Staples Rolls Out Upscale Home Office Line from Lexington RTA Furniture.

SAN RAMON, Calif. -- Staples, the world's largest office products company, is stepping up its home office furniture selection with the exclusive launch of a new upscale line of solid wood and wood veneer, ready-to-assemble (RTA) home office furnishings, Z-Line Designs announced today. The new products will debut in October at Staples 1,200 U.S. stores, online at Staples.com and through Staples catalogs.

A launch party to introduce the furniture line is being held on October 20, 2005, beginning at 6 pm, in the High Point, N.C., showroom of Z-Line Designs, 220 Elm Street, Suite 206, where furnishings will be on display throughout the International Home Furnishings Market, October 18-25, 2005.

The product launch includes four new Harvard, Regency, Piedmont and Stanton collections of desks, hutches, file systems, and bookcases. The furniture has many upscale features, including: hand-rubbed finishes, solid wood and decorative veneers and inlays, crown moldings, custom-designed hardware and heavy-duty glides and hinges.

Z-Line Designs, San Ramon, Calif., a manufacturer and importer of ready-to-assemble furniture, has licensed the Lexington RTA Furniture name and is producing the furniture. Product has been developed by Z-Line Designs in conjunction with the Lexington Home Brands design team.

Quality Details and Reputation

In introducing the line of furnishings, Staples is capitalizing on the century of quality products and brand name recognition for which mainline residential furniture producer Lexington Home Brands is known.

Says Staples Vice President and GMM Daniel Marous, "Our customers know and respect the Lexington name as well as the quality and performance of Z-Line Designs. We're excited to make it easy for our home office and small business customers to buy these high quality, name brand furniture products, which help create an office setting that complements the quality of their home."

Jim Sexton, Z-Line Designs founder and CEO, adds, "The mutual focus on quality construction by both Z-Line Designs and Lexington makes this a natural match--and a winning combination for consumers who want home office furnishings that will serve them for many years to come. We're honored to be part of the Staples effort to introduce its customers to high-quality, brand name products."

Z-Line Designs was chosen the Staples 2004 Vendor of the Year and has won numerous awards for both the design and quality of its products.

"Our collaboration with Z-Line Designs and Staples has resulted in an excellent relationship through which we extend the Lexington name into new territory," says Bob Stec, LHB Chairman and CEO. "Lexington RTA Furniture taps the growing importance of both the RTA product segment and non-traditional furniture channels. The furniture is designed to appeal to a wide range of tastes and budgets, and offer affordable, quality home office furnishings with the style and function of a much more expensive product," he adds.

Versatile Style and Function

The Lexington RTA Furniture line is designed and built for a lifetime of visual appeal and practical use. A variety of configurations and styles include opportunities for high- power office use as well as attractive display.

--Quality & Style Features: Solid wood and wood veneers; 12-step, hand-rubbed, stain-resistant finishes; door and crown moldings; shaped fronts and top rails.

--Functional Features: Pull-out keyboard trays; hidden CPU storage; felt-lined drawers; heavy-duty glides; European hinges; grommets for wires; closed and open storage and display.

--Harvard Collection: Pared down traditional styling in a rich cherry finish with antiqued, hand-rubbed edges. Includes kneehole desk with privacy panel; computer desk and hutch; lateral file and hutch (both hutches with open and glass- enclosed storage); bookcase.

--Piedmont Collection: Casual cottage styling with a two-tone (antique white and cherry) finish and antique charcoal pulls. Includes kneehole desk with privacy panel; computer desk and hutch; lateral file and hutch; bookcase.

--Regency Collection: Upscale traditional styling with serpentine shaping and elegant hardware, in a rich, dark mahogany finish. Includes double-pedestal desk; computer console and hutch with open and closed storage and glass-enclosed display; lateral file; bookcase.

--Stanton Collection: Updated traditional styling with decorative veneer door panels, rich cherry finish, and antique silver finish pulls. L-shaped configuration includes computer desk with hutch and peninsula return with drawer and file storage; bookcase.

--Desk Groupings: Several small desk groupings in a mix of styles.

Staples

Staples, Inc., invented the office superstore concept in 1986 and today is the world's largest office products company. With 65,000 talented associates, the company is committed to making it easy to buy a wide range of office products, including supplies, technology, furniture, and business services. With 2004 sales of $14.4 billion, Staples serves consumers and businesses ranging from home-based businesses to Fortune 500 companies in 21 countries throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia. Headquartered outside of Boston, Staples operates approximately 1,716 office superstores and also serves its customers through mail order catalog, e-commerce and contract businesses. More information is available at www.staples.com.

Z-Line Designs

Z-Line Designs is a leading import manufacturer of ready-to-assemble furniture in a range of materials from solid American oak, birch, and maple to mixed media combinations of wood, metal, and glass. With manufacturing plants in China and Taiwan, Z-Line Designs is one of the most innovative manufacturers of computer desk systems, computer workstations, computer armoires, file/storage products, and a large variety of television, audio, and entertainment centers. Products are distributed primarily through mass merchants, office superstores, and department stores.

Lexington Home Brands

Lexington Home Brands is a leading global marketer and manufacturer of branded case goods and upholstery, with the industry's largest brand portfolio. Well-known consumer brands include Bob Timberlake(R), Liz Claiborne Home, Nautica Home, Palmer Home(TM), Tommy Bahama(R), Waverly(R), and Woolrich(R). LHB also markets products under two house brands, Lexington(R) and Henry Link Trading Company(TM). A privately held company, Lexington Home Brands is an affiliate of Boca Raton based Sun Capital Partners, Inc. (www.suncappart.com).