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Scotts Miracle-Gro Acquires Fafard Growing Media Business

MARYSVILLE, Ohio, Oct. 6, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG), the world's leading marketer of branded consumer lawn and garden products, today announced that the Company's indirect subsidiary, Scotts Canada Ltd., has acquired Fafard and Brothers Ltd.

In continuous operation since 1940 and based in Saint-Bonaventure, Quebec, Canada, Fafard is a leader in the production of high-quality peat moss and high-performance growing media products, including peat-based and bark-based mixes, composts and premium soils. Fafard serves customers primarily across Ontario, Quebec and New-Brunswick.

"Acquiring Fafard will allow us to further strengthen our North America competitiveness," said Jim Hagedorn, chairman and chief executive officer of ScottsMiracle-Gro. "Leveraging the expertise Fafard has developed over the years, as well as its significant capacity for peat, will enable the continued growth of our Canadian business, while providing a valuable input in our growing media global supply chain."

Fafard also distributes a full range of related products for the gardening industry including fertilizers, mulch and grass seed. Fafard serves both the retail and professional grower markets and is widely recognized for the quality of its products, customer and market responsiveness, and certification by world-wide sustainability standards' organizations. Fafard is committed to best-in-class management practices in all aspects of sustainable development.

"The Fafard family is pleased with today's announcement and believes this transaction provides the best opportunity to drive long-term growth," said Fafard president Martin Fafard. "Both our companies have the same relentless commitment to providing the best service to our customers. This deal will allow Fafard to further develop its leadership across distribution channels, as well as leverage Scotts' world-class supply chain, research and development and marketing capabilities."

ScottsMiracle-Gro expects the Fafard business to add annual sales of approximately $40 million and for the transaction to be earnings accretive in fiscal 2015.

About ScottsMiracle-Gro

With more than $2.8 billion in worldwide sales, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care. The Company's brands are the most recognized in the industry. In the U.S. and Canada, the Company's Scotts®, Miracle-Gro® and Ortho® brands are market-leading in their categories, as is the consumer Roundup® brand, which is marketed in North America and most of Europe exclusively by Scotts and owned by Monsanto. In the U.S., we operate Scotts LawnService®, the second largest residential lawn care service business. In Canada, the Company's EcoSense® brand provides consumers with additional alternatives. In Europe, the Company's brands include Weedol®, Pathclear®, Evergreen®, Levington®, Miracle-Gro®, KB®, Fertiligène® and Substral®. For additional information, visit www.scotts.com.

About Fafard and Brothers Ltd.

Based in Saint-Bonaventure, Quebec, Canada, Fafard is a leader in the production of high-quality peat moss and high-performance growing media including peat-based and bark-based mixes, composts and premium retail soils. Fafard also distributes a full range of related products for the gardening industry including fertilizers, mulch and grass seed. The Company serves both the retail and professional grower markets in Eastern Canada and the U.S. and is widely recognized for the quality of its products, customer and market responsiveness. A leader in innovation, Fafard was the first peat moss producer world-wide to obtain Veriflora certification for responsibly managed peatland. For more information, visit www.fafard.ca.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Statements contained in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, which address activities, events and developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, including, but not limited to, information regarding the future economic performance and financial condition of the Company, the plans and objectives of the Company's management, and the Company's assumptions regarding such performance and plans are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified as statements that include phrases such as "guidance," "outlook," "projected," "believe," "target," "predict," "estimate," "forecast," "strategy," "may," "goal," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "foresee," "likely," "will," "should" or other similar words or phrases. Actual results could differ materially from the forward-looking information in this release due to a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:

  • Compliance with environmental and other public health regulations could increase the Company's costs of doing business or limit the Company's ability to market all of its products;
  • Increases in the prices of raw materials and fuel costs could adversely affect the Company's results of operations;
  • The highly competitive nature of the Company's markets could adversely affect its ability to maintain or grow revenues;
  • Because of the concentration of the Company's sales to a small number of retail customers, the loss of one or more of, or significant reduction in orders from, its top customers could adversely affect the Company's financial results;
  • Adverse weather conditions could adversely impact financial results;
  • The Company's international operations make the Company susceptible to fluctuations in currency exchange rates and to other costs and risks associated with international regulation;
  • The Company may not be able to adequately protect its intellectual property and other proprietary rights that are material to the Company's business;
  • If Monsanto Company were to terminate the Marketing Agreement for consumer Roundup products, the Company would lose a substantial source of future earnings and overhead expense absorption;
  • Hagedorn Partnership, L.P. beneficially owns approximately 27% of the Company's common shares and can significantly influence decisions that require the approval of shareholders;
  • The Company may pursue acquisitions, dispositions, investments, dividends, share repurchases and/or other corporate transactions that it believes will maximize equity returns of its shareholders but may involve risks, such as risks of integration of acquired businesses, the possibility that anticipated synergies from strategic acquisitions may not materialize, and the risk that sales of acquired products may not meet expectations. 

Additional detailed information concerning a number of the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information contained in this release is readily available in the Company's publicly filed quarterly, annual and other reports. The Company disclaims any obligation to update developments of these risk factors or to announce publicly any revision to any of the forward-looking statements contained in this release, or to make corrections to reflect future events or developments.

CONTACT: Jim King
         Senior Vice President
         Investor Relations & Corporate Affairs
         (937) 578-5622
Scotts Miracle-Gro Company