Brintons Carpets is acquired by The Carlyle Group

Kidderminster, UK – Brintons Carpets Limited (“Brintons”) The business of Brintons Limited, a global manufacturer of specialist woven carpets for residential and commercial premises, has been bought out of administration by Brintons Carpets Limited (“Brintons”), a new company set up by The Carlyle Group (“Carlyle”), a global alternative asset manager. Brintons has received a significant cash investment from Carlyle as part of the transaction, which stabilizes the business and allows management to re-position Brintons for a return to profit and future growth. Carlyle’s investment will enable Brintons to implement its strategic plan to extend its international expansion. As a fully integrated and global organization, Brintons will be better positioned to serve its global customer base and compete for larger commercial contracts in Asia-Pacific and the West Coast of America. The investment will also support the company’s commitment to technological innovation including the development of Brintons’ new proprietary High Definition Weave technology. The 228 year-old business, which is the largest manufacturer of axminster carpets in the world, has carried out many prestigious projects, including the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, the Queen Mary 2, many Las Vegas casinos and recently the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London. The company currently has plant facilities in the UK, India and Portugal and its product portfolio includes premium woven axminster and wilton broadloom carpets, axminster carpet tiles and handtufted rugs. Don Coates, Managing Director of the Kidderminster based company, said: "This investment from Carlyle is great news for Brintons as it ensures the continuation of the business and survival of a renowned British brand. The company was impacted by the unprecedented challenges faced by carpet manufacturers during the economic downturn, which disrupted our plans for the business.” Brintons management team selected Carlyle following a competitive process to find a suitable business partner. The opportunity attracted interest from a significant number of interested parties. “We believe Carlyle’s strategic involvement, investment and international network combined with our global reputation for quality and innovation will set the company back on track for long-term profitable growth,” added Mr Coates. Ian Jackson, Director at Carlyle, said: “We are delighted to invest in Brintons, a global brand with a long heritage that is recognised for its quality, design and unique technology. Carlyle has a strong track record of managing and investing in companies in this position and we look forward to supporting Brintons’ management team to facilitate international expansion and enable the company to reach its full potential.” Investment for this transaction will come from Carlyle Strategic Partners (CSP). The CSP team utilizes its specialized expertise to acquire the debt and equity of operationally sound, financially distressed companies. The team focuses on industries in which Carlyle has extensive experience; including aerospace, automotive, consumer, defence, energy, healthcare, industrial, media, power, retail, technology, telecommunications and transportation. * * * * * Contacts Brintons: Adam Fresco, +44 (0)207 845 7800 The Carlyle Group: +44 20 7894 1632  About Brintons i. Brintons Carpets is a market-leading supplier of carpets to the worldwide hospitality, marine, gaming, leisure, private, public and residential sectors. ii. Brintons Carpets is committed to the concept of thinking global and acting locally. It has design studios, offices and agents in all of the major markets around the world. iii. The company operates wholly owned facilities in India and Portugal and United Kingdom. It is soon to expand into a purpose-built manufacturing facility in China. iv. The Brintons Carpets product portfolio includes premium woven axminster and Wilton broadloom carpets, tiles, tufted broadloom and hand tufted rugs. v. As an ISO 14001-accredited company, the Chinese factory will be the first LEED accredited axminster factory in the world. vi. Story in numbers:The largest woven axminster order is 175k sqm of carpet for Delhi Airport – this is the equivalent to 24 football pitches. vii. Supplied 97,000 sqm of axminsters to the Convention Centre in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. viii. Over 200 million sq m or 239 sqyards of carpet sold. ix. 1,000 sq metres of carpet weighs about 230 kg About The Carlyle Group The Carlyle Group is a global alternative asset manager with approximately $153 billion of assets under management across 89 funds and 49 fund of fund vehicles as of March 31, 2011*. Carlyle invests across four segments – Corporate Private Equity, Real Assets, Global Market Strategies and Fund of Funds Solutions – in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America focusing on aerospace, defense, & government services, consumer & retail, energy, financial services, healthcare, industrial, technology & business services, telecommunications & media and transportation. The Carlyle Group employs more than 1,100 people in 35 offices across six continents. Web: www.carlyle.com Video: www.youtube.com/OneCarlyle. (*Includes acquisitions of AlpInvest Partners B.V. and Emerging Sovereign Group LLC on July 1, 2011.)