Big 5 Sporting Goods Partners With Yowza!! To Bring Sporting Goods Savings Direct To Your Mobile Phone

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Nov. 23, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation (Nasdaq:BGFV), a leading sporting goods retailer, and Yowza!!, a free premier, eco-friendly mobile couponing application for PDAs, today announced their partnership to offer special savings opportunities direct to mobile phone users in the twelve western states in which Big 5 Sporting Goods operates.

Millions of consumers using Yowza!! mobile coupons on the iPhone, iPod touch, Blackberry, Android or Palm Pre (via the Where application) can now take advantage of great deals and discounts at the 396 Big 5 Sporting Goods locations.

"Throughout our 55-year history, we have provided consumers with tremendous values on quality merchandise," said Steven G. Miller, the Company's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "The idea of offering additional convenience and savings directly to opted-in customers while they shop is a very exciting proposition for us.  In September of this year, we entered the social media arena by launching sites on Facebook and Twitter, and now with Yowza!! we are advancing our digital marketing initiatives and look forward to providing great savings to millions of mobile couponing customers."

About Big 5 Sporting Goods

Big 5 is a leading sporting goods retailer in the western United States, operating 396 stores in 12 states under the "Big 5 Sporting Goods" name.  Big 5 provides a full-line product offering in a traditional sporting goods store format that averages 11,000 square feet.  Big 5's product mix includes athletic shoes, apparel and accessories, as well as a broad selection of outdoor and athletic equipment for team sports, fitness, camping, hunting, fishing, tennis, golf, snowboarding and in-line skating. For more information, please visit www.big5sportinggoods.com or join Big 5 on Facebook ( www.facebook.com/big5sportinggoods ) and Twitter ( www.twitter.com/big5since55 ).

About Yowza!!

Launched in June 2009, Yowza!! ( http://www.getyowza.com/ ) ® is a free, paperless, location-based  mobile couponing application designed to save consumers money while driving business to 300 retail and restaurant businesses, in over 15,000 locations nationwide.  With more than five million users – via both the iPhone and iPod touch, as well as on Blackberry, Palm Pre and Android devices through Yowza!!'s partnership with WHERE – Yowza!! provides consumers with deals and discounts, and gives businesses the ability to monitor performance on an up-to-the-minute basis.   Yowza!! was founded by television and film writer/producer/actor Greg Grunberg (from NBC's Love Bites, as well as hit dramas, Heroes, Alias and Felicity) and technology entrepreneur August Trometer. Unlike traditional forms of couponing such as newspaper ads and insertions, the paperless Yowza!! offers are inexpensive to implement, environmentally-friendly, can be updated instantly, and can be targeted per region or particular store location. For more information, visit www.getyowza.com or www.twitter.com/yowza .

CONTACT:  Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation
          Rikke Alderson, Senior Digital Marketing Manager
            [phone], ext. 5554
          Barry Emerson, Sr. Vice President
           and Chief Financial Officer
           [phone]
         
          ICR, Inc.
          John Mills, Senior Managing Director
          [phone]