Central Garden & Pet Promotes Paul Hibbert to Senior Vice President, Supply Chain

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 the promotion of Paul Hibbert to Senior Vice President, Supply Chain reporting to Gus Halas, President and Chief Executive Officer of Central Operating Companies. Mr. Hibbert will be responsible for all aspects of the Company’s consolidated supply chain operations including manufacturing, warehousing, procurement, inventory management and distribution.

“An efficient and effective supply chain and logistics network is fundamental to meeting our customers’ needs,” said Mr. Halas. “Paul has played a key role in improving the supply chain during his tenure at Central Garden & Pet. To better serve our customers and leverage our resources and expertise, we have consolidated our supply chain resources into one organization supporting both our Garden and Pet operations with Paul at the helm. Paul’s experience and leadership uniquely qualifies him for this role as we focus on delivering a quality customer experience and delivering savings and synergies throughout Central’s supply chain operation.”

A seasoned supply chain veteran with more than 23 years of experience, Mr. Hibbert has been with Central Garden & Pet for 2 years. He previously held senior level positions with supply chain responsibilities at Spectrum Brands Holdings and Bio-Lab, Inc.

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^TM 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®, 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®, 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 4,300 employees, primarily in North America and Europe. 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 the potential for price increases to cover rising input costs and top-line and bottom-line growth over the long-term, 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 November 19, 2010, and Central’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed August 4, 2011, and 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
Investor Relations

Source: Central Garden & Pet Company

Released October 19, 2011