FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
CONTACT:
Eric
Berman
Kekst and
Company
212-521-4894
CROWN
CRAFTS SHARP GUIDANCE CUT SHOWS URGENT NEED FOR
STRATEGIC ACTION, LARGEST
STOCKHOLDER SAYS
NEW YORK, NY, January 10, 2011
— The Wynnefield Group, the largest stockholder in Crown Crafts Inc.
(NASDAQ: CRWS or “the Company”), said today that Crown Crafts management’s sharp
cut in fiscal 2011 sales and earnings guidance demonstrates the urgent need for
strategic action at Crown Crafts.
In a
statement, Wynnefield said: “Immediate action is required. The Board
must now form an independent special committee mandated to conduct a proactive
and exhaustive process to release stockholder value. Appropriate
advisers should be retained and all options must be on the
table. The
status
quo is
unacceptable. As a long-time stockholder that sees
unrecognized value in Crown Crafts that would be jeopardized by delay, we urge
the Company to move at once to begin a robust process.”
“Our
worst fears are coming true. Management’s latest announcement
highlights the very problems that we detailed just a few months ago in our proxy
materials – including the Company’s overdependence on an extremely limited
number of large customers, as well as its lack of purchasing leverage due to its
small size in an industry with larger, better capitalized
competitors.
“Immediately
before last summer’s stockholder vote on Wynnefield’s proxy, rather than
addressing the real issues facing the Company, management issued guidance for
the fiscal year 2011. This was contrary to the Company’s longstanding
practice not to even issue guidance for the next quarter. Even worse,
the guidance was, in our view, disingenuous, unachievable and no more than an
attempt to influence the outcome of the proxy contest. Their attempt
failed. Stockholders overwhelmingly elected both of Wynnefield’s
nominees to the seven-member Board. By January 6, Crown Crafts was
forced to admit reality and take its numbers down
significantly. Unfortunately, the Company still has not addressed the
ongoing problems that were articulated in our proxy materials nor acted to
realize value for all stockholders. Those issues must be
addressed now!”
ABOUT THE WYNNEFIELD
GROUP
The
Wynnefield Group is Crown Crafts’ largest stockholder, holding approximately 17%
of the Company’s outstanding common stock. Established in 1992, the
Wynnefield Group includes several affiliates of Wynnefield Capital, Inc., a
value investor specializing in U.S. small cap situations that have company- or
industry-specific catalysts.
#
# #