EBSCO Industries, Inc. (EBSCO) is pleased to report it is in the final stages of fully integrating the RoweCom acquisition. This includes RoweCom U.S., Canada and Australia as well as RoweCom Europe.

EBSCO's international presence has been extended by the merger of the existing EBSCO office in Orsay, France with the former RoweCom office in Villebon, France. All employees are now operating from the Villebon location. The combined entity, EBSCO Information Services SAS, greatly strengthens EBSCO's capabilities worldwide, and specifically in France. "We've got new EBSCO products and services to offer former RoweCom customers and others. Plus we've gained more staff to serve our growing customer base in France," said Luc Prudhon, general manager of EBSCO Information Services SAS.

To support this larger office in France, EBSCO has upgraded the systems in the U.K. that provide information technology (IT) support for Europe. The IT support for the former RoweCom European operations is provided from Folkestone, U.K. According to John Fitts, vice president and general manager of Information Systems & Services for EBSCO, "We invested to strengthen the capabilities of the IT network in the U.K. These systems have been upgraded and are now integrated with EBSCO's worldwide network of services."

EBSCO is also pleased to report it will continue operations in the Boston area (the former RoweCom office in Westwood, Mass., U.S.A.). Recognizing the caliber of people working from the office in Westwood, EBSCO will continue work there under the leadership of Susan Kalalas, operations manager. "We are glad to have become part of a company like EBSCO. They said their focus was going to be on merging personnel and systems in a way that would best serve our customers in 2003, and they've done what they said they were going to do," Kalalas said. "The remaining team at Westwood looks forward to applying our skills to support customers and the various EBSCO Regional Offices in North America."

"It's with great pleasure that we have been able to retain so many experienced, highly motivated and quality people with the knowledge and ability to continue providing outstanding service to the former RoweCom customers, and to contribute to EBSCO's future success," said F. Dixon Brooke, Jr., vice president and division general manager for EBSCO Information Services.

After a challenging year for everyone involved, EBSCO regards the RoweCom acquisition to be a success. "For us, key measures of success include the volume of renewals processed for 2004 and the level of customer satisfaction," said Allen Powell, vice president and chief financial officer for EBSCO Subscription Services. "Renewal season is beginning to wind down, and we are pleased so far with the renewal activity and customer feedback."

About EBSCO Industries, Inc.
EBSCO Industries, Inc. is a global corporation with sales, service and manufacturing subsidiaries at work in 19 countries around the world. EBSCO's business interests include information management services, online and print journal subscription services, online research databases, real estate development, commercial printing and more. EBSCO, an acronym for Elton B. Stephens Company, is based in Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.A. and employs 4,800 people around the world. Additional information on EBSCO Industries is available from http://www.ebscoind.com/.

Contact: Regina Kennamer Corporate Communications (205) 981-5145 E-mail: [email protected]

Release Date: Dec. 2, 2003