SPAR Group Appoints Veteran Health and Beauty Care Industry Executive to Board

SPAR Group Appoints Veteran Health and Beauty Care Industry Executive to Board

TARRYTOWN, N.Y., June 28, 2001--SPAR Group Inc. (Nasdaq:SGRP) today announced the appointment of Jerry B. Gilbert to its board of directors, increasing the board to five members.

A 39-year veteran of the health and beauty care industry, Gilbert (67) was corporate vice president of customer relations for Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) Consumer and Personal Care Group of Companies, from 1989 until he retired in 1997. He joined J&J in 1958 as a sales representative and subsequently held a variety of executive positions, including group product director and director of national accounts and trade relations.

His customer relations responsibilities included: J&J Consumer Products Inc., J&J-Merck Consumer Pharmaceutical Co., the McNeil Consumer Products Co., Personal Products Co., the Neutrogena Corp. and the J&J Sales & Logistics Co.

"We are extremely pleased that Jerry Gilbert has accepted our invitation to join the board of directors. His extensive consumer and health and beauty care experience and expertise will provide us with additional direction and strategic insight as we continue our growth," said Robert G. Brown, chairman and chief executive officer of SPAR Group.

Gilbert joins recently appointed board member Jack W. Partridge, a 25-year veteran of the food industry and former vice chairman of the Grand Union Co.; and Robert O. Aders, president emeritus of the Food Marketing Institute, Acting Secretary of Labor in the Ford Administration and former chairman of the Kroger Co.

Gilbert has been active in health and beauty care industry organizations for almost four decades, serving on the advisory boards of the Food Marketing Institute, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the General Merchandise Distributors Council, where he was elected the first president of the GMDC Educational Foundation.

He was intensely involved for more than 10 years with the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) as either chair or co-chair of the Business Program at the NACDS Annual Meeting. Highly respected throughout the industry, he was honored with lifetime achievement awards from GMDC, Chain Drug Review, Drug Store News and the Food Marketing Institute.

He is also a recipient of the prestigious NACDS Begley Award, as well as the National Wholesalers Druggist Association (NWDA) Tim Barry Award. In June 1997, Gilbert received an Honorary Doctor of Letters Degree from Long Island University.

Gilbert graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in business administration in 1958. He served in the Marine Corps from 1953-1955.

SPAR Group Inc., a diversified marketing services company, provides a broad array of productivity-enhancing products and services to help Fortune 1000 companies improve their sales, operating efficiency and profits. Organized into four operating divisions, SPAR provides in-store merchandising, database and research services through its Merchandising Division in general retail, mass market, drug and grocery chains.

Through its Incentive Division, the company provides a wide variety of consulting, creative, program administration, travel and merchandising fulfillment services to companies seeking to retain, train and motivate employees to higher levels of productivity.

Through its Internet Division, the company provides a series of Internet productivity improvement applications designed to help companies increase operating efficiencies and train employees in remote locations.

SPAR's International Division, through a joint venture with a large Japanese wholesaler, is poised to provide in-store merchandising, database and research services in general retail, mass market, drug and grocery chains.

Contacts:

SPAR Group Inc., Tarrytown
Charles Cimitile
914/332-4100
     
PondelWilkinson MS&L, Los Angeles
Gary S. Maier
310/207-9300