99 Cents Only Stores® Adds 40 Natural Gas Trucks to Fleet; Establishes One of Largest Natural Gas Private Fleets in Southern California

COMMERCE, Calif., Sept. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- 99 Cents Only Stores^® announced it has leased 40 new compressed natural gas (CNG) powered tractors from Ryder. These tractors will replace its oldest diesel burning units with cleaner CNG rigs, making it one of the largest private Class-8 CNG fleets in Southern California.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110214/LA47195LOGO-a)  

"We are pleased to announce that we not only plan to continue offering our valued customers the best selection of products at the lowest possible prices, but have also made a commitment to our community and global environment by converting a significant portion of our delivery trucks to compressed natural gas," said Eric Schiffer, CEO. "We expect to reduce the carbon footprint of the fleet and its CO2 emissions by up to 25 percent. This will positively impact both our customers and the communities our stores serve."

The new CNG trucks will operate exclusively in the Southern California market, making store deliveries and picking up goods from vendors. As part of its full-service lease, Ryder will provide both the CNG tractors as well as maintenance for the vehicles.

"We are confident that this new equipment is well suited to service our 165 Southern California stores, many of which are in densely populated areas," said Jim Parros, Sr. Vice President of Logistics, "We chose to work with Ryder for a number of key reasons, none more important than our confidence in their capabilities to provide maintenance for the new CNG engine platform and their commitment to service, which is particularly critical when dealing with new technology."

99 Cents Only Stores^® will celebrate its next store opening in Sanger, CA on Thursday, September 20th by selling 22" flat screen televisions for 99 cents to the first 9 customers in line.

Since its founding in 1982, the chain has expanded to 302 extreme value stores in four states consisting of 221 stores in California, 37 in Texas, 29 in Arizona, and 15 in Nevada. 99 Cents Only Stores^® emphasizes quality name-brand consumables, priced at an excellent value, in convenient, attractively merchandised stores. About half of the Company's sales come from food and beverages; including fruits and vegetables, dairy, deli and frozen foods, along with organic and gourmet foods.

Contact:

99 Cents Only Stores^® news releases and information are available on the Company's website at www.99only.com For further information, including participating stores, media interviews, press photos and the like, contact Erin Myrick (323) 864-0025 or [email protected].

SOURCE 99 Cents Only Stores