For Immediate Release DATE: July 11, 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….

Effective immediately, Tom Testa has been promoted to Vice President - Sales.

In his new role, Testa will manage the S.P. Richards Headquarters relationships with several major national accounts and will report to Allen Tansil, Senior Vice President of Sales.

"Tom Testa is a respected top performer with S.P. Richards The secret to Tom's success is the emphasis he places on satisfying our customers," said Tansil. "He thoroughly understands all aspects of their business - marketing, merchandising, operations and systems - and he knows how to positively impact all of these aspects. I know our customers will enjoy working with Tom and benefiting from his knowledge."

Testa joined S.P. Richards Co. in 1992 as a Sales Representative in Hartford and in 1994, transferred to the New York distribution center. Prior to his tenure with S.P. Richards Co., Testa took a sales position with a check printing company after graduating from King;s College with a BA. He entered the office products industry in 1982 as a Sales Representative with Smith Corona, became a factory Sales Representative with Eldon in 1984, and then moved to the wholesale side of the business joining Write-Mark Sales in 1986.

"I am excited to be expanding my role with our national account customers and look forward to the opportunities and challenges," said Testa. "I've already cleared a huge hurdle by convincing my "Jersey girl" wife to relocate to the South."

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