Online Grocer Expands: TeleGrocer®, adapts 100% Java Technology to Deliver Groceries to Your Computer Desktop

Ottawa, Ontario November 1,1999 - Net Transactional Services Inc. (NTSI) is pleased to announce the expansion of TeleGrocer®, its consumer oriented online grocery shopping service, with the full deployment of TeleGrocer's 100% Java compatible online shopping software across the Ottawa region.

According to Garfield Coore, Chairman and CEO of NTSI, "this marks the culmination of 31/2 years of intensive R&D efforts via our test pilot of the service launched in Ottawa in 1996. Those R&D efforts provided us with unprecedented insights into how the average Canadian consumer shops for their weekly groceries and what are the qualities they look for in an online grocery retailer."

The TeleGrocer® software marks a departure from the current practice of using a text based HTML website which lacks the power and ease of use consumers enjoy when they walk into a traditional bricks and mortar store. The software is available for free at www.telegrocer.com.

Instead of choosing to conduct business from a static HTML website with a limited selection of only 2,000 items like its competitors; TeleGrocer's 100% Java online grocery shopping software leverages the company's superior customer service reputation established through more than 31/2 years in the electronic grocery shopping business. "TeleGrocer® puts the customer at the center of everything it does. As a result, we can unabashedly say that we have the most powerful and user-friendly online grocery shopping system in Canada," stated Mr. Coore.

He further adds, "By partnering with local retailers, our customers have access to over 20,000 items available for sale in the typical grocery store. And since we are TeleGrocer® we had to do more. So we added advanced features to the software that allows our customers to find and select products through multiple search methods. Customers can also view product pictures and nutritional information, have access to all their past orders, provide shopping instructions on an item by item basis, select specific delivery dates and generate automatic complaints to provide feedback to request and receive instant credit refunds."

According to Paulina Sackda, Client Services Manager, "Our customers simply love the service because of the convenience of not having to spend 90 minutes each week in a physical store, nor having to deal with the stress of traffic. As well, 9 out 10 orders shopped by TeleGrocer include perishables such as fresh produce and fresh meats." In the words of one of our customers:

'As the owner of several computer companies, I know how difficult it is to get things going. I found that overall the service/product was excellent. There clearly will be some growing pains, however if my future experiences are at least as good as my first, I think you will do well ... Note that I was quite pleased with all of the fruits/vegetables/meat that I ordered. They were as good if not better than those that I myself would have picked.'

According to Bill Pezoulas, Chief Technology Officer, "To be a global player in the online grocery shopping business, you need to adopt tomorrow's leading edge technologies or risk being left behind by major US players such as Peapod® (NASDAQ: PPOD) and Webvan®. This is why we have adopted Sun's Java technology instead of yesterday's text-based HTML. To be a dominant player on the world stage you don't go to market with yesterday's technology." stated Mr. Pezoulas.

TeleGrocer® (www.telegrocer.com) is a division of NTSI, an Ottawa based privately held electronic commerce organization. The TeleGrocer® online shopping pilot was first launched in 1996 and is one of the first online groceries shopping services in Canada. TeleGrocer® allows consumers to order over 20,000 grocery items available in their local supermarket retailer from the comfort of their homes using a telephone, fax or a computer.

CONTACT: Net Transactional Services Inc. (613) 738-1813: