September 2002

Wetzel's Pretzels Announces 4.4% Increase in September Same Store Sales

PASADENA, CA -- Wetzel's Pretzels announced that domestic system-wide comparable store sales rose 4.4 percent in the five week period ending September 29, 2002. Rick Wetzel, President and co-founder said, "We are very pleased with our performance in this period, especially in light of weak mall traffic reports. This is certainly a strong vote from our customers that our great tasting guilt-free snacks are more relevant than ever." With year to date same store sales slightly positive, Wetzel's Pretzels expects to end the year with annual same store sales up between 2 and 3 percentage points versus year ago.

Separately, the company announced that it has opened a pretzel bakery in the Hawk Walk inside Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The company already operates stadium pretzel bakeries in Staples Center and Dodger Stadium, both in Los Angeles. This opening is part of a company initiative to expand beyond malls into more non-traditional venues
Corporate Profile

Wetzel's Pretzels LLC is a privately held company operating over 200 company, franchise and licensed units throughout the United States, Australia, Canada, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Rick Wetzel brought his childhood taunts of "Hey Wetzel, you pretzel" to life when he and his partner Bill Phelps tied the entrepreneurial knot to form Wetzel's Pretzels in 1994. Wetzel's Pretzels has quickly 'risen' to the top since the opening of its first unit in Redondo Beach, California and has become the model of a successful business. The Pasadena-based company is known best for its hand-rolled and freshly baked '30 Minutes Fresh' soft pretzels. For more information about Wetzel's Pretzels, please visit the company's website at www.wetzels.com or contact Karen Correa at (626) 432-6900.