For Immediate Release DATE: MARCH 23, 2001

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….

Greg Nissen, S.P. Richards Company’s Western Division Vice President has been recognized as the Genuine Parts Company Manager of the Year.

The award annually recognizes a Genuine Parts Company executive who has achieved exceptional results for the current year as well as an exemplary track record over prior years.

Bob Fitts, Chairman and CEO of S.P. Richards Company commented on Nissen’s award, “Only one Executive is selected from the entire GPC organization that includes the Automotive, Industrial, Electronics and Office Products operations. We’re exceptionally proud of Greg and the tremendous leadership he has provided our Western Division for the past decade.”

“It’s an honor and a privilege to accept this award for the entire S.P. Richards organization, for it is a result of an entire team effort,” said Nissen,

Before joining S.P. Richards Company, Nissen served as Vice President of Sales at an independently owned office products dealership. He began his S.P. Richards career in 1985, as a sales representative in the Tulsa Market. In April of 1987, he was promoted to the position of General Manager in St. Louis. Over the next two years, sales grew over 50 percent and profits more than doubled. This outstanding performance was recognized when St. Louis was named the S.P. Richards Branch of the Year for 1989. In June of 1990, Nissen was promoted to the position of Vice President of the Western Division.

Nissen received undergraduate and MBA degrees from Central State University in Edmond, Okla.

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