For Immediate Release DATE: January 15 , 2002

S.P. Richards Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Genuine Parts Company (GPC:NYSE) and leading wholesale distributor of business and office supplies, announced today….

Recognizing the unprecedented events of 2001, current economic conditions and the significance of the Advantage Business Conference, S.P. Richards Company will provide each Advantage Program Dealer one FREE registration for 2002 only.

S.P. Richards Company will be hosting the industry's largest independent reseller conference and vendor exposition at their fourth annual Advantage Business Conference this July 14-18, 2002 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This year's conference is expected to draw over 2,500 attendees and feature more than 50 educational sessions and forums, an Office Products Expo with approximately 150 of the industry's top manufacturers exhibiting, and an all-star cast of motivational speakers and entertainers.

"Our nation's President has called upon all of us to get back to the business of being Americans," said Jim O'Brien,
S.P. Richards Vice President of Dealer Development. "We want to do our part."

Dealers can contact their S.P. Richards sales representative for additional details regarding the conference, the free registration offer or the Advantage program

S.P. Richards Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Genuine Parts Company (GPC: NYSE), distributes a wide spectrum of business products to office products resellers throughout the U.S. and Canada. These products include consumable office supplies, office furniture, computer supplies, consumer electronics, and facilities supplies from all of the major industry manufacturers. S.P. Richards Company markets several private label lines under the brand names of Sparco, Nature Saver, Compucessory, and Elite Image. The company operates 44 Distribution centers in the United States and Canada, including Horizon USA, its computer supplies subsidiary and Norwestra, a Canadian based Business Products Wholesaler.

Genuine Parts Company is a diversified distribution and services company that operates four wholly owned subsidiaries. The Company is a leading distributor of automotive replacement parts in the U.S., Canada and Mexico; industrial replacement parts in the U.S., Canada and Mexico through its Motion Industries subsidiary; office products nationwide in the U.S. and Canada through its S.P. Richards Company subsidiary; and electrical and electronic components throughout the U.S. and Mexico through its EIS, Inc. subsidiary. Genuine Parts Company had 2000 revenues of $8.4 billion