ANN INC. Raises More Than $5.6 Million in 2014 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®

NEW YORK, Feb. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- ANN INC., the parent Company of Ann Taylor and LOFT, raised a record-breaking $5.6 million in 2014 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®, bringing the Company's total commitment since 2007 to more than $26 million.

To achieve these groundbreaking efforts, ANN INC. activated the sale of LOFT Cares Cards in the spring at LOFT and LOFT Outlet and supported the 11^th annual St. Jude Thanks and Giving® campaign during the holiday season companywide. The steadfast passion and commitment of associates and clients propelled incredible levels of giving. During the holiday season, at all points within ANN INC. -- spanning the Company's Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor Factory, LOFT and LOFT Outlet stores, to its corporate offices -- associates and clients engaged with one another to fuel donations and support for children battling cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

"Caring about families and children is core to ANN INC.'s commitment to support the causes that matter most to women," said Kay Krill, president and CEO of ANN INC. "The St. Jude Thanks and Giving® campaign is especially inspiring to our clients and associates, as demonstrated by their astounding efforts at all levels, year over year. As a Company, we are dedicated to supporting the critical work St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is doing to treat and defeat childhood cancer."

In addition to the point-of-sale fundraising campaign, the Ann Taylor brand created a limited edition collection of elephant jewelry for the St. Jude Thanks and Giving® campaign, including a necklace, pendant, bracelet, and ring set, with 50 percent of the purchase price donated to St. Jude. The collection quickly became very popular with clients, emphasizing the overwhelming support of the hospital's life-saving mission.

"It's because of partners like ANN INC. that we're able to keep my father's founding promise that no family ever pays St. Jude for anything -- not for treatment, travel, housing or food," said Marlo Thomas. "We are enormously thankful to ANN INC. and its customers for their unwavering generosity and commitment to the St. Jude mission of finding cures and saving children." Ms. Thomas is the National Outreach Director for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and the co-creator of the St. Jude Thanks and Giving® campaign.

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 November 1, 2014, the Company operated 1,050 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 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. St. Jude has the world's best survival rates for some of the most aggressive childhood cancers, and treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since we opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90 percent in the next decade. St. Jude freely shares the breakthroughs we make, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food -- because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission or follow St. Jude on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE ANN INC.

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