The Bon-Ton Goodwill® Sale Event Collected More than 2.5 Million Pounds of Donations for Goodwill

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Apr 16, 2014, 08:00 ET

ROCKVILLE, Md., April 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2014 spring Goodwill Sale, a cause-marketing partnership between The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: BONT), and Goodwill Industries International, collected more than 2.5 million pounds of clothing and textiles to benefit Goodwill's job training and employment services. The donations to Goodwill have an estimated value of 10 million dollars in revenue that will be used to fund local programs to help people find jobs and build their careers. In addition, the Bon-Ton Stores raised 482,000 dollars in cash donations to benefit Goodwill's mission through an offer in which shoppers could donate at the register to receive additional coupons. The combined positive impact of donations of goods and cash will provide approximately 344,000 hours of job training services in the communities where they were collected.

During the spring Goodwill Sale, which took place from March 13 to 30, 2014, donors brought their Goodwill donations to The Bon-Ton Stores' 271 Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson's, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's and Younkers store locations. For each item donated, shoppers received discount coupons of up to 25 percent off new spring fashions and accessories. Donations will be sold at Goodwill stores, and revenues earned will fund community services such as financial education, computer classes, and mentoring and career development programs that help people find jobs in industries such as construction, health care, financial services, retail and many others.

"The Bon-Ton family of stores has made a commitment to strengthen our communities and this program exemplifies that mission" said Brendan Hoffman, president and chief executive officer of The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. "We are appreciative of the many customers who continually donate goods during our Goodwill Sale and help people in their communities."

"Many people in our communities are still struggling to find jobs, and donations from the spring Goodwill Sale will have a direct impact in helping them re-enter the workforce," said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "Goodwill is grateful for the generosity of Bon-Ton's shoppers and donors, who demonstrated their commitment to helping their communities with the simple act of cleaning out their closets and donating to Goodwill during the spring event."

Goodwill provides job training and community services to people with disabilities, those who lack education or work experience, and others who face challenges to finding employment. For 20 years, Goodwill and The Bon-Ton Stores have partnered to collect donations to support Goodwill's employment programs. The sale is the largest and longest-standing department store donation drive with Goodwill. The collaboration has generated an estimated potential value of more than $233 million in revenue to support Goodwill's services and programs in local communities.

To learn more about Goodwill's services or to find your local Goodwill agency, visit www.goodwill.org.

About Goodwill Industries International
Goodwill Industries International is a network of 165 community-based agencies in the United States and Canada, with a presence in 14 other countries. Goodwill is one of America's top 25 most inspiring companies (Forbes 2013). Goodwill agencies are innovative and sustainable social enterprises that fund job training programs, employment placement services and other community-based programs by selling donated clothing and household items in more than 2,700 stores and online at shopgoodwill.com^®. Local Goodwill agencies also build revenue and create jobs by contracting with businesses and government to provide a wide range of commercial services, including packaging and assembly, food service preparation, and document imaging and shredding. Last year, more than 6.7 million people in the United States and Canada benefited from Goodwill's career services. Goodwill channels 82 percent of its revenue directly into its programs and services. Visit Goodwill online at www.goodwill.org, Facebook.com/goodwillintl and Twitter.com/goodwillintl.

About The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc.
The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., with corporate headquarters in York, PA, and Milwaukee, WI, operates 271 stores — including 10 furniture galleries — in 25 states in the Northeast, Midwest and Upper Great Plains under the Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson's, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's and Younkers nameplates. The stores offer a broad assortment of national and private-brand fashion apparel and accessories for women, men and children, as well as cosmetics and home furnishings. The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., is an active and positive participant in the communities it serves. For further information, please visit the investor relations section of the company's website at http://investors.bonton.com. Learn more at Facebook.com/bonton, Instagram.com/bontonstyle and Twitter.com/bonton.

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SOURCE Goodwill Industries International