Elizabeth Arden Inc. signs multi-year outsourcing packaging and print management contract with Williams Lea

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091027005480/en

NEW YORK--(Business Wire)--
Elizabeth Arden Inc. and Williams Lea, a global business process outsourcing
company, announced today that they have entered into a multi-year procurement
outsourcing contract. Effective immediately, Williams Lea will manage sourcing
activities for Elizabeth Arden's flexible packaging and print requirements.
Williams Lea will deliver process expertise and strategic sourcing capabilities,
which are expected to secure savings and operational efficiencies for Elizabeth
Arden.

Pierre Pirard, SVP of Global Supply Chain for Elizabeth Arden, commented,
"Focusing on our core business through simplification of our business processes
and outsourcing of non-core activities is part of our Global Efficiency
Re-engineering initiative started in late 2007, and Williams Lea is fully
aligned with this effort."

"We are pleased to be partnering with Elizabeth Arden, a leader in the
cosmetics, fragrance and skincare industry. We have created a procurement model
that is both aligned with Elizabeth Arden's global growth goal and will generate
savings and efficiencies over the course of several years," said Justin Barton,
CEO of Williams Lea Americas.

About Williams Lea:

Williams Lea is the leading global provider of Corporate Information Solutions.
As a BPO organization, Williams Lea combines consultancy, unique expertise and
the latest integrated technology to develop solutions that transform the way
organizations communicate and exchange their printed and electronic information.
Williams Lea employs over 10,000 staff across Europe, the US and Asia Pacific
with key centers in London, Dublin, Paris, Frankfurt, Bonn, New York, Chicago,
Los Angeles, Tokyo, Sydney, Hong Kong, Beijing and Chennai. Our clients include
many world leading organizations in sectors such as financial services,
investment banking, legal and professional services, retail telecoms,
automotive, energy, utilities and pharmaceuticals. For more information visit
www.williamslea.com.

About Elizabeth Arden:

Elizabeth Arden is a global prestige beauty products company with an extensive
portfolio of prestige beauty brands sold in over 100 countries. The company's
brand portfolio includes Elizabeth Arden skincare, color, and fragrance
products, PREVAGE anti-aging treatments, the celebrity fragrance brands of
Elizabeth Taylor, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Hilary Duff, and Usher; the
designer fragrance brands of Juicy Couture, Alberta Ferretti, Alfred Sung,
Badgley Mischka, Bob Mackie, GANT, Geoffrey Beene, Liz Claiborne, Halston, Lucky
Brand, Nanette Lepore and Rocawear; and the lifestyle fragrance brands Curve,
Giorgio Beverly Hills, and PS Fine Cologne.

Company Contact: Marcey Becker, Senior Vice President, Finance
(203) 462-5809

Investor/Press Contact: Allison Malkin/Michael Fox
Integrated Corporate Relations
(203) 682-8200

Elizabeth Arden Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

In connection with the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Elizabeth Arden, Inc. is hereby providing
cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause our actual
results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements
(as defined in such act). Any statements that are not historical facts and that
express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives,
assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, indicated
through the use of words or phrases such as "will likely result," "are expected
to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimated," "intends," "plans,"
"believes," "should" and "projects") may be forward-looking and may involve
estimates and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ
materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. These
statements include, but are not limited to, savings and benefits we expect in
connection with the procurement outsourcing contract with Williams Lea. In
addition, any such statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to,
and are accompanied by, the following key factors that have a direct bearing on
our results of operations:

* factors affecting our relationships with our customers or our customers' businesses, including the absence of contracts with customers, our customers' financial condition, and changes in the retail, fragrance and cosmetic industries, such as the consolidation of retailers and the associated closing of retail doors as well as retailer inventory control practices, including, but not limited to levels of inventory carried at point of sale and practices used to control inventory shrinkage;
* risks of international operations, including foreign currency fluctuations, hedging activities, economic and political consequences of terrorist attacks, unfavorable changes in U.S. or international tax laws or regulations, diseases and pandemics and political instability in certain regions of the world;
* our reliance on third-party manufacturers for substantially all of our owned and licensed products and our absence of contracts with suppliers of distributed brands and components for manufacturing of owned and licensed brands;
* delays in shipments, inventory shortages and higher costs of production due to the loss of or disruption in our distribution facilities or at key third party manufacturing or fulfillment facilities that manufacture or provide logistic services for our products;
* our ability to respond in a timely manner to changing consumer preferences and purchasing patterns and other international and domestic conditions and events that impact consumer confidence and demand, such as the current global recession;
* our ability to protect our intellectual property rights;
* the success, or changes in the timing or scope, of our new product launches, advertising and merchandising programs;
* the quality, safety and efficacy of our products;
* the impact of competitive products and pricing;
* our ability to (i) implement our growth strategy and acquire or license additional brands or secure additional distribution arrangements, (ii) successfully and cost-effectively integrate acquired businesses or new brands, and (iii) finance our growth strategy and our working capital requirements;
* our level of indebtedness, our ability to realize sufficient cash flow from operations to meet our debt service obligations and working capital requirements and the restrictive covenants in our revolving credit facility and the indenture for our 7 3/4% senior subordinated notes;
* changes in product mix to less profitable products;
* the retention and availability of key personnel;
* changes in the legal, regulatory and political environment that impact, or will impact, our business, including changes to customs or trade regulations or accounting standards or critical accounting estimates;
* the success of, and costs associated with, our Global Efficiency Re-engineering initiative and related restructuring plan, including our transition to a turnkey manufacturing process, and implementation of our new Oracle financial accounting and order processing system;
* the potential for significant impairment charges relating to our trademark, goodwill or other long-lived assets that could result from a number of factors, including downward pressure on our stock price; and
* other unanticipated risks and uncertainties.

We caution that the factors described herein could cause actual results to
differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements we make
and that investors should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking
statements. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on
which such statement is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any
forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on
which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or
unanticipated events or circumstances. New factors emerge from time to time, and
it is not possible for us to predict all of such factors. Further, we cannot
assess the impact of each such factor on our results of operations or the extent
to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to
differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. This
press release is qualified in its entirety by the cautionary statements and risk
factor disclosure contained in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings,
including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2009.

For further information:
Williams Lea
Michelle Bodick, 212-351-9036
Vice President Marketing
michelle.bodick@williamslea.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009