Press Release

ST. LOUIS (March 9, 2017) – Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW)—an interactive destination where Guests can make their own personalized furry friends­—was just named to the 2017 Best Companies to Work For list, according to global research and consulting firm Great Place to Work® and Fortune. This is the ninth consecutive year the retailer has been recognized.

Build-A-Bear Workshop ranked No. 76 out of 100 companies, based on employee ratings of workplace culture, including the level of trust employees feel towards leaders, the pride they take in their jobs and the camaraderie they experience with co-workers. This year marks the 20th year in business for Build-A-Bear Workshop, as well as the 20th anniversary of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list. Great Place to Work research shows that list winners continue to beat industry rivals when it comes to talent retention and demonstrate higher levels of productivity than peers.

“Being named to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list for nine consecutive years is an incredible honor in our 20th year in business,” said Sharon Price John, chief executive offer, Build-A-Bear Workshop. “Our associates create unforgettable experiences and help our Guests make memories every day. We are grateful for their contributions that have made Build-A-Bear Workshop an incredible place to work for nearly two decades.”

The Best Companies to Work For 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 Best Workplaces for Women list (for the second consecutive year); the 2016 Best Workplaces in Retail list (for the second consecutive year); the 2016 Best Workplaces for Diversity (for the second consecutive year); the 2016 Best Workplaces for Millennials list (for the second consecutive year); the 2016 Best Workplaces for Flexibility list; and the 2015 Best Workplaces for Camaraderie list.

For more information about Build-A-Bear Workshop, visit buildabear.com and follow the brand on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

About Build-A-Bear
Celebrating 20 years of business in 2017, Build-A-Bear is a global brand kids love and parents trust that 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 ninth year in a row in 2017. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) posted a total revenue of $364.2 million in fiscal 2016. For more information, visit buildabear.com.

About The Fortune 100 Best Companies To Work For®
To identify the 100 Best Companies to Work For®, each year Fortune partners with Great Place to Work to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America. The ranking is based on feedback from more than 232,000 employees at Great Place to Work–Certified™ companies with more than 1,000 employees.

Winning a spot on this list indicates the company has distinguished itself from peers by creating a great place to work for employees – measured and ranked through our analysis of the results of our Trust Index© survey and Culture Audit© questionnaire. 

Through the Trust Index©, employees anonymously assess their workplace, including the honesty and quality of communication by managers, degree of support for employees' personal and professional lives and the authenticity of relationships with colleagues. Results from the survey are highly reliable, having a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of 5% or less. Companies' results on the Trust Index© survey are compared to peer organizations of like size and complexity. The Culture Audit© includes detailed questions about benefits, programs and practices.

To be considered for our Best Workplaces lists, companies must become Great Place to Work-Certified™. Details are available at https://www.greatplacetowork.com/certification

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, Small and Medium Companies and over a half dozen different industries. Great Place to Work® provides executive advisory and culture consulting services to businesses, non-profits, and government agencies in over 50 countries across six continents.
Follow Great Place to Work online at www.greatplacetowork.com and on Twitter at @GPTW_US.

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