July 14, 2008

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...

Canadian-based system provider Systems Solutions Limited (SSI), enters into joint marketing program with S.P. Richards

SSI has been delivering software solutions to the office products industry for over 20 years. As part of the agreement, SSI has agreed to support both existing and new features and functionality respective to S.P. Richards information systems technology.

"We’re pleased to add SSI to a select group of independent software providers that have demonstrated a successful track record of installations and support in our industry", said Boyd Rice, S.P. Richards Company SVP and CIO. "While every independent dealer has a myriad of choices for their system needs, there are a small number of established, commercially available systems that have the necessary features and interfaces required to be competitive in our marketplace today", said Boyd Rice. "The selection of a new operating system is a difficult decision that depends on the particular needs of each dealership. We want our dealers to have as much information as possible to assist them in making theses decisions. It is with this in mind that we have created this joint marketing program."

"Joining SPR's list of Independent Software Vendors is another significant step in SSI's North American expansion strategy", said Terry Kelly, President. "SSI is no stranger to SPR having supported their price file, web content and EDI in Canada for the past 10 years", he adds. "With the integration of SPR's enhanced web content into SSIWEB, SSI's web store, by the fall, our offering will be complete".

This joint marketing program provides additional discounts to S. P. Richards Advantage members looking to acquire new computer systems. The Independent Software Providers currently participating in this program are:

·         Britannia - (Ft. Wayne, IN) www.britanniainc.com
          o (Contact: Jacki O’Brien,jackio@britanniainc.com or sales@britanniainc.com;
               Phone: (877) 522-0099)

·         BMI, integrator for Microsoft Dynamics NAV - (New York, NY)  www.bmiusa.com
          o (Contact: Craig Greitzer;CGreitzer@bmiusa.com or info@bmiusa.com;
                Phone (888) 580-8382)

·         DDMS - (Ft. Worth, TX) www.ddms.com
          o (Contact: Andy Ballard,ABallard@eci2.com or sales@eci2.com ;
                Phone: (866) 374-3219)

·         GOPD - (Lawrenceville, GA) www.gopd.com
          o (Contact: Donna Snyder,donnas@gopd.com;
                Phone: (770) 441-9355)

·         Innovative Business Associates - (Altamonte Springs, FL) www.ibainc.net
          o (Contact: Ginger Harding,gharding@ibainc.net or iba@ibainc.net;
                Phone (800) 749-4422)

·         MBS Dev, integrator for Microsoft Dynamics AX - (Westminster, CO) www.mbsdev.com
          o (Contact: Laura Guillaume,lguillaume@mbsdev.com or info@mbsdev.com;
                Phone (303) 469-2346)

·         Red Cheetah - (Austin, TX) www.redcheetah.com 
          o (Contact: Andrew Morgan,andrew.morgan@redcheetah.com or sales@redcheetah.com;
               Phone: (866) RCheetah (724-3382)

·         Thalerus - (Schaumburg, IL) www.thalerus.com
          o (Contact: Marc Lyon,marc.lyon@thalerus.com or sales@thalerus.com;
                Phone (615) 662-1349 or (847) 619-9990)

·         Systems Solutions Limited (SSI) - (Sault Ste Marie, ON)
          o (Contact: John Evans, john.evans@ssiop.com ;
                Phone (905) 727- 0357)

For more information on this program, please contact your S. P. Richards sales representative or the software providers listed above.  Additional contacts: Boyd Rice or Stacy Bell at S. P. Richards headquarters at 770-436-6881.

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, cleaning and breakroom supplies from all of the major industry manufacturers. S.P. Richards Company markets several private label lines under the brand names of Lorell, Integra, Sparco, Genuine Joe, Nature Saver, Compucessory, and Elite Image. The company operates 44 Distribution Centers in the United States and Canada.

Genuine Parts Company is a distributor of automotive replacement parts in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The Company also distributes industrial replacement parts in the U.S. and Canada through its Motion Industries subsidiary. S. P. Richards Company, the Office Products Group, distributes business products nationwide in the U.S. and in Canada. The Electrical/Electronic Group, EIS, Inc., distributes electrical and electronic components throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Genuine Parts Company had 2007 revenues of $10.8 billion.