Central Garden & Pet Names George C. Roeth Chief Executive Officer

Former Clorox Executive to Drive Next Phase of Company’s Growth

John R. Ranelli to Retire from Company

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) (NASDAQ:CENTA), a leading
innovator, marketer and producer of quality branded products for the
lawn and garden and pet supplies markets, today announced that George C.
Roeth will be named President and Chief Executive Officer, effective
June 1, 2016. Mr. Roeth is a Director of the Company and a former Chief
Operating Officer of The Clorox Company. He succeeds John R. Ranelli,
who will retire from his positions as President and Chief Executive
Officer, but will continue to serve as a Senior Advisor to the Company
and will remain a member of the Company’s Board of Directors.

Jack Balousek, Director and Interim Chairman, said, “Since joining the
Board last year, George has proven himself a capable and insightful
leader with a comprehensive understanding of the consumer products
industry. We feel very fortunate to have someone of George’s caliber to
lead Central through its next phase of growth and believe he is ideally
suited to work with management to refine and implement the Company’s
strategic growth plan. George’s familiarity with Central and its
leadership team will allow for a smooth transition with consistent focus
on delivering on the Company’s commitments to its customers and
consumers.”

Mr. Balousek continued, “On behalf of the Board, I want to thank John
for his extraordinary service to Central. He has been an invaluable
leader, and it’s through his hard work and dedication, along with that
of the entire team, that Central is now performing at a high level and
positioned to build on its momentum to realize its long-term growth
potential. While we congratulate John on his well-earned retirement, we
are thankful Central will continue to benefit from his insights as an
advisor to the company.”

Mr. Roeth said, “I have the privilege of taking the reins of a company
that is executing well, establishing a track record of delivering on its
commitments, and creating value for all of its stakeholders. Central
will continue to focus on delivering this value through servicing its
customers with excellence, expanding its innovation output and success
rate, and lowering costs to reinvest in growth. I look forward to
working alongside Central’s leadership team across all of its businesses
to execute on these priorities, allowing the Company to capture near and
long-term growth opportunities.”

Mr. Ranelli said, “I cannot imagine a better time to execute our
succession plan. As I reach 70, we have delivered record performance
numbers, both operationally and financially, and put in place a solid
platform for future growth. In short, we have a strategy and plan that
is working, a management team executing flawlessly, and a talented board
member, who we know well, ready to take Central to the next level.
George is the right person to be the next CEO given his experience with
consumer products and brands and his familiarity with Central. He
understands our strategy and culture and has developed a relationship
with our management team. I believe it will be a smooth transition, and
look forward to continuing to serve the Company in my new role and
seeing Central continue to thrive under George’s leadership.”

George Roeth Biography

Before serving on the board at Central Garden and Pet, George Roeth was
a 27-year veteran of The Clorox Company, where he held various
leadership positions of increasing responsibility and delivered
profitable growth in challenging and highly competitive business
environments. Most recently, from 2013 to 2014, Mr. Roeth served as
Chief Operating Officer of Lifestyle, Household and Global Operating
Functions , where he helped successfully lead the execution of the
Company’s strategic plan and simultaneously drove global sales, lowered
costs and improved customer satisfaction. Previously, Mr. Roeth served
as Senior Vice President and General Manager, during which time he was
also Chairman of the Board for the Clorox and Procter & Gamble Glad
Products Joint Venture, a unique partnership between two direct
competitors. Prior to that, Mr. Roeth served in several senior-level
marketing and operations roles at Clorox, including Vice President and
General Manager, Vice President of Growth and Marketing, and Vice
President of Brand Development, among others. Mr. Roeth holds a Master’s
in Business Administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School
of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from
the University of California at Berkeley. Mr. Roeth currently serves on
the board of the East Oakland Youth Development Foundation.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet Company is a leading innovator, marketer and
producer of quality branded products for the lawn & garden and pet
supplies markets. Committed to new product innovation, our products are
sold to specialty independent and mass retailers. Participating
categories in Lawn & Garden include: Grass seed and the brands
PENNINGTON®, and THE REBELS®; wild bird feed and the brand PENNINGTON®;
weed and insect control and the brands AMDRO®, SEVIN®, IRONITE® and
OVER-N-OUT®; and decorative outdoor patio products under the PENNINGTON
® brand. We also provide a host of other regional and
application-specific garden brands and supplies. Participating
categories in Pet include: Animal health and the brands ADAMS™ and
ZODIAC®; aquatics and reptile and the brands AQUEON®, CORALIFE® and
ZILLA®; bird & small animal and the brands KAYTEE®, Forti-Diet® and
CRITTER TRAIL®; dog & cat and the brands TFH™, NYLABONE®, FOUR PAWS®,
IMS™, CADET®, PINNACLE® and AVODERM®; and equine and the brands FARNAM®,
HORSE HEALTH™ and VITAFLEX®. We also provide a host of other
application-specific pet brands and supplies. Central Garden & Pet
Company is based in Walnut Creek, California, and has approximately
3,700 employees, primarily in North America. For additional information
on Central Garden & Pet Company, including access to the Company’s SEC
filings, please visit the Company’s website at www.central.com.

“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995: The statements contained in this release which are not
historical facts, including expectations for future growth, are
forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set
forth in or implied by forward-looking statements. All forward-looking
statements are based upon the Company’s current expectations and various
assumptions. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could
cause our actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking
statements contained in this release including, but not limited to, the
following factors:

• seasonality and fluctuations in the Company’s operating results and
  cash flow;
• fluctuations in market prices for seeds and grains and other raw
  materials and the Company’s ability to pass through cost increases in
  a timely manner;
• adverse weather conditions;
• the impending retirement of our CEO, the transition to his successor,
  our dependence upon our key executives, and the ability to execute on
  our succession plan;
• dependence on a small number of customers for a significant portion of
  our business;
• uncertainty about new product innovations and marketing programs; and
• competition in our industries

These risks and others are described in the Company’s Securities and
Exchange Commission filings. The Company undertakes no obligation to
publicly update these forward-looking statements to reflect new
information, subsequent events or otherwise.

Contacts

Central Garden & Pet Company
Steve Zenker, 925-948-3657
Vice
President, Investor Relations & Communications