TigerDirect.com Announces Shopping Agreement With America Online

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 27, 2000--In preparation for the holiday season, TigerDirect, Inc. (www.tigerdirect.com; http://www.tigerdirect.com), a division of Systemax, Inc. (NYSE:SYX - news), a leading mail-order and internet retailer of computer hardware and components, today announced an agreement with America Online, Inc. (NYSE:AOL - news) for placement in the Shop@AOL online shopping destinations. Under the new agreement, the TigerDirect.com brand will be a gold tenant in the newly redesigned Computer Department of the Shop@AOL, AOL.COM (http://www.aol.com), CompuServe, Netscape, Spinner and Winamp online shopping destinations. This brings AOL and CompuServe members and visitors to AOL's Web-based brands easy access to a wide selection of TigerDirect's vast array of computer hardware, components and accessories from a merchant they can trust. "We are the leader in mail-order and online computer hardware, components and accessories,'' said Lonny R. Paul, Director of eCommerce at TigerDirect, Inc. "AOL is a leader in reaching the online community, and this agreement extends our strategy of reaching online shoppers, and serving the AOL customer most effectively.'' "We believe that TigerDirect will offer AOL and CompuServe members and visitors to our Web-based brands a variety of popular, trusted names in computer products, and we're pleased to work with them to bring our online shoppers easy access to their great selection and service,'' said Patrick Gates, AOL Vice President for E-Commerce.

About Systemax
Systemax has developed an integrated system of branded e-commerce web sites, direct mail catalogs, and relationship marketing to sell private label and name-brand PC hardware, related computer products, and industrial products to businesses in North America and Europe. With annual sales at a rate of more than $1.7 billion, Systemax is a Fortune 1000 and Inter@active Internet 500 company.

Contacts:
Investors: Investor Relations, Systemax Inc., 516-608-7000 x7181 or investinfo@systemax.com.
Forward-Looking Statements: This news release may include certain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, projections of revenue, income or loss and capital expenditures, statements regarding future operations, financing needs, plans relating to products or services of the Company, assessments of materiality, predictions of future events and the effects of pending and possible litigation, as well as assumptions relating to the foregoing. In addition, when used in this discussion, the words ``anticipates'', ``believes'', ``estimates'', ``expects'', ``intends'', ``plans'' and variations thereof and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors, including but not limited to (i) the Company's ability to manage rapid growth as a result of internal expansion and strategic acquisitions, (ii) the effect on the Company of volatility in the price of paper and periodic increases in postage rates, (iii) the operation of the Company's management information systems, including the costs and effects associated with the year 2000 date change problem, (iv) the general risks attendant to the conduct of business in foreign countries, including currency fluctuations associated with sales not denominated in U.S. dollars, (v) significant changes in the computer products retail industry, especially relating to the distribution and sale of such products, (vi) competition in the PC, notebook computer, computer related products and industrial products markets from superstores, direct marketers, the Internet and other retailers, (vii) the potential for expanded imposition of state sales, use or other taxes and additional government regulation on direct marketers, (viii) the continuation of key vendor relationships, including the ability to continue to receive vendor supported advertising, (ix) timely availability of existing and new products, (x) risks involved with e-commerce, including the possible loss of business and customer dissatisfaction if outages or other computer-related problems should preclude customer access to the Company, (xi) risks associated with delivery of merchandise to customers by utilizing common delivery services such as UPS, including possible strikes, (xii) risks due to shifts in market demand and/or price erosion of owned inventory, (xiii) borrowing costs, (xiv) changes in taxes due to changes in the mix of U.S. and non-U.S. revenue, (xv) pending or threatened litigation and investigations and (xvi) the availability of key personnel, as well as other risk factors. These factors are discussed in greater detail in ``Item 7, Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations -- Forward-Looking Statements'' in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.