Borders Group Converts Waldenbooks Location in Springfield Illinois to

    Business Editors

    ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 16, 2005--Borders Group converted their Waldenbooks location in Springfield Illinois to a Borders Express(TM) store. The new 3,875-square-foot Borders Express store is located in the White Oaks Mall at 2501 Wabash Avenue.
    Customers are sure to enjoy the clean, stylish design of the new Borders Express store as well as an expanded merchandise selection -- including music, movies, gifts and stationery -- and lower everyday pricing on a broad selection of bestsellers.
    To celebrate the conversion, Borders Express in Springfield will host grand opening on May 21, which will include refreshments, giveaways, a special story time at 11:00 a.m. where children will be able to meet the loveable character, Curious George as well as a book signing at 1:00 p.m. with Jeremy and Neil Dahlstrom, authors of "The John Deere Story: A Biography of Plowmakers John and Charles Deere." For additional grand opening information, please contact the store at 217-787-9076.
    Borders Group piloted the conversion of 37 Waldenbooks stores to Borders Express stores in 2004. During 2005, the company plans to expand the conversion program to approximately 75 to 100 additional stores, in an effort to create a more compelling mall-store presence, and deliver more consistent brand value across all formats.

    About Borders Group

    Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., Borders Group is a leading global retailer of books, music and movies with more than 1,200 stores and over 32,000 employees worldwide. More detailed information on the company is available at www.bordersgroupinc.com.

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CONTACT: Borders Group, Inc. Holley Stein, 734-477-1224 hstein1@bordersgroupinc.com

KEYWORD: ILLINOIS INDUSTRY KEYWORD: REAL ESTATE BUILDING/CONSTRUCTION PUBLISHING ADVERTISING/MARKETING CONSUMER/HOUSEHOLD SOURCE: Borders Group, Inc.

Copyright Business Wire 2005