Merisel to distribute complete line of Vision Technologies computer products.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 27, 1995--Merisel Inc. (NASDAQ:MSEL) Monday announced that it will distribute the entire line of Vision Technologies computer products.

Merisel's agreement with Vision Technologies includes motherboards, barebone systems, Vision's trademark Barebones Plus systems, multimedia products, CD ROM add-on kits, video cards, IDE controllers and keyboards. A joint advertising campaign announcing the partnership will appear in major trade magazines in April.

"We're very excited to have the opportunity to partner with Merisel and offer more flexibility to our current customer base," said Robert Anderson, Vision's chief executive officer. "As a leader in the industry, Merisel will allow us to expand our markets, including those overseas, as well as increase our reseller base.

"We believe we can successfully provide a product category to Merisel for those markets which offer significant growth potential. The anticipated success for both companies is tremendous. As Vision is absolutely committed to the distribution channel, we will continue to offer high-quality products at competitive prices and strong customer and technical support, while expanding on our reseller programs."

"Our strategic partnership with Vision Technologies accents Merisel's commitment to provide the industry's leading products to all channel segments," said Art Merkin, Merisel's director of PC Systems. "Our relationship with Vision gives us the opportunity to offer high-quality barebone systems, motherboards and multimedia products to our VAR and System Integrator customers."

Vision Technologies is a leading barebone computer manufacturer that offers state-of-the-art technology at cost-effective solutions. Vision continues to supply the channel with high-quality foundations upon which to integrate. Its two-year warranty and one-year On-Site program are untouched by comparably priced products.

Vision offers the latest technologies such as PCI and Multimedia and continues to set itself apart from other channel Barebone vendors by offering extensive reseller services. These services include cash and soft dollar rebate promotions, cash and soft dollar co-op reimbursement and service center authorization programs.

Merisel is the largest publicly held Master Distributor of computer hardware and software products. Through its worldwide distribution business, Merisel offers a full line of 25,000 products from more than 900 of the industry's leading manufacturers to more than 65,000 resellers.

In 1994, the company acquired the ComputerLand franchise and aggregation business, which annually provides more than $1 billion of product to approximately 750 ComputerLand franchisees and Datago resellers.

Merisel operates 10 international subsidiaries, 33 sales offices and 19 distribution centers serving the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific, and an export sales group that serves the rest of the world. The company offers extensive services including education, training, marketing, technical support and third-party financing.

In 1994, Merisel ranked 321 on the Forbes Sales 500 list and was ranked first among computer firms on the Forbes Jobs and Productivity list.

CONTACT: Merisel Inc., El Segundo

Leslie Sinfield, 310/615-6490