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Anixter International Inc. Announces the Acquisition of IMS Inc.

Robert Londin, a partner in the Jaspan Schlesinger LLP Corporate Department, represented Anixter International Inc. (the worlds’ leading distributor of communication products, electrical and electronic wire & cable; NYSE:AXE) in Anixter’s approximately $30,000,000 cash acquisition of IMS, Inc. The press release marking the successful acquisition by Anixter and the JSH deal team follows:

GLENVIEW, IL, May 30, 2006 – Anixter International Inc. (NYSE: AXE), the world’s leading distributor of communication products, electrical and electronic wire & cable and a leading distributor of fasteners and other small parts (“C” Class inventory components) to Original Equipment Manufacturers (“OEMs”), today announced that it had acquired all of the outstanding shares of IMS, Inc. (“IMS”).

Manchester, CT-based IMS is a wire & cable distributor that complements its product offering with a broad array of valued-added services and inventory management programs to the Original Equipment Manufacturers (“OEM”) and Electronic Manufacturing Services (“EMS”) companies. For the full year 2005 IMS had sales of approximately $36 million, primarily in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Anixter paid $28.5 million, in cash, for all of the outstanding shares of IMS at the closing.

Commenting on the acquisition, Bob Grubbs, President and CEO of Anixter, said, “We are pleased to have acquired IMS and the excellent team of people involved at the company. It is a great addition to our existing electrical and electronic wire & cable product and service offering to the OEM and EMS marketplaces. This acquisition will leverage our existing infrastructure and provide us with an improved position in this important component of the overall electrical wire & cable market. We expect this transaction to be immediately accretive to earnings.”

“In today’s world, where every customer is looking for a competitive advantage, service programs that effectively manage the customer’s total cost of procuring and deploying product are highly valued and growing rapidly. This acquisition fits with our strategy of acquiring distribution businesses that have a significant supply chain component to their customer offering,” said Grubbs.

About Anixter

Anixter International is the world’s leading distributor of communication products, electrical and electronic wire & cable and a leading distributor of fasteners and other small parts (“C” Class inventory components) to Original Equipment Manufacturers. The company adds value to the distribution process by providing its customers access to 1) innovative inventory management programs, 2) more than 325,000 products and over $725 million in inventory, 3) 197 warehouses with more than 5 million square feet of space, and 4) locations in 220 cities in 45 countries. Founded in 1957 and headquartered near Chicago, Anixter trades on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AXE.