Central Garden & Pet Company Announces U.S. Based Shared Services Center

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) (NASDAQ:CENTA), a leading innovator, marketer and producer of quality branded products for the lawn and garden and pet supplies markets, today announced that the company would establish a new shared services center in Boise, Idaho. The center will provide transactional processing services for the Company’s U.S. operations.

The Company previously announced its intention to transform its operations from a portfolio of companies to an integrated, multi-brand organization, to better support its customers’ needs and to improve the Company’s efficiency and profitability. The transformation program includes the implementation of standardized processes and common financial systems. Central’s action to open a shared services center is in keeping with its goal of centralizing transactional activities in order to drive efficiencies, leverage automation and reduce administrative costs.

The center will begin phasing in operations in June and is expected to be completely staffed within eighteen to twenty-four months. Central will begin recruiting activities for the center immediately, drawing primarily from the sizeable pool of available talent in the area. The new Central facility will serve as a shared service center for select administrative functions beginning with finance and supply chain transactional tasks.

“The consolidation of our transactional processing into a new centralized shared services center will enable us to better serve our customers while streamlining our processes, increasing our efficiency and reducing our costs,” said Lori Varlas, Chief Financial Officer. “We are pleased to locate our center in Boise as it offers considerable advantages, including its experienced and skilled workforce, ease of doing business and low cost profile.”

The Company’s corporate headquarters are based in Walnut Creek, California.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet Company is a leading innovator, marketer and producer of quality branded products for the lawn & garden and pet supplies markets. Committed to new product innovation, our products are sold to specialty independent and mass retailers. Participating categories in Lawn & Garden include: Grass seed and the brands PENNINGTON®, SMART SEED® and THE REBELS®; wild bird feed and the brand PENNINGTON®; weed and insect control and the brands AMDRO®, SEVIN®, IRONITE® and OVER-N-OUT®; and decorative outdoor patio products and the brands NORCAL POTTERY®, NEW ENGLAND POTTERY® and MATTHEWS FOUR SEASONS™. We also provide a host of other regional and application-specific garden brands and supplies. Participating categories in Pet include: Animal health and the brands ADAMS™ and ZODIAC®; aquatics and reptile and the brands OCEANIC SYSTEMS®, AQUEON® and ZILLA®; bird & small animal and the brands KAYTEE®, SUPER PET® and CRITTER TRAIL®; dog & cat and the brands TFH™, NYLABONE®, FOUR PAWS®, PINNACLE® and AVODERM®; and equine and the brands FARNAM®, BRONCO® and SUPER MASK®. We also provide a host of other application-specific pet brands and supplies. Central Garden & Pet Company is based in Walnut Creek, California, and has approximately 4,100 employees, primarily in North America. For additional information on Central Garden & Pet Company, including access to the Company's SEC filings, please visit the Company’s website at www.central.com.

“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The statements contained in this release which are not historical facts, including achieving sustainable long-term growth and improved profitability, forecasted cost reductions and sales increases and improved efficiency and profitability from the Company’s transformation initiatives, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in or implied by forward-looking statements. These risks are described in the Central’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on November 21, 2011, Central’s Quarterly Report on 10-Q, filed on February 2, 2012, as well as other Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Central undertakes no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise.

Central Garden & Pet Company
Steve Zenker, 925-948-3657
VP of Investor Relations & Communications

Source: Central Garden & Pet Company

Released April 19, 2012