Blyth, Inc.'s ViSalus Unit to Pay $22 Million Dividend

GREENWICH, Conn., Nov. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Blyth, Inc. (NYSE: BTH), a direct to consumer company and leading designer and marketer of candles, accessories for the home, and health and wellness products sold through the direct selling and direct marketing channels, today announced that ViSalus, its direct seller of health and wellness products and originator of the Body by Vi™ 90 Day Challenge, will pay a $22 million dividend to its shareholders.  As majority shareholder, Blyth will receive 72.7% of the dividend. 

Commenting on the strength in ViSalus' operating cash flow, Robert B. Goergen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer noted that "given ViSalus' earnings performance and cash generation in excess of its working capital requirements, Blyth management and the ViSalus Founders believe paying a cash dividend before year-end is an effective way to enhance value for all of ViSalus' shareholders."

Blyth, Inc., headquartered in Greenwich, CT, USA, is a direct to consumer business focused on both the direct selling and direct marketing channels.  It designs and markets home fragrance products and decorative accessories, as well as weight management products, nutritional supplements and energy drink mixes.  These products are sold through Direct Selling under both the home party plan and network marketing methods. The Company also designs and markets household convenience items and personalized gifts through the catalog/Internet channel.  The Company manufactures most of its candles and sources nearly all of its other products.  Its products are sold direct to the consumer in North America under the PartyLite®, Two Sisters Gourmet® by PartyLite and ViSalus Sciences® brands, to consumers in the catalog/Internet channel under the As We Change®, Miles Kimball®, Exposures®, Walter Drake® and Easy Comforts® brands.  In Europe, Blyth's products are also sold under the PartyLite brand.  

Blyth, Inc. may be found on the Internet at www.blyth.com.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts.  Actual results could differ materially due to various factors, including the slowing of the United States or European economies or retail environments, the risk that we will be unable to maintain our historic growth rate, our ability to respond appropriately to changes in product demand, the risk that we will be unable to integrate the businesses that we acquire into our existing operations, the risks (including foreign currency fluctuations, economic and political instability, transportation delays, difficulty in maintaining quality control, trade and foreign tax laws and others) associated with international sales and foreign sourced products, risks associated with our ability to recruit new independent sales consultants, our dependence on key corporate management personnel, risks associated with the sourcing of raw materials for our products, competition in terms of price and new product introductions, risks associated with our information technology systems (including, susceptibility to outages due to fire, floods, power loss, telecommunications failures, computer viruses, break-ins and similar events) and other factors described in this press release and in the Company's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K.

SOURCE Blyth, Inc.