ANN INC. is First Women's Specialty Retailer to Partner with Give Back Box

NEW YORK, April 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- ANN INC., the parent Company of Ann Taylor and LOFT, affirms its commitment to reducing its environmental impact as the first women's specialty retailer to partner with Give Back Box, a social enterprise organization dedicated to facilitating charitable donations and sustainability. Through the partnership, ANN INC. gives clients the opportunity to donate gently worn clothing and accessories to Goodwill®, shipped in any box, for free.

"As a company dedicated to women and the causes they care about most, we are thrilled to partner with Give Back Box to give our clients a convenient way to donate gently used clothes and accessories," said Kay Krill, president and CEO of ANN INC. "This partnership furthers our longstanding commitment to reducing our environmental impact while benefiting local communities."

Participating in the Give Back Box is simple. Clients can download and print a free label from LOFT.com/GiveBackBox or AnnTaylor.com/GiveBackBox and use the box they received from any ANN INC. purchase, or any other box on hand, to pack up their donations of gently worn clothing and accessories. Clients then attach the label to their box and ship for free via UPS.

Since launching the program with Give Back Box in January, more than 2,800 items have been donated to Goodwill with an estimated weight of more than 2,000 pounds.

Not only does the program reduce waste through donations, it also encourages clients to reuse e-commerce packaging. According to Give Back Box, 12 million boxes are shipped by online retailers to consumers every day, totaling approximately 30 million tons of cardboard a year. Through the program, clients can reuse their boxes to send donations to Goodwill, which will then work with Give Back Box to ensure the proper recycling or reuse of each box.

ANN INC. is committed to reducing its impact on the environment and has many programs in place to give back to the community. For comprehensive updates on ANN INC.'s Corporate Social Responsibility programs, initiatives and performance, please visit ResponsiblyANN.com. 

About ANN INC.
ANN INC. is the parent Company of Ann Taylor and LOFT, two of the leading women's specialty retail fashion brands in North America. As of January 31, 2015, the Company operated 1,030 Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor Factory, LOFT, LOFT Outlet and Lou & Grey stores in 47 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Canada. Our Ann Taylor and LOFT brands are also available online in more than 100 countries worldwide at AnnTaylor.com and LOFT.com or at our LOFT franchise stores in Mexico. Visit ANNINC.com for more information (NYSE: ANN). 

About Give Back Box^®
Give Back Box^® is social enterprise company whose objective is to fundamentally change the donation behavior of online retail shoppers and other donors. It has created a system to enable online shoppers and other donors to donate unwanted items directly to Goodwill in a cost and hassle-free way.

About GOODWILL INDUSTRIES INTERNATIONAL
Goodwill Industries International is a network of 165 community-based agencies in the United States and Canada with a presence in 14 other countries. Goodwill is one of America's top 20 most inspiring companies (Forbes, 2014). Goodwill agencies are innovative and sustainable social enterprises that fund job placement programs and other community-based services by selling donated clothing and household items in more than 3,000 stores and online at shopgoodwill.com®. Local Goodwill agencies also build revenue and create jobs by contracting with businesses and government to provide a wide range of commercial services, including packaging and assembly, food services preparation, and document imaging and shredding. In 2013, more than 9.8 million people in the United States and Canada benefited from Goodwill's career services. To learn more, visit goodwill.org.

To find a Goodwill location near you, use the online locator at Goodwill.org or call (800) GOODWILL. Follow us on Twitter: @GoodwillIntl, and find us on Facebook: GoodwillIntl.

SOURCE ANN INC.

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