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                                                                      EXHIBIT 99


                            [GENESCO INC. LETTERHEAD]




                               GENESCO INC. AMENDS
                             SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS PLAN

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, August 30, 2000 -- Genesco Inc. (NYSE: GCO) announced
today that it had amended and restated its shareholder rights plan. The
amendments include an extension of the term of the plan, which would have
expired in September, 2000, to August 30, 2010.

        Additionally, the amended and restated plan increases the level of
ownership of the Company's common stock that would trigger the protections
afforded by the plan from 10% to 15% of outstanding stock, except in certain
instances where the Company's board of directors determines that a 10% ownership
trigger would be in the best interests of the Company. The amended and restated
plan also raises the price at which rights may be exercised after a triggering
event to $90 for a unit of preferred stock with economic and voting rights
essentially equivalent to one share of common stock. The amended and restated
plan also makes some more technical changes to the existing plan.

        Genesco, based in Nashville, sells footwear and accessories in more than
765 retail stores in the U.S., principally under the names Journeys, Johnston &
Murphy and Jarman, and on internet websites www.journeys.com and
www.johnstonmurphy.com. The Company also sells footwear at wholesale under its
Johnston & Murphy brand and under the licensed Dockers and Nautica brands.
Additional information on Genesco and its operating divisions may be accessed at
its website www.genesco.com.