Press Release

ST. LOUIS (Nov. 1, 2016) – For the third consecutive year, Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc. (NYSE: BBW)—an interactive destination where guests can make their own personalized furry friends­—is one of the Best Workplaces in Retail, according to global research and consulting firm Great Place to Work® and Fortune.

Build-A-Bear Workshop ranked No. 3 on the 2016 list, which is based on employees’ perceptions of their work environment, leadership, cooperation, compensation and other factors essential to employee well-being.

The Best Workplaces in Retail is one of a series of rankings by Great Place to Work® and Fortune based on employee survey feedback from Great Place to Work®-CertifiedTM organizations. Build-A-Bear Workshop also ranked as a best workplace on the following lists by Great Place to Work® and Fortune: the 2016 100 Best Companies to Work For® list (for the eighth consecutive year); the 2016 Best Workplaces for Women list (for the second consecutive year); the 2016 Best Workplaces for Millennials list (for the second consecutive year); the 2016 Best Workplaces for Flexibility list; the 2015 Best Workplaces for Camaraderie list; and the 2015 Best Workplaces for Diversity list.

Methodology
The Best Workplaces in Retail ranking is based entirely upon feedback from more than 23,000 employees at Great Place to Work–Certified companies in the Retail sector who completed our Trust Index© Employee Survey. Employees answered questions about how frequently they experience the behaviors that create a great workplace, which include management’s honesty and ethics, camaraderie among employees, and fair and respectful treatment and clear expectations from management. Results from the survey are highly reliable, having a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of 5% or less. The total score for each company is based entirely upon this employee feedback. The companies with the highest employee ratings compared with organizations of the same size were selected for the list.

About Build-A-Bear
Founded in St. Louis in 1997, Build-A-Bear, a global brand kids love and parents trust, seeks to add a little more heart to life. Build-A-Bear Workshop has approximately 400 stores worldwide where guests can create customizable furry friends, including company-owned stores in the United States, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom and China, and franchise stores in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Mexico and the Middle East. The company was named to the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® list for the eighth year in a row in 2016. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE: BBW) posted a total revenue of $377.7 million in fiscal 2015. For more information, visit buildabear.com.

About The Best Workplaces in Retail 2016
The Best Workplaces in Retail ranking is based entirely upon feedback from more than 23,000 employees at Great Place to Work–Certified companies in the Retail sector who completed our Trust Index© Employee Survey. Employees answered questions about how frequently they experience the behaviors that create a great workplace, which include management’s honesty and ethics, camaraderie among employees, and fair and respectful treatment and clear expectations from management. Results from the survey are highly reliable, having a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of 5% or less. The total score for each company is based entirely upon this employee feedback. The companies with the highest employee ratings compared with organizations of the same size were selected for the list.

About Great Place to Work®
Great Place to Work® is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through proprietary assessment tools, advisory services, and certification programs, including Best Workplaces lists and workplace reviews, Great Place to Work® provides the benchmarks, framework, and expertise needed to create, sustain, and recognize outstanding workplace cultures. In the United States, Great Place to Work® produces the annual Fortune "100 Best Companies to Work For®" and a series of Great Place to Work® Best Workplaces lists, including lists for Millennials, Women, Diversity and over a half dozen different industries.

Follow Great Place to Work® online at www.greatplacetowork.com and on Twitter at @GPTW_US.

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