Central Garden & Pet Provides Guidance On Fiscal Second Quarter 2001 Results.

Business Editors

LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 12, 2001

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT) today announced that it expects to report lower than expected earnings for its second fiscal quarter ending March 31, 2001. The shortfall is primarily attributable to an exceptionally late spring in most of the U.S., which has negatively impacted retail sales, and heightened retailer focus on reducing inventory levels.

Central Garden & Pet expects to report diluted earnings of between $0.10 and $0.15 per share for the second fiscal quarter 2001, below the consensus analyst estimate of $0.43 per share.

Central Garden & Pet will host an analyst conference call to discuss fiscal second quarter 2001 guidance at 5:30 p.m. EDT today. The conference call will be simultaneously broadcast over the Internet through Central's website, http://www.centralgardenandpet.com. To listen to the webcast, please log on to the website prior to the scheduled call time to register and download any necessary audio software.

Central Garden & Pet Company is a leading producer of consumer garden and pet products. Central's proprietary branded products include Pennington Seed(R), AMDRO(R), Maxide(R), Strike(R), Lilly Miller(R), Grant's(R), and Matthews(R) Four Seasons garden products, and All-Glass(R), Oceanic Systems(R), Island(R), Kaytee(R), TFH(R), Nylabone(R), Zodiac(R), and Four Paws(R) pet products. For additional information on Central Garden & Pet, including access to the Company's SEC filings, please visit the Company's website at http://www.centralgardenandpet.com.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The statements contained in this release which are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in or implied by forward-looking statements. These risks are described in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including, without limitation, the final resolution of all issues between the Company and Pharmacia Corporation (formerly known as Monsanto Company) under the Solaris Agreement; the resolution of the pending litigation among the Company, Pharmacia and The Scotts Company; the success of and the costs associated with the realignment of the Company's lawn and garden distribution operations; any liabilities to which the Company may become subject as a result of the August 2, 2000 fire at its Phoenix distribution center; and the impact of any other outstanding or potential litigation.

As previously announced, Central has instructed its financial advisors to study alternatives for maximizing shareholder value, including among others, asset sales and new strategic alliances.