Grainger's Shareholders Approve 13 Board Members and Ratify Auditor Ernst & Young...

Grainger's Shareholders Approve 13 Board Members and Ratify Auditor Ernst &
Young LLP, for 2009 - 2010

CHICAGO, April 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- At the Grainger (NYSE: GWW) annual
shareholder meeting held in Lake Forest, IL, today, Grainger Chairman, Chief
Executive Officer and President James T. Ryan provided an update on state of
the business and a recap of 2008 and 2009 first quarter performance. For a
copy of his speech, go to www.grainger.com/investor.

Shareholders re-elected 13 directors, all of whom were previously serving on
the board. The directors are:

Brian P. Anderson Neil S. Novich
Wilbur H. Gantz Michael J. Roberts
V. Ann Hailey Gary L. Rogers
William K. Hall James T. Ryan
Richard L. Keyser James D. Slavik
Stuart L. Levenick Harold B. Smith
John W. McCarter, Jr.

In addition, the shareholders ratified the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as
independent auditor.

About Grainger
W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE: GWW), with 2008 sales of $6.9 billion, is a leading
broad line supplier of facilities maintenance products serving businesses and
institutions in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China and Panama. Through a
highly integrated network including more than 600 branches, 18 distribution
centers and multiple Web sites, Grainger's employees help customers get the
job done.

SOURCE W.W. Grainger, Inc.

Media, Jan Tratnik, Director, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs,
+1-847-535-4339, or Erin Ptacek, Director, Corporate Brand & Reputation,
+1-847-535-1543, or Investors, Laura Brown, Vice President, Investor
Relations, +1-847-535-0409, or William Chapman, Director, Investor Relations,
+1-847-535-0881, all of W.W. Grainger, Inc.