GREENWICH, Conn., Jan. 3, 2001 -- Blyth, Inc. (NYSE:BTH), a global leader in home fragrance products, has been featured by Forbes Magazine to head its Platinum list of household products companies this year, part of the Forbes Platinum 400. In the January 8, 2001 issue of Forbes, journalist Michael Maiello details Blyth's rapid growth through the 1990s, into European markets and beyond home fragrance into institutional and seasonal decorative products under the leadership of Blyth's Chairman of the Board and CEO, Robert B. Goergen. Blyth's unique presence in multiple channels of distribution, including direct selling through its subsidiary PartyLite Gifts, is credited in part by Forbes for the Company's success over the past decade, as well as for its future prospects.
The Forbes Magazine article, which is on newsstands, is also available via the Internet at http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2001/0108/144.html.
Blyth, Inc.'s Chairman and CEO, Robert B. Goergen, will be interviewed on Friday, January 5th at 1:30 p.m. (EST) by Wall Street Reporter, which will be available in real time via audio Webcast over the Internet, at www.wallstreetreporter.com. An audio replay and transcript will be available shortly thereafter, also at www.wallstreetreporter.com.
Blyth, Inc., headquartered in Greenwich, designs, manufactures and markets an extensive line of candles and home fragrance products including scented candles, potpourri and environmental fragrance products and markets a broad range of related candle accessories and decorative seasonal products. Its products are sold in the United States under various brand names, including Colonial Candle of Cape Cod(r), PartyLite(r), Kate's Original Recipe(tm), Carolina Designs(r), Ambria(tm), Florasense(r), Jeanmarie(r) and FilterMate(r) and in Europe under the Gies, Liljeholmens and Colony brands. It is also a leading producer of portable heating fuel products sold under the Sterno(r) and Handy Fuel(r) brand names. Net Sales for the twelve months ended October 31, 2000 totaled $1,155,758,000.
Blyth, Inc. can be found on the Internet at www.blythinc.com.
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance and underlying assumptions and other statements which are other than statements of historical facts. Actual results could differ materially due to various factors, including the risk of maintaining the Company's growth rate, the Company's ability to respond to increased product demand, the risks (including foreign currency fluctuations) associated with international sales and foreign products, the risks of being able to recruit new independent sales consultants, dependence on key management personnel, competition in terms of price and new product introductions, and other factors described in this press release, in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended October 31, 2000 and in the Company's Annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 2000.