BESTWAY, INC. ANNOUNCES FISCAL 2004 FOURTH QUARTER AND YEAR END RESULTS

Same store revenues increase 7.1%
Eight consecutive quarters of increased same store revenues

(Dallas, Texas – October 8, 2004) Bestway, Inc. (NASDAQ: BSTW), today reported financial results for its fourth quarter and full year ended July 31, 2004.

For the three months ended July 31, 2004, revenue increased 7.9% to $9,845,031, compared to $9,125,742 for the fourth quarter of last year. Same store revenues (revenues earned in stores operated for the entirety of both periods) increased 7.1% in the quarter. Net earnings, after a charge of $43,649 for a legal matter currently on appeal, decreased to $54,078, or $.03 per share on a diluted basis, compared to $94,553, or $.05 per share on a diluted basis, a year ago. Without this significant item, net income would have been $97,727, or $.05 per share on a diluted basis.

For the full year ended July 31, 2004, revenue increased 6.8% to $37,916,130, compared to $35,506,828 for the same period of 2003. Same store revenues increased 6.4% for the year. Net earnings for the full year increased to $365,801, or $.20 per share on a diluted basis, compared to $47,588, or $.03 per share on a diluted basis, last year.

“People, products and programs continue to be our primary focus,” commented David A. Kraemer, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Focusing on these key drivers and initiatives, along with a targeted marketing campaign has allowed us to continue our momentum through 2004 and into 2005. Results from these initiatives are encouraging, which I feel is a testament to our team’s ability to execute our plan. In fiscal 2005, we intend to grow our store count through new store openings, as well as seek out acquisitions that meet our return on investment criteria.”

Bestway, Inc. owns and operates a total of sixty-nine rent-to-own stores located in the southeastern United States. These stores generally offer high quality brand name merchandise such as home entertainment equipment, appliances, furniture and computers under flexible rental purchase agreements that generally allow the customer to obtain ownership of the merchandise at the conclusion of an agreed upon rental period.

This press release and the guidance above contain various “forward-looking statements” that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements represent the Company’s expectations or beliefs concerning future events. Any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of the Company are subject to uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. These uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, (i) the ability of the Company to open or acquire additional rental-purchase stores on favorable terms, (ii) the ability of the Company to improve the performance of such acquired stores and to integrate such opened or acquired stores into the Company’s operations, (iii) the impact of state and federal laws regulating or otherwise affecting rental-purchase transactions, (iv) the impact of general economic conditions in the United States and (v) the impact of terrorist activity, threats of terrorist activity and responses thereto on the economy in general and the rental-purchase industry in particular. Undue reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of the Company as such statements speak only as of the date made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, the occurrence of future events or otherwise.