Whitehall Appoints New Chairman

Whitehall Jewellers appointed Steven J. Pully as Chairman of the Board, replacing Daniel Levy who remains on the Board. Jean K. FitzSimon was appointed Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary.

The appointments of Pully, who has served until now as a director, and FitzSimon are effective immediately.

Pully has served as the President of Newcastle Capital Management since January 2003 and has been with Newcastle Partners since December 2001. He has served as a director, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary of New Century Equity Holdings Corp. since June 2004 and as a director of Pizza Inn, Inc. since December 2002.

From January 2003 to June 2004, he served as Chief Executive Officer of privately-held Pinnacle Frames and Accents, Inc., a domestic picture frame manufacturer.

FitzSimon has served as the General Counsel and a Principal of Bridge Associates, LLC, a New York- based consulting firm since 2002. Prior to joining Bridge, she served in various legal roles for Sears, Roebuck & Co. She chairs the American Bar Association’s Committee on Corporate Compliance, among other professional appointments.