Avon Announces Further Steps in Support of Company's Turnaround

NEW YORK, June 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Avon Products, Inc. (NYSE: AVP) today announced additional actions as part of the company's ongoing turnaround efforts to return Avon to sustainable, profitable growth. 

These steps are related to continued efforts to right size the cost structure, improve organizational effectiveness, streamline processes to gain efficiencies and reduce cost across the organization.  These actions are primarily global headcount reductions of approximately 600 positions, largely in the corporate organization and North America business unit.

Total charges to be recorded as a result of these actions are expected to be approximately $45 million to $50 million before taxes, with approximately $40 million expected to be recorded in the second quarter of 2014. 

The company expects these restructuring actions to result in annualized savings of approximately $50 million to $55 million before taxes as part of the $400 million Cost Savings Initiative.  In connection with the restructuring actions approved to-date associated with the $400 million Cost Savings Initiative, we expect to realize annualized before-tax savings of approximately $240 million to $250 million.

About Avon

Avon, the company for women, is a leading global beauty company, with $10 billion in annual revenue. As one of the world's largest direct sellers, Avon is sold through more than 6 million active independent Avon Sales Representatives. Avon products are available in over 100 countries, and the product line includes color cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, and fashion and home products, featuring such well-recognized brand names as Avon Color, ANEW, Skin-So-Soft, Advance Techniques, and mark. Learn more about Avon and its products at www.avoncompany.com.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT FOR PURPOSES OF THE "SAFE HARBOR" STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

Statements in this release that are not historical facts or information may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "expect" and similar expressions, or the negative of those expressions, may identify forward-looking statements. They include, among other things, statements regarding our anticipated or expected results, future financial performance, various strategies and initiatives (including our stabilization strategies, cost savings initiatives, multi-year restructuring programs and other initiatives and related actions), and costs and cost savings. Such forward-looking statements are based on management's reasonable current assumptions, expectations, plans and forecasts regarding the Company's current or future results and future business and economic conditions more generally. Such forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievement of Avon to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, and there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from management's expectations. Such factors include, among others, the following:

• our ability to improve our financial and operational performance and execute fully our global business strategy, including our ability to implement the key initiatives of, and realize the projected benefits (in the amounts and time schedules we expect) from, our stabilization strategies, cost savings initiatives, multi-year restructuring programs and other initiatives, product mix and pricing strategies, enterprise resource planning, customer service initiatives, sales and operation planning process, outsourcing strategies, Internet platform and technology strategies, marketing and advertising strategies, information technology and related system enhancements and cash management, tax, foreign currency hedging and risk management strategies, and any plans to invest these projected benefits ahead of future growth;
• the possibility of business disruption in connection with our stabilization strategies, cost savings initiatives, multi-year restructuring programs, or other initiatives;
• our ability to reverse declining revenue, margins and net income, particularly in North America, and to achieve profitable growth, particularly in our largest markets, such as Brazil, and developing and emerging markets, such as Mexico and Russia;
• our ability to improve working capital and effectively manage doubtful accounts and inventory and implement initiatives to reduce inventory levels, including the potential impact on cash flows and obsolescence;
• our ability to reverse declines in Active Representatives, to implement our sales Leadership program globally, to generate Representative activity, to increase the number of consumers served per Representative and their engagement online, to enhance branding and the Representative and consumer experience and increase Representative productivity through field activation programs and technology tools and enablers, to invest in the direct-selling channel, and to compete with other direct-selling organizations to recruit, retain and service Representatives and to continue to innovate the direct-selling model;
• general economic and business conditions in our markets, including social, economic and political uncertainties in the international markets in our portfolio, such as in Russia and Ukraine, and any potential sanctions, restrictions or responses to such conditions imposed by other markets in which we operate;
• the effect of economic factors, including inflation and fluctuations in interest rates and currency exchange rates, as well as the designation of Venezuela as a highly inflationary economy and the devaluation of its currency, the availability of various foreign exchange systems, foreign exchange restrictions, particularly currency restrictions in Venezuela and Argentina, and the potential effect of such factors on our business, results of operations and financial condition;
• any developments in or consequences of investigations and compliance reviews, and any litigation related thereto, including the ongoing investigations and compliance reviews of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA") and related United States ("U.S.") and foreign law matters in China and additional countries, as well as any disruption or adverse consequences resulting from such investigations, reviews, related actions or litigation, including our ability to finalize settlements with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and the United States Department of Justice ("DOJ") with regard to the ongoing FCPA investigations on terms consistent with our current understandings with the government or, if we are able to reach such final settlements, what the timing of such final settlements will be or whether the SEC settlement will be authorized by the Commission or whether each of the settlements will receive the necessary court approvals, or if we are unable to reach such final settlements, the outcome of any subsequent litigation with the government which could have a material adverse effect;
• a general economic downturn, a recession globally or in one or more of our geographic regions, or sudden disruption in business conditions, and the ability of our broad-based geographic portfolio to withstand an economic downturn, recession, cost inflation, commodity cost pressures, economic or political instability, competitive or other market pressures or conditions;
• the effect of political, legal, tax and regulatory risks imposed on us in the U.S. and abroad, our operations or our Representatives, including foreign exchange or other restrictions, adoption, interpretation and enforcement of foreign laws, including in jurisdictions such as Brazil, Russia, Venezuela and Argentina, and any changes thereto, as well as reviews and investigations by government regulators that have occurred or may occur from time to time, including, for example, local regulatory scrutiny in China;
• the impact of changes in tax rates on the value of our deferred tax assets, and declining earnings, including the amount of any domestic source loss and the type, jurisdiction and timing of any foreign source income, on our ability to realize foreign tax credits in the U.S.;
• competitive uncertainties in our markets, including competition from companies in the cosmetics, fragrances, skincare and toiletries industry, some of which are larger than we are and have greater resources;
• the impact of the adverse effect of rising energy, commodity and raw material prices, changes in market trends, purchasing habits of our consumers and changes in consumer preferences, particularly given the global nature of our business and the conduct of our business in primarily one channel;
• our ability to attract and retain key personnel;
• other sudden disruption in business operations beyond our control as a result of events such as acts of terrorism or war, natural disasters, pandemic situations, large-scale power outages and similar events;
• key information technology systems, process or site outages and disruptions;
• the risk of product or ingredient shortages resulting from our concentration of sourcing in fewer suppliers;
• the impact of any significant restructuring charges or significant legal or regulatory settlements on our ability to comply with certain covenants in our debt instruments;
• any changes to our credit ratings and the impact of such changes on our financing costs, rates, terms, debt service obligations, access to lending sources and working capital needs; 
• the impact of our indebtedness, our access to cash and financing, and our ability to secure financing or financing at attractive rates;
• the impact of possible pension funding obligations, increased pension expense and any changes in pension regulations or interpretations thereof on our cash flow and results of operations;
• our ability to successfully identify new business opportunities, strategic alliances and strategic alternatives and identify and analyze alliance and acquisition candidates, secure financing on favorable terms and negotiate and consummate alliances and acquisitions, as well as to successfully integrate or manage any acquired business;
• disruption in our supply chain or manufacturing and distribution operations;
• the quality, safety and efficacy of our products;
• the success of our research and development activities;
• our ability to protect our intellectual property rights; and
• the risk of an adverse outcome in any material pending and future litigation or with respect to the legal status of Representatives.

Additional information identifying such factors is contained in Item 1A of our 2013 Form 10-K, as updated by our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2014, and other reports and documents we file with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Avon Products, Inc.