AMCON Year-to-Date Profits Up 145%
                     PR Newswire - May 10, 1999 19:04
                     OMAHA, Neb., May 10 /PRNewswire/ -- AMCON Distributing Company (Nasdaq: DIST), an                    Omaha-based consumer products distributor, reported net income for the six months ended March 31,                    1999, of $2,304,846 or $0.90 per diluted share, compared to $940,020 or $0.38 per diluted share for the                    prior year, an increase of 145%. Sales for the six months were $172.3 million, a 28.7% increase over                    comparable sales for the prior year period. 
                     Sales for the second quarter, ended March 31, 1999, were $90.0 million, a 30.6% increase over sales                    of $68.9 million for the second quarter of the prior year. Net income for the second quarter was                    $861,446 or $0.34 per diluted share, compared to $268,244 or $0.11 per diluted share for the second                    quarter of the prior year. 
                     William F. Wright, Chairman, said, "Sales and net income growth for the second quarter reflected                    substantial price increase on cigarettes, the benefit of which was reduced by $1.4 million pre-tax from                    our election of the LIFO method for inventories. The nonrecurring portion of the benefits associated                    with the price increases has now been fully realized in our operating results. We continue to be                    pleased with the growth from our existing businesses and expect our recent acquisitions in the health                    food industry, U.S. Health (at the wholesale level) and Chamberlin Natural Foods, Inc. (at the retail                    level), to significantly contribute to operations in the future." 
                     AMCON is a leading wholesale distributor of consumer products including beverages, candy, tobacco,                    groceries, food service, and health and beauty care products, with seven distribution centers in                    Kansas, Missouri (2), Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. Food For Health Co.,                    Inc. ("FFH"), which serves the western and southern United States, is a leading wholesale distributor                    of health and beauty care products, dairy and frozen foods, and organic produce. FFH has three                    facilities located in Texas, Arizona and Florida. Chamberlin Natural Foods, Inc., a wholly-owned                    subsidiary of FFH, operates six health and natural product retail stores in central Florida. Chamberlin                    was designated last year by a trade publication as the number one health food retail chain in America. 
                     This news release contains forward looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties and                    which reflect management's current beliefs and estimates of future economic circumstances, industry                    conditions, company performance and financial results. A number of factors could affect the future                    results of the Company and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in our                    forward looking statements. Moreover, past financial performance should not be considered a reliable                    indicator of future performance. Accordingly, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward                    looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, with respect to                    all such forward looking statements. 
                     Visit AMCON Distributing Company's web site at: www.amcon-dist.com 
                                               AMCON Distributing Company                                            Selected Financial Information                              for the three and six-months ended March 31, 1999 and 1998                                                      Unaudited)
                                                 For the three months         For the six months                                                   ended March 31              ended March 31                                                  1999          1998         1999          1998
                         Sales              $90,039,560   $68,946,009 $172,348,320  $133,894,568                        Net income            $861,446      $268,244   $2,304,846      $940,020
                         Earnings share                          Basic                  $0.35         $0.11        $0.93         $0.38                          Diluted                $0.34         $0.11        $0.90         $0.38
                         Weighted average shares                          outstanding:                            Basic            2,479,903     2,449,903    2,479,903     2,449,903                            Diluted          2,571,471     2,526,365    2,570,001     2,504,195
                     SOURCE AMCON Distributing Company 
                     /CONTACT: Michael D. James of AMCON Distributing Company, 402-331-3727,                     or fax, 402-331-4834/ 
                     /Web site: amcon-dist.com    |