The Hillshire Brands Company Discusses Plans For Growth At CAGNY

The Hillshire Brands Company (NYSE: HSH) presented today at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York’s (CAGNY) annual conference. Sean Connolly, president and chief executive officer and Maria Henry, chief financial officer shared the company’s four core strategies for growth:

• Strengthen the core brands with increased investment behind improved advertising, upgrades to product quality and packaging, and category management
• Extend trademarks into adjacent categories with new product innovations
• Drive greater cost efficiencies in supply chain, trade spend, and through shift in corporate culture
• Acquire on-trend businesses that align with strategic vision and create shareholder value

“It is an exciting time for Hillshire Brands. We remain focused on creating long-term shareholder value by strengthening our strong brands with leading innovation and marketing support,” said Connolly. “Equally, we continue to advance our cost efficiency programs as fuel for growth.”

“Overall, while it is still early days, we are quite encouraged by the progress we see in the business and within our company culture,” Connolly added.

The company’s core brands – Jimmy Dean, Ball Park, Hillshire Farm, Aidells, Gallo and Sara Lee – are leaders in their respective categories. To support these brands, the company plans to ramp up innovation, sharpen marketing positioning and increase MAP investment to five percent of revenues by fiscal 2015.

In addition, the company has plans to create a sustainable innovation pipeline, streamline time to market and reinvigorate consumer insights. The presentation highlighted numerous upgrades to product quality and packaging, new line extensions and adjacent innovations.

About The Hillshire Brands Company

The Hillshire Brands Company (NYSE: HSH) is a leader in meat-centric food solutions for the retail and foodservice markets. The company generates approximately $4 billion in annual sales and has approximately 9,500 employees. Hillshire Brands’ portfolio includes iconic brands such as Jimmy Dean, Ball Park, Hillshire Farm, State Fair, Sara Lee frozen bakery and Chef Pierre pies, as well as artisanal brands Aidells and Gallo Salame.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements regarding Hillshire Brands’ business prospects and future financial results and metrics. Forward-looking statements are typically preceded by terms such as “will,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “expects,” “likely” or “believes” and other similar terms. These forward-looking statements are based on currently available competitive, financial and economic data and management’s views and assumptions regarding future events and are inherently uncertain.

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