GREENWICH, Conn., June 6, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Blyth, Inc. (NYSE:BTH), a leader in the candles, home fragrance and decorative accessories industry, today announced the election of Carol Hochman to its Board of Directors.
Ms. Hochman is President & Chief Executive Officer of Danskin, Inc., a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of women's activewear, dancewear and legware sold in multiple channels of distribution. Prior to her appointment to Danskin in 1999, Ms. Hochman held the position of Group President, Accessories at Liz Claiborne, Inc., where she had held positions of increased responsibility over 20 years. During that time she led the Handbag & Small Leather Goods division, the Fashion Accessories division and the Jewelry division. Ms. Hochman's responsibilities at Liz Claiborne, Inc. also included membership on the Executive Council, the corporate advisory body, and on the board of the Liz Claiborne Foundation. Prior to her roles at Liz Claiborne, Inc., Ms. Hochman spent six years in the International Division of May Department Stores. She received her B.A. from The Queens College, City University of New York, in 1971 and today serves as a Trustee on its foundation. Ms. Hochman lives in New York City with her husband and two sons.
Commenting on Carol Hochman's appointment to the Board of Directors, Robert B. Goergen, Blyth's Chairman of the Board and CEO, said: "Carol's wealth of experience in companies that sell fashionable and emotional products that make personal statements to women, as well as her management capabilities across several distribution channels in numerous countries, make her a superb addition to Blyth's Board of Directors. Our management team, fellow Board members and shareholders stand to benefit from her unique perspective."
Blyth, Inc., headquartered in Greenwich, CT, USA, designs, manufactures and markets an extensive line of candles and home fragrance products including scented candles, potpourri and other fragranced products, as well as tabletop illumination products and portable heating fuel, and markets a broad range of related candle accessories. Its products are sold direct to the consumer under the PartyLite(r) brand, to retailers in the mid-tier and premium retail channels, under the Colonial Candle of Cape Cod(r), Kate's(tm) and Carolina(r) brands, in the mass retail channel under the Florasense(r), Ambria(tm) and FilterMate(r) brands and to the Foodservice industry, under the Ambria(tm), Sterno(r) and HandyFuel(r) brand names. In Europe, its products are also sold under the Gies, Ambria, Carolina, Colonial and Wax Lyrical brands. Blyth also markets a broad range of Creative Expressions products, including home decor and giftware products under the CBK(tm) brand, seasonal products under the Midwest of Cannon Falls(r) and Impact(tm) brands, and paper-related products under the Jeanmarie(r) brand. Net Sales for the twelve months ended January 31, 2002 totaled $1,199 million.
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 current slowing of the United States economy as a whole and the continuing weakness of the retail environment, the effects of our restructuring, the risk that we will be unable to maintain the Company's historic growth rate, the Company's ability to respond appropriately to changes in product demand, the risks (including foreign currency fluctuations, economic and political instability, transportation delays, difficulty in maintaining quality control, trade and foreign tax laws and others) associated with international sales and foreign products, risks associated with our ability to recruit new independent sales consultants, our dependence on key management personnel, risks associated with the sourcing of raw materials for our products, competition in terms of price and new product introductions, and other factors described in this press release and in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 2002.