American Lorain Corporation Signs Distribution Agreement with 3,000 Outlet Convenience Store Chain

USA - English

• USA - English
• USA - English

JUNAN COUNTY, China, March 30 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- American Lorain Corporation (NYSE: ALN) ("American Lorain" or the "Company"), an international processed snack foods, convenience foods, and frozen foods company based in Shandong Province, China, today announced that the total number of stores in China where consumers can find Lorain(R)-branded products surpassed 4,890.

The Company signed an agreement in March with well-known Jinluo Group to start sales of Lorain(R) Candied Bean and Bean Paste through Jinluo's network of approximately 3,000 retail food stores in China. The company expects that sales of Candied Bean and Bean Paste will start in April and extend to all of Jinluo's store locations during a two month period, which will add significantly to the Company's convenience food category revenues.

On February 10, American Lorain reported that a total of 3,578 retail stores in China carried Lorain(R) chestnut-based foods and convenience foods. Data collected on March 23, 2010 demonstrated that American Lorain added 1,312 stores to its retail network over the last month, a 36.7% increase in a one month period and an approximate 144.5% increase from the number of stores which carried Company products in the middle of 2009. Based on current growth, the Company expects to meet its full year 2010 goal of having 5,000 stores sell American Lorain products sometime in the second quarter of 2010 and have provided a new goal of 8,000 stores by the end of 2010, a 158% growth objective year over year.

American Lorain's sales and marketing teams cover 26 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across China. The Company's products are currently found in 1,253 supermarkets and global hypermarkets including; Wal-Mart(R) (131 locations), Carrefour(R) (94 locations), and Metro(R) (38 locations) and 3,640 small and medium sized city and provincial supermarkets and provincial, and nation-wide convenience stores. The leading items sold to convenience stores are open-bottom and sweetheart chestnuts, and various bean and rice products.

"Nationwide distribution and a large number of retail locations are key assets which we want to continue growing at American Lorain," stated Si Chen, Chairman and CEO. "We plan to increase the total number of store locations where consumers can purchase our products to over 8,000 by the end of 2010. Increased distribution will enable our existing product lines to drive growth. Our creation of an extensive distribution network of large grocery stores and smaller convenience stores will also allow us to sell complementary products, leveraging our fixed costs."

About American Lorain Corporation

American Lorain Corporation is a Nevada corporation that develops, manufactures and sells various food products. The Company's products include chestnut products, convenience food products and frozen food products. The Company currently sells over 230 products to 26 provinces and administrative regions in China as well as to 42 foreign countries. The Company operates through its four direct and indirect subsidiaries and one leased factory located in China. For further information about American Lorain Corporation, please visit the Company's website at http://www.americanlorain.com .

Forward-looking statements:

Statements contained herein that relate to the Company's future performance, including statements with respect to forecasted revenues, margins, cash generation and capital expenditures are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those anticipated. Such statements are based on current expectations only, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, estimated or projected. Among the factors that could cause actual results to materially differ include: general business and economic conditions, particularly the current downturn in the worldwide economy; our ability to obtain adequate supplies of raw materials; our ability to manage our expansion strategy; changes in foreign currency exchange rates; government regulation; difficulties in new product development; changing consumer tastes in disparate markets worldwide and our ability to address those changes; our ability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel; and other factors affecting our operations that are set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    For more information, please contact:

    For the Company:
     American Lorain Corporation
     Alan Jin, CFO
     Tel:   +86-539-731-7959
     Email: [email protected]
     Web:   http://www.americanlorain.com

    Investor relations:
     John Mattio, SVP
     HC International, New York
     Tel:   +1-203-616-5144
     Email: [email protected]
     Web:   http://www.hcinternational.net

SOURCE American Lorain Corporation