ACKLANDS-GRAINGER LAUNCHES NEW 2006 CATALOGUE FEATURING INDUSTRYS BROADEST SELECTION OF INDUSTRIAL, FLEET AND SAFETY SUPPLIES

May 15, 2006 – Richmond Hill, ON — Acklands-Grainger Inc., Canadas largest supplier of industrial, fleet and safety products has announced the launch of its new 2006 catalogue. The new catalogue contains the industrys broadest selection of industrial products in any single Canadian publication with more than 42,000 items.

Our customers have told us they want easier access to more maintenance, repair and operations products, says Doug Harrison, President, Acklands-Grainger Inc. The 2006 Acklands-Grainger catalogue, with more than 5,100 new products and over 1,500 pages of quality brand-name and private label items, is designed to do just that — make it easier for our customers to find the right industrial, fleet and safety products to fit their needs.

The 2006 catalogue contains new products across a broad product line including tools, metalworking, electrical, facilities maintenance, material handling safety and fleet equipment. The new products in the catalogue are clearly and easily identified by their own New icon, and products serviced/repaired by Acklands-Graingers National Technical Services team are also identified by their own symbol.

For those who prefer to source products online, every product in the new Acklands-Grainger catalogue can be purchased from www.acklandsgrainger.com. The recently enhanced Web site features improved functionality including a more powerful search engine. As a result, more and more of Acklands-Grainger customers have discovered how fast, convenient and secure ordering their products from www.acklandsgrainger.com can be.

Our goal is to help our customers save time and money by enhancing the purchasing process, and we continue to look for new and improved ways of doing that, says Harrison.

The new catalogue, printed in both English and French, will be distributed to customers in person by their Account Manager, or customers may contact their local branch. In conjunction with the launch of the catalogue, a promotional flyer featuring more than 30 products at significant, limited-time special prices will also be available.

About Acklands-Grainger Inc.
Acklands-Grainger Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of W.W. Grainger, Inc. The company provides total MRO (Maintenance, Repair, Operating) solutions to help its customers run their businesses more efficiently through a network of over 160 branches, five distribution centres and over 2,200 employees from coast to coast. As the industry leader, Acklands-Grainger allows companies to deal with one vendor, one invoice and one shipment, enabling them to save time and money. More information can be obtained on the company and its products through its bilingual website, at www.acklandsgrainger.com.

For more information:
Douglas J. Harrison,
President,
ACKLANDS-GRAINGER INC.
(905) 709-5585
1-800 668-8989 Ext: 5585
Fax: (905) 709-5541
email: harrisond@agi.ca