Hastings superstores are designed to be fun and informative gathering places for customers to shop, offering such amenities as free gourmet coffee, comfortable chairs for reading, CD listening stations, video game preview stations, interactive information kiosks, telephones for free local calls, children's play areas and in-store promotional events. They typically include the following features:

• Customized inventory in multiple entertainment formats, including about 40,000 book titles, 20,000 music selections, 6,000 videotapes and video games, 800 DVD-format titles, 2,000 periodicals, 1,500 software titles, and 1,500 complementary products, such as clothing, greeting cards and stationery products, for sale at discounted prices;
• Over 15,000 videotapes, video games and DVDs available for rent;
• Extensive children's product section, including free rentals on children's videos and regular Story Time;
• Financial commitment to the literacy campaign in the local community.

Hastings developed the entertainment superstore format in 1991 and has steadily and profitably built its store base to 131 superstores located primarily in small to medium-sized markets in 19 Midwestern and Western states. With its stores averaging 21,200 square feet, Hastings has approximately 2.8 million square feet of retail space under lease. The company plans to have about 170 stores open by the end of fiscal 2000.

"We are totally committed to satisfying our customers' desires for personal entertainment and information, and that concern is reflected in every store that we open," said John H. Marmaduke, chairman and chief executive officer. "Whether our guests are browsing for a special book, sampling the latest music in the broad genre offering, selecting a current periodical, or simply searching for a rental video or DVD for a comfortable evening at home, we have it all in one location."