Peerless/Perdue Office Products Joins With Corporate Express

BROOMFIELD, Colo., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Corporate Express, Inc., a Buhrmann company , announced today that the company has acquired the Peerless/Perdue office products companies located in Little Rock and Pine Bluff Arkansas, respectively.

Corporate Express is one of the world's largest business-to-business suppliers of essential office, facilities, furniture and computer products and services, with 2004 sales of approximately $4.5 billion in North America.

Corporate Express will continue to bring Peerless/Perdue customers the same product selection and commitment to service that they have come to expect with the additional resources of Corporate Express' broad product offering and dedicated local sales support. Customers will also benefit from Corporate Express' world-class distribution, award-winning on-line ordering system, industry leading diversity programs, and free next-day delivery.

"We are very excited about this acquisition and proud to welcome our new associates and customers to Corporate Express," said Greg McLeod, President of Corporate Express' Mid-South Division. "Peerless/Perdue customers will continue to receive the same great sales support and customer service they are accustomed to, with the added benefit of our manufacturer-direct relationships and access to our full line of office products, office furniture, facility/janitorial supplies and computer products. This acquisition reaffirms our long-term commitment to both the Little Rock and Pine Bluff markets and we're proud to be part of these communities."

"I can't think of a better match than our company and Corporate Express," said Patt Rudder, CEO of Peerless/Perdue. "With our reputation for service in the office products market and the depth of products and services that Corporate Express brings, our customers will be the true beneficiaries of this winning combination. I am proud to be a part of it. Our organization can now focus all of its resources on expanding our printing and graphic services operation while at the same time ensuring our office products customers will receive the very best service available."

Peerless Graphics will continue to operate as an independent business, just as they have for more than 80 years. Corporate Express' Document & Print Management Division has entered into a strategic supplier agreement with Peerless Graphics, where both organizations will be working together to provide clients with a full range print services and products, including continuous forms, cut sheet forms, unit sets and commercial printing.

About Corporate Express

Corporate Express, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Buhrmann, NV , an international business services and distribution group. Buhrmann is a leading global supplier of office products, paper and graphic systems for the business market. Corporate Express' product offering includes office and computer supplies, imaging and computer graphics supplies, office furniture, facility supplies, document and print management, desktop software, promotional products, and other similar products. Corporate Express has operations in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. Corporate Express' North American operations have 183 facilities, including 38 distribution centers, and the Company employs 10,775 people. The Company's Web site address is http://www.corporateexpress.com/.

About Peerless/Perdue

The Perdue Company was established in 1908 when it began selling office supplies in Pine Bluff. Through almost a century of evolution, the company has become Pine Bluff's leading office products dealer as well as its largest commercial printing company. After the sale of its office products division to Corporate Express, the company will remain in Pine Bluff as the area's premier commercial printer serving the needs of its customers throughout southeast Arkansas.

The Peerless Group began in 1921 as a leader in the graphic arts business and today is one of the largest commercial printers in Little Rock. Following the merger of The Perdue Company and The Peerless Group in 1998, Peerless began to expand in Little Rock the marketing infrastructure of its office products division established long ago in Pine Bluff. Today, Peerless Office Products, a division of The Peerless Group, has become a significant factor in the sale of office products throughout Little Rock and the central Arkansas market. After the sale of the Peerless Office Products division to Corporate Express, The Peerless Group and Peerless Graphics will remain as Little Rock's premier commercial printing and graphic arts company.