Press Release Details

MELVILLE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 22, 2004--Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC), the largest distributor of healthcare products and services to office-based dental, medical, and veterinary practitioners in the combined North American and European markets, announced today that it was named to the 2004 Fortune Top 500 list of largest companies in the United States.

Headquartered in Melville, New York, Henry Schein entered the list at #487. The Company posted a record $3.4 billion in sales during 2003, an increase of 18.7 percent from the previous year. Fortune's annual ranking is based on the companies' sales figures as reported in financial statements for 2003.

"This is an important and gratifying milestone in our Company's 72-year history," said Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Henry Schein. "Our inclusion in the Fortune 500 is the result of the soundness of our strategic vision, our overriding dedication to customer service, and the ability of nearly 8,000 Team Schein Members to collectively focus our efforts on achieving a common goal. We have come a long way from our beginnings as a storefront drugstore in Woodside, New York, but this achievement is just one more step in an ongoing process. I firmly believe that our Company's best years are yet to come."

This year's ranking appears in Fortune magazine's April 5 edition, and the 2004 list marks the Top 500's 50th Anniversary.

About Henry Schein

Recognized for its excellent customer service and low prices, Henry Schein's four business groups--Dental, Medical, International and Technology--serve more than 425,000 customers worldwide. Its clients include over 75 percent of the estimated 120,000 U.S. office-based dental practices, nearly two-thirds of the Canadian dental practices, and 15,000 dental laboratories; 45 to 50 percent of the estimated 230,000 U.S. office-based physician practices, as well as surgical centers and alternate-care settings; over 70 percent of the estimated 24,000 U.S. veterinary clinics; over 170,000 office-based dental, medical and veterinary practices, primarily in Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Latin America; and government and other institutions providing healthcare services.

The Company operates through a centralized and automated distribution network, which provides customers in more than 125 countries with a comprehensive selection of over 90,000 national and Henry Schein private-brand products. Henry Schein also offers a wide range of innovative value-added practice solutions, including such leading practice management software systems as DENTRIX(R) and Easy Dental(R) for dental practices, and AVImark(R) for veterinary clinics, which are installed in over 50,000 practices; and ArubA(R), Henry Schein's electronic catalog and ordering system.

Headquartered in Melville, N.Y., Henry Schein employs nearly 8,000 people in 16 countries. For more information, visit the Henry Schein Web site at www.henryschein.com.

Certain information contained herein includes information that is forward-looking. The matters referred to in forward-looking statements may be affected by the risks and uncertainties involved in the Company's business. These forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

CONTACT: Henry Schein, Inc.
Steven Paladino, 631-843-5500
or
Susan Vassallo, 631-843-5562
svassa@henryschein.com

SOURCE: Henry Schein, Inc.