Our primary goal in 1999 will be to differentiate Corporate Express in an increasingly competitive, consolidating field. Our product assortment, service culture and breadth of capabilities - all available through a single source - provide Corporate Express with a strategic advantage. However, our customer-centered technology is what will continue to define our competitive edge. It is the conduit through which we conduct our business and fulfill our role as the "supply chain manager" of non-production goods. Technology is truly fundamental to what we do at Corporate Express.

With this as our focus, we will continue to develop and deliver the finest, most flexible technologies that facilitate the procurement process for our customers. One technology opportunity that we expect to expand in 1999 is Internet E-Way - our electronic commerce catalog, ordering and fulfillment system. E-Way offers easy, fast and secure purchasing on a platform that is both popular with Corporate Express customers and efficient.

While we will increasingly leverage the growing capabilities of Web-based electronic commerce to drive sales, we will also continue to explore other avenues to generate growth in 1999. We will seek to penetrate new accounts, instituting additional initiatives to drive sales growth. We will enhance the growth potential of our existing customer base through an expanded catalog and product line. We will build on our 1998 international expansion, which further strengthened our global presence, to meet the growing needs of our international and multi-national customers. And we will continue to expand and decentralize our national accounts sales force, while instituting new sales training and selling programs to drive new sales.