L'Oreal USA Breaks Ground for Company's New Jersey Headquarters in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey

    BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J., Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- At a ceremony presided
 by New Jersey State Senator Tom Kean Jr. and Berkeley Heights Mayor David
 A. Cohen, L'Oreal USA broke ground today for a new state-of the-art office
 facility at Connell Corporate Park in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. The new
 building, which is scheduled to open in 2009, will house approximately 400
 L'Oreal USA employees and will function as L'Oreal USA's New Jersey
 headquarters. L'Oreal USA's corporate headquarters will remain in New York.
     The new facility reflects L'Oreal USA's determination to provide the
 best possible working environment for its employees. The building will
 enable L'Oreal USA to bring together under one roof groups of employees
 that are currently sited in different New Jersey locations, allowing for
 better communication, teamwork, team spirit, and more efficient work
 practices. The new offices will feature formal and informal working spaces,
 the latest in modern technology, and a host of other features that will
 encourage creativity and collaboration among all employees.
     "These new offices represent our commitment to providing our employees
 with an atmosphere that is open, respectful and that fosters creativity and
 innovation," said Laurent Attal, President and CEO, L'Oreal USA. "L'Oreal's
 success relies on our ability to build for the future in a way that meets
 the needs of our people."
     The new facility will also have a strong, environmentally-friendly
 focus with an emphasis on sustainable development. The open-plan design
 will maximize natural light and the use of 'green' raw materials while
 minimizing the effect on the environment. The building, which will be GOLD
 LEED certified, will feature energy-saving systems throughout, including
 heating, air-conditioning and lighting that can be individually controlled,
 and furniture and other fixtures made from recycled and locally-sourced
 materials.
     The broader Connell Corporate Park campus will contain a fitness center
 and hotel and conference facilities, as well as an outdoor wooded area with
 features such as walking paths and streams, all in a location that is close
 to transport, the airport and other L'Oreal USA facilities.
     "In every sense, L'Oreal USA is committed to being a great place to
 work for employees," said David Greenberg, Senior Vice President, Human
 Resources, L'Oreal USA. "This new complex embodies that commitment; an
 outstanding corporate environment that is convenient, modern and represents
 the latest thinking in collaborative, team-oriented and sustainable office
 design."
     In the development of this project, L'Oreal USA received strong support
 from the Connell Corporation, the Turner Construction Corporation, and also
 from both the State of New Jersey and the Township of Berkeley Heights. "We
 welcome L'Oreal USA into the Berkeley Heights family," said David A. Cohen,
 Mayor of the Township of Berkeley Heights. "We have made a determined
 effort to attract companies of the caliber of L'Oreal USA, and the
 company's decision to become part of our community will benefit the
 township and the residents of Berkeley Heights for years to come."
     These New Jersey headquarters also further build on L'Oreal USA's long
 relationship with the state. This relationship began in 1953 when L'Oreal
 USA's forerunner, Cosmair, Inc, opened in the United States to become the
 exclusive U.S. licensee for the L'Oreal Group. Cosmair's founding
 headquarters were in Clark, New Jersey, with a staff of just twenty. Half a
 century later, L'Oreal USA now has manufacturing, distribution, research
 and development, and other operations in various New Jersey locations. The
 total number of L'Oreal USA employees in New Jersey now stands at over
 2,800.
     "The State of New Jersey is proud to support our strong and ongoing
 relationship with L'Oreal USA," said New Jersey State Senator Tom Kean Jr.
 "We are delighted that L'Oreal USA has again made a further investment in a
 major corporate facility here. We look forward to an even more fruitful
 collaboration between the State of New Jersey and L'Oreal USA in the
 future."
     ABOUT L'OREAL USA
     L'Oreal USA, headquartered in New York City, with 2006 sales of over $4
 billion and 7,500 employees, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of L'Oreal SA,
 one of the world's leading beauty companies. In addition to corporate
 headquarters in New York, L'Oreal USA has Research and Development,
 Manufacturing and Distribution facilities across eight states in the U.S.,
 including New Jersey, North Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, Ohio,
 Colorado and Texas.
     L'Oreal's impressive portfolio of brands includes Lancome, Giorgio
 Armani, Shu Uemura, L'Oreal Paris, Garnier, Vichy, Biotherm, La
 Roche-Posay, L'Oreal Professionnel, L'Oreal Technique, Kerastase and The
 Body Shop. The U.S. is the base for the product development, international
 marketing and advertising for L'Oreal's nine American brands: Maybelline
 New York, Soft-Sheen.Carson, Kiehl's Since 1851, Ralph Lauren, Redken 5th
 Avenue NYC, Matrix, Mizani, PureOlogy and SkinCeuticals.
 
 

SOURCE L'Oreal USA