Central Garden & Pet Company Postpones Public Offering and Sale to Chairman and Withdraws Preliminary Fourth Quarter 2007 Guidance

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WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) (NASDAQ:CENTA) today announced that it is postponing its planned Class A common stock public offering and concurrent private placement to its Chairman.

Separately, the Company said that the trends that had contributed to softness in its garden and pet businesses earlier in the year had not abated through August and early September. Accordingly, the Company has determined to withdraw its previously announced guidance for the fiscal quarter ending September 29, 2007. "As we have discussed previously, in fiscal 2007 we have experienced the perfect storm in terms of weather, grain pricing and other factors," noted Glenn Novotny, Central's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We remain focused on improved performance in fiscal 2008 and believe it is best for our shareholders to withdraw our guidance and postpone the proposed offering at this time."

Central expects to host a conference call announcing final fiscal 2007 results and providing additional information regarding the outlook for fiscal 2008 on or about November 27, 2007.

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 in the following categories: Lawn & Garden: Grass seed including the brands PENNINGTON(R) and THE REBELS(TM); wild bird feed and the brands PENNINGTON(R) and KAYTEE(R); weed and insect control and the brands AMDRO(R), SEVIN(R), IRONITE(R) and Over 'N Out and; decorative outdoor patio products and the brands NORCAL(R), NEW ENGLAND POTTERY(R) and MATTHEWS FOUR SEASONS(TM). We also provide a host of other regional and application-specific garden brands and supplies. Pet categories include: Animal health and the brands ADAMS(TM) and ZODIAC(R); aquatics and reptile and the brands OCEANIC(R), AQUEON(TM) and RZILLA(TM); bird & small animal and the brands KAYTEE(R), SUPER PET(R) and CRITTER TRAIL(R); dog & cat and the brands TFH(TM) / NYLABONE(R), FOUR PAWS(R), PINNACLE(R) and Avoderm and; equine and the brands FARNAM(R), BRONCO(R) and SUPER MASK(R). 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 5,000 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 http://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 expected earnings results, 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 above and in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K 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.

Source: Central Garden & Pet Company

Released September 17, 2007