Destination Maternity Opens 2 More Motherhood Maternity Stores In India

PHILADELPHIA, March 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Destination Maternity Corporation (Nasdaq: DEST), the world's leading maternity apparel retailer, announced the opening of two more Motherhood Maternity® shop-in-shops in India. Motherhood's trendy, affordable maternity fashions are now available for the first time at the Mantri Mall in Bangalore, India and the Korum Mall in Thane, India. Motherhood Maternity shop-in-shops are found in Mom & Me® stores which are owned and operated by Mahindra Retail, part of the Mahindra Group, Destination Maternity's franchisee in India. Mom & Me stores offer an extensive range of pre- and post-natal products including maternity wear, baby clothes, toys, wellness products, nursery furniture and more. Including these two new locations, there are now a total of eleven Motherhood shop-in-shops in Mom & Me stores in India.

Under a multi-year franchise agreement, Destination Maternity has granted to Mahindra Retail, the master franchise, the exclusive rights to operate branded retail locations and market merchandise under the Company's Motherhood Maternity, Destination Maternity®, and A Pea in the Pod® brands in India. Mahindra Retail is part of the Mahindra Group. The Mahindra Group is one of India's leading federation of companies with operations in several key sectors of the Indian economy.

About Destination Maternity Corporation

Destination Maternity Corporation is the world's largest designer and retailer of maternity apparel. In the United States and Canada, as of February 28, 2010, Destination Maternity operates 1,689 retail locations, including 711 stores, predominantly under the tradenames Motherhood Maternity®, A Pea in the Pod®, and Destination Maternity®, and sells on the web through its DestinationMaternity.com and brand-specific websites. Destination Maternity also distributes its Oh Baby by Motherhood® collection through a licensed arrangement at Kohl's® stores throughout the United States and on Kohls.com. In addition, Destination Maternity is expanding internationally and has entered into exclusive store franchise and product supply relationships in India and the Middle East.

About Mahindra Retail

Mahindra Retail is an extension of the Mahindra Group's trading foray in the domestic India market. Apart from distributing toys, games and wellness products under licenses from various international brands like Mattel® and NUK®, it has now entered into a unique venture with the launch of Mom & Me stores, which specialize in infant and maternity care.

Mom & Me stores are built around the unique needs of mothers to be, young mothers, infants and children up to the age of nine. The absence of a single retail outlet addressing mother and child product and non-medical advisory needs is the most critical need gap that Mom & Me seeks to address with a one-stop store for moms and kids across the country. Mom & Me stores carry a range of the best international brands and private labels to give Indian mothers unparalleled choice. Mom & Me now has stores in Ahmadabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Pune and Vadodara.

About Mahindra Group

Mahindra is a US $6.3 billion Indian multinational company. It employs over 1,00,000 people across the globe and enjoys a leadership position in utility vehicles, tractors and information technology, with a significant and growing presence in financial services, tourism, infrastructure development, trade and logistics. The Mahindra Group today is an embodiment of global excellence and integrity.

Mahindra is one of the few Indian companies to receive an A+ GRI checked rating for its first Sustainability Report for the year 2007-08 and has also received the A+ GRI rating for the year 2008- 09. For more information, please visit www.mahindra.com

Destination Maternity Corporation (the "Company") cautions that any forward-looking statements (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) contained in this press release or made from time to time by management of the Company, including those regarding international expansion, results of operations, financial condition, and various business initiatives, involve risks and uncertainties, and are subject to change based on various important factors. The following factors, among others, in some cases have affected and in the future could affect the Company's financial performance and actual results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any such forward-looking statements: the impact of the current global economic slowdown on the retail industry in general and on apparel purchases in particular, our ability to successfully manage our various business initiatives, our ability to successfully implement our merchandise brand and retail nameplate restructuring, the success of our international expansion, our ability to successfully manage and retain our leased department and licensed relationships and marketing partnerships, future sales trends in our existing store base, unusual weather patterns, changes in consumer spending patterns, raw material price increases, overall economic conditions and other factors affecting consumer confidence, demographics and other macroeconomic factors that may impact the level of spending for maternity apparel, expense savings initiatives, our ability to anticipate and respond to fashion trends and consumer preferences, anticipated fluctuations in our operating results, the impact of competition and fluctuations in the price, availability and quality of raw materials and contracted products, availability of suitable store locations, continued availability of capital and financing, goodwill impairment charges, our ability to hire and develop senior management and sales associates, our ability to develop and source merchandise, our ability to receive production from foreign sources on a timely basis, potential stock repurchases, potential debt prepayments, changes in market interest rates, war or acts of terrorism and other factors set forth in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or in materials incorporated therein by reference.

SOURCE Destination Maternity Corporation

Tags:A Pea In The Pod, Baby Franchise, Baby Products Franchise, Baby Stores, Destination Maternity, Franchise Agreement, Kids Franchise, Kids Stores, Master Franchise, Maternity Fashion, Mom and Me