast-paced journalistic style, the mission of FORTUNE Conferences is to further business excellence through the power of shared ideas.

About Lands' End Corporate Sales

Lands' End is a leading direct merchant of classically inspired clothing for men, women and children, soft luggage and products for the home. Sales in the fiscal year 2000 were $1.320 billion. Corporate Sales offers the Lands' End brand as options for company incentives, rewards, gifts and group apparel. Sales for Corporate Sales in the fiscal year 2000 were approximately $140 million.