For Immediate Release Contact: Jeff Lambert, Tara Powers Lambert, Edwards & Associates, Inc. 616.233.0500 or (jlambert@lambert-edwards.com)

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan, July 10, 2002 - National retailer Family Christian Stores®, Inc. today announced that President and CEO Les Dietzman will retire from the company effective in mid-July. Dave Browne, former CEO of Cincinnati-based LensCrafters, Inc., has been selected to serve as Dietzman's successor.

Mr. Les Dietzman

Dietzman, 59, will continue to serve on the board of directors for the 330-store Christian retail chain and consult with the Company. Dietzman joined Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Family Christian Stores® from Wal-Mart, Inc. in 1992 when the chain was owned by Christian publisher Zondervan. As CEO, Dietzman led a management buyout in 1994, changed the name from Family Bookstores to Family Christian Stores® and expanded nationally. Under Dietzman's leadership, the company quadrupled sales volume and grew from 125 stores in 1992 to its current 330 stores in 39 states, making it the largest Christian retail chain in the country.

"The 10 years I spent at Family Christian Stores® were the highlight of my 35-year retail career, as I had the wonderful and rare opportunity to combine business and ministry in a job that I loved," Dietzman said. "I have been blessed to work with a tremendous team of people who share a common vision and mission to impact lives for Christ through our work. I will miss the daily interaction with them, but I am grateful that the company is positioned well for future growth. I look forward to what God has in store for me in the next stage of my life including my new position as Chairman of the Board for Spring Arbor University. My prayers will continue to be with Family Christian Stores® and its wonderful people."

Dave Browne, 43, a marketing and retail veteran will succeed Dietzman as CEO later this summer.

"We appreciate Les' vision and contributions in building Family Christian Stores® into a national retail chain and wish him well in his ministry pursuits," said Benjamin Chereskin, chairman of the board of Family Christian Stores®. "At the same time, we are excited to have such a strong and seasoned leader in Dave Browne to take the reins at Family Christian Stores®. Dave's track record at LensCrafters includes rapid store expansion, strong same-store sales growth and brand development, all of which will be relevant to Family Christian Stores® as we look to re-commit resources toward growth in the under-served, but growing $5 billion Christian products market.

"Equally, if not more important is his passion and heart for ministry, which make him an ideal fit to drive the business and ministry objectives of Family Christian Stores®," added Chereskin.

Browne joins Family Christian Stores® after 13 years with LensCrafters, where he served as President and CEO for nine years as well as co-CEO of LensCrafters' Italian parent company, eyeglass maker and marketer Luxottica Group S.p.A. Under Browne's leadership, LensCrafters grew to become North America's largest optical retail chain with more than 850 stores and revenues over $1.1 billion. Browne directed LensCrafters' rapid national expansion strategy that resulted in sustained record sales, profits and customer satisfaction ratings. He also led the company through its purchase by Luxottica in 1995 and subsequently headed the acquisition of the Bausch & Lomb Eyewear Division.

Browne left LensCrafters in late 1999 and has spent the past few years actively involved in ministry work, including serving as chairman of Athlete's in Action, an international sports-based ministry and a division of Campus Crusade for Christ International.

"I am excited and feel called to join Family Christian Stores®. I look forward to working with the great team assembled there," said Browne. "The Christian lifestyle industry continues to grow and I am energized to fulfill a higher calling, yet win by measures of the world at Family Christian®. Our focus at Family will be to intensely understand the changing needs of Christian consumers and exceed their expectations with a value added, servant's heart retail experience."

Browne received several honors and awards for his work at LensCrafters, which was named as one of Fortune magazine's top 100 companies to work for in 1998 and 1999. Browne was named Man of the Year by the Louis Braille Association and Prevent Blindness America for his efforts to promote optical health through free eye screenings, donations of eye glasses and other initiatives aimed at helping the poor or under-served in the U.S. and abroad. In 1994, Browne received the President's Volunteer Action Award, the highest honor bestowed for volunteerism by the White House, for LensCrafters' Give the Gift of Sight program, which gathered and distributed millions of recycled pairs of glasses to needy people around the world.

A native of Philadelphia, Browne received a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. He serves on the Board of Liquid Metal Technologies, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and the Anthony Munoz Foundation.

Family Christian Stores® is the nation's largest Christian retailer with approximately 330 stores in 39 states. Family Christian Stores' mission is to offer the broadest selection of high-quality, Christian products of exceptional value in a family environment. Family Christian Stores® locations offer thousands of products including Christian books and Bibles, music, gifts and cards, apparel, children's merchandise and church supplies.

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