Stater Bros. Announces the Largest Supermarket Chain Sponsored Event in America

Over 600,000 Expected to Attend the 16th Annual Stater Bros. Route 66 Rendezvous Will Run From Thursday, September 15, Through Sunday, September 18, 2005

COLTON, Calif., Sept. 15 -- Stater Bros. Supermarkets is proud to announce its title sponsorship of the biggest car show on the West Coast and the largest Supermarket Chain sponsored event in America. The Stater Bros. Route 66 Rendezvous will begin today and run through Sunday, September 18, along the historic streets of downtown San Bernardino. This is the ninth straight year that Stater Bros. has been the title sponsor.

The 16th Annual Stater Bros. Route 66 Rendezvous is expected to draw a record breaking attendance of over 500,000 car enthusiasts, and there will be 2,448 registered participants showcasing their classic cars, hot rods and custom vehicles. The 2,448 registered cars commemorate the total mileage from Chicago to Santa Monica along the original Route 66 Highway.

The Stater Bros. "Family" Fun Zone will be located in the heart of the event at 4th and "E" Streets in downtown San Bernardino. This exciting promotional area is free and will feature cooking demonstrations, food sampling, live music, and interactive activities for the whole family to enjoy. More than 400 Stater Bros. employees and their family members volunteer their time at the Stater Bros. "Family" Fun Zone.

"Stater Bros. has a time-honored tradition of service to the communities we serve, and it is our privilege to give back to all those communities and especially our 'valued' customers by sponsoring this salute to the 'Mother Road', the Stater Bros. Route 66 Rendezvous," stated Jack H. Brown, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Stater Bros. Markets.

Stater Bros. was founded in 1936 in Yucaipa, California, and has grown steadily through the years to become the largest privately owned Supermarket Chain in California and the largest private employer in both San Bernardino County and Riverside County, with annual sales in 2004 of $3.7 billion. Stater Bros. is the only Inland Empire headquartered company on the 2005 "Fortune 500" list. Stater Bros. also owns and operates Heartland Farms, provider of Knudsen Dairy products to Southern California. The Company currently operates 161 Supermarkets, and there are over 17,000 members of the Stater Bros. "Family" of Employees.