Marathon Ashland Petroleum Llc And The Procter & Gamble Company Enter Agreement To Test Innovative Folgers Café Concept

FINDLAY, OHIO, Oct. 3, 2002 - Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC and The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) have entered into an agreement to pilot the innovative "Folgers Café" program in several Marathon-branded convenience stores in the Midwest and the Southeast. Under this program, qualifying Marathon-branded stores would carry the exclusive "Folgers Café" logo as the primary branding on the exterior of the building, complemented by distinctive mountain-sunrise interior graphics reflecting the Folgers logo and "Wakin' Up" theme. The stores will have outstanding hot beverage and foodservice offerings inside. The first, of up to 100 test stores, is expected to open in October 2002 with full rollout of the program targeted for January 2003.

"We firmly believe that powerful national brands like Folgers communicate quality and are valued greatly by our consumers," said Mary Ellen Peters, MAP senior vice president, marketing. "As the cornerstone of MAP's Marathon® Brand Marketing strategy to partner with major consumer brands, the Folgers program will greatly enhance the ability of our reseller customers to participate in the growing, high-value, early morning part of the convenience store business. This is another example of the innovative and value-adding programs that MAP continues to develop for its Marathon-branded customers."

P&G Marketing Director, Chris Hood, Commercial Business said, "Procter & Gamble is pleased to provide our consumers with Folgers, "the best part of waking up," at Marathon Brand stores. P&G's strategy has been to provide Folgers to more of our consumers when they are away from home. This relationship is a win for each partner-P&G's brands and technologies can improve Marathon Brand offerings, while our consumers will have increased availability of Folgers."

Based in Findlay, Ohio, Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC (MAP) is the nation's sixth largest refiner with 935,000 barrels-per-day capacity in its seven-refinery system. MAP's retail marketing system comprises approximately 6,000 locations in 15 states, more than half of which are Marathon® Brand locations. MAP serves the Midwest and Southeast as a wholesale marketer with 86 light product and asphalt terminals and access, through lease or ownership interest, to about 8,000 miles of pipeline. MAP is a limited liability company owned 62 percent by Marathon Oil Company and 38 percent by Ashland Inc.

P&G is celebrating 165 years of providing trusted quality brands that make every day better for the world's consumers. We market nearly 300 brands - including Pampers, Tide, Ariel, Always, Whisper, Pantene, Bounty, Pringles, Folgers, Charmin, Downy, Lenor, Iams, Crest, Actonel, Olay and Clairol Nice 'n Easy - in more than 160 countries around the world. The P&G community consists of nearly 102,000 employees working in almost 80 countries worldwide. Please visit www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

For more information about P&G's Away-From-Home Hot Beverage Programs, please call 1-800-332-RSVP (7787).