"We continue to be very excited about Lifetime's growth prospects and believe we are on track to expand and thrive in 2007." Reception of our new products at the International Home & Housewares Show in March was every bit as strong as we had hoped. In total, we showed almost 1,000 new products, including a full line of Pedrini branded products with innovative designs featuring new technologies and materials.
"Our introduction of two private label programs, a line of kitchen tools and gadgets for the Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's, and a line of Food Network-branded kitchen tools, gadgets and cutlery for Kohl's, is proceeding on schedule, with roll-outs planned for the third quarter."
We are also increasing Lifetime's presence at strong regional chains. In addition, we have made progress in a number of important projects to improve our business and warehouse systems, including the successful implementation of Syratech's SAP platform as the standard business system for our entire company.
"To help us expand our presence in pantryware, we completed the acquisition of the Pomerantz and Design for Living brands in April, and we are moving forward with our investment in Ekco, S.A.B, which we expect to close by mid-year, subject to regulatory approval. For all these reasons and more, we are very optimistic about the opportunities that await Lifetime Brands."
Lifetime has scheduled a conference call Tuesday, May 8, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time to discuss first-quarter 2007 results and additional matters. The dial-in number for the call . A replay of the call will also be available through Tuesday May 15, 2007 and can be accessed by dialing.
A live webcast of the call will be broadcast at the Company's web site. For those who cannot listen to the live broadcast, an audio replay of the call will also be available on the site.