Verizon Wireless Opens Inside Seven BJ´s Membership Clubs

ALPHARETTA, Ga., Apr. 29 /PRNewswire/ --

ALPHARETTA, Ga., April 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless and BJ's Membership Club today announced a relationship that expands the Verizon Wireless "store-within-a-store" concept to seven BJ's locations around the metro Atlanta area including in Austell, Conyers, Cumming, East Point, Newnan, Norcross and Woodstock. Club members now have easy access to the most advanced wireless phones, devices and accessories, exclusive offers, plus a variety of service plans on the nation's most reliable wireless network.

Verizon Wireless will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the branded kiosks, including hiring and training staff, inventory, displays and any signage. To date, the company has hired and trained more than 17 new employees in Georgia to staff the BJ's locations.

"This relationship is important in our efforts to meet our customers where they shop," said Jeff Mango, president - Georgia/Alabama Region for Verizon Wireless. "Customers of BJ's Membership Clubs are looking for value so it's a natural fit to add the Verizon Wireless brand. Our focus on delivering the best wireless experience and value makes BJ's members ideal for us and by placing Verizon Wireless employees in each location, they'll get added convenience and assistance from the most knowledgeable wireless sales staff in the industry."

BJ's club members will be able to take advantage of convenient services available at any Verizon Wireless Communications Store, including account look-up and bill pay. Members can expect the same high quality products and services they would receive in a standalone Verizon Wireless Communications Store.

"Our metro-Atlanta members shop BJ's for quality, low prices and the convenience of one-stop-shopping so offering them an on-site wireless provider with a great reputation is another added value to their membership," said Ken Hayes, senior vice president and director of sales operations at BJ's Membership Clubs.

BJ's Membership Clubs with Verizon Wireless in the Atlanta metro area stores include:

-- Austell - 2435 East West Connector SW -- Conyers - 1800 Dogwood Drive SE -- Cumming - 1725 Market Place Boulevard -- East Point - 3585 North Commerce Drive -- Newnan - 331 Newnan Crossing Bypass -- Norcross - 6344 Cash Court -- Woodstock - 105 Long Drive

Verizon Wireless' continued investment in Georgia is part of ongoing effort to expand coverage, improve capacity and enhance the quality of its wireless voice and data network throughout the country. Verizon Wireless has invested more than $40 billion -- $5 billion on average every year -- since the company was formed to increase the coverage and capacity of its national network and to add new services. Verizon Wireless invested more than $160 million in 2007 to enhance its digital network in Georgia.

Georgians continue to have ever more ubiquitous access to Verizon Wireless' two prime services: BroadbandAccess and V CAST. BroadbandAccess customers with Rev. A-compatible devices can expect average download speeds of 600 kilobits per second (kbps) to 1.4 megabits per second and average upload speeds of 500-800 kbps, which means customers can download a 1 Megabyte e-mail attachment -- the equivalent of a small PowerPoint(R) presentation or a large PDF file -- in about eight seconds and upload the same-sized file in less than 13 seconds. V CAST is a consumer-oriented multimedia service that gives customers access to the most comprehensive selection of downloadable music, high-quality videos and the coolest 3D games found anywhere.

For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, please visit www.verizonwireless.com or call 1-800-2 JOIN IN.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 65.7 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 69,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone . For more information, go to: www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at .

About BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc.

BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. is dedicated to providing its members with high-quality, brand name food and merchandise at prices that are significantly lower than the prices found at supermarkets, supercenters, department stores, drug stores and specialty retail stores. BJ's offers low BJ's Member Pricing on a huge selection of top-brand apparel and accessories, small appliances, consumer electronics, fine jewelry, groceries and other quality merchandise.

Headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. is a leading operator of warehouse clubs in the eastern United States. The Company currently operates 177 clubs and 100 gas stations in 16 eastern states. Learn more about BJ's or shop online at www.bjs.com. BJ's is referred to as BJ's Membership Club in the state of Georgia and operates in eight Metro Atlanta locations.