Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company Announces a Two-For-One Stock Split February 28, 2001 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE On January 23, 2001, the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company's Board of Directors declared a two-for-one stock split. Below are some commonly asked questions regarding the split. Q: When were the record and distribution dates for the split? A: The record date was February 6, 2001 and the distribution date was February 28, 2001. All shareholders of record as of the close of business on February 6, 2001 were eligible to receive one new share for each share held. Q: Were certificates mailed to the Shareholders? A: Yes, IF THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS ARE TRUE: I hold my shares in certificate form (not in a brokerage, 401K, or other street name account), and I am NOT a member of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company Dividend Reinvestment Plan. Q: When were certificates mailed? A: Certificates were mailed on February 28, 2001. Q: To what address were the new certificates mailed? A: The split share certificates were mailed to the address on record as of the close of business on February 6, 2001. Q: If I moved after February 6, the address you currently have on file for my account may be outdated. How will my certificates reach me? A: The certificates were mailed with "Forwarding Address Requested." Therefore, if you filed a change of address form with the United States Postal Service, the split share certificates should have been forwarded to your new address. Also be sure to contact Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company Shareholder Services or EquiServe, our transfer agent, to update your address. Q: What should I do with the stock certificates I already have? A: Your Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company stock certificates continue to be valid and should not be destroyed or returned to the stock transfer agent. Your new certificates will represent the additional shares you receive from the split. Together, the old and the new stock certificates will represent your total number of shares held. Q: What happens if I was eligible to receive a stock certificate and I didn't receive it? A: If you do not receive your certificate by March 15, you will need to let Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company Shareholder Services know in writing to begin the replacement process. Q: I am enrolled in the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company Dividend Reinvestment Plan; how did the split affect me? A: Your Dividend Reinvestment Plan account has been credited appropriately to reflect the additional shares for both full and fractional amounts you are due. You will NOT receive a new stock certificate. You can expect to receive your account statement for the month of March (that will be mailed on or about March 10), which will reflect the credit. Q: I hold my shares in a brokerage account in street name; how did the split affect me? A: Your brokerage firm credited you appropriately to reflect the two-for-one split. You should see a credit for these shares in an upcoming statement from your brokerage house. Q: What is the tax basis in the new shares? A: The effect of the two for one stock split is that the cost basis in each share of Wrigley stock is half the cost of what it was before the split. For example, if your cost basis was $50.00 per share prior to the split, your new cost basis would be $25.00 per share post split. Q: When have Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company shares split previous to the February 2001 split? A: Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company stock has split five times prior to this in its history: September 15, 1992 3-for-1 Split April 4, 1988 2-for-1 Split April 11, 1986 3-for-1 Split* March 21, 1980 2-for-1 Split March 16, 1973 2-for-1 Split *issuance of Class B Common Stock FROM: WM. WRIGLEY JR. COMPANY Christopher J. Perille Director - Corporate Communications Phone: (312) 644-2121 To the extent that statements contained in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements, the following will be deemed to be the Company's meaningful cautionary disclosure regarding such statements. A variety of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed. The important factors that could affect these outcomes are set forth in Exhibit 99 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000. << Back