May 15, 2000
RELEASE ON RECEIPT

Oberlin College and Co-Op Reach Final Agreement

OBERLIN, OHIO--Oberlin College and the board of the Oberlin Consumer Cooperative, Inc. have reached a final agreement on the sale and transfer of the Co-op Bookstore building located at 37 West College Street. The College will take immediate possession of the property. Last month the College purchased the inventory that remained after the Co-Op closed November 9, 1999.

"We're excited about closing this transaction with the College and view it as a win-win situation for the students, the College and the community and the Co-Op," says Brian Cartier, president of the board for the Co-op Bookstore.

"The College is greatly appreciative for the many years of bookstore service the Co-Op has provided to the Oberlin community," says Andy Evans, vice president of finance. "We are confident the new store will fulfill the needs of our students and the Oberlin community."

The College is expecting the new bookstore will open the last week of May in time for Commencement weekend. It is negotiating a contract with Barnes & Noble College Bookstores Inc. to manage the store.

"The company operates comprehensive service-oriented bookstores and virtual on-line cyberstores for colleges and universities throughout the United States," says Evans. Each campus store and cyberstore is customized to meet the specific needs of the community it serves, and features a professional management staff, top quality merchandise, and computerized book ordering.

Barnes & Noble College Bookstores Inc. is affiliated with more than 350 institutions of higher education from coast to coast, among them are Yale and Columbia Universities; the Coops at Harvard and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology; the University of Chicago; and, in northern Ohio, Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland State University.

Media Contact: Scott Wargo 5/15/00 #93 bg