BIC: Non-Renewal of the European Anti-Dumping Tax on Flint Lighters of Chinese Origin

Regulatory News:

The BIC Group (Paris:BB) duly notes the decision taken recently by the European Union Commission not to renew the anti-dumping tax on lighters of Chinese origin.

The objective of this anti-dumping tax, set up in 1991, was not to protect the European lighter industry, but to put an end to unfair competition from lighters of Chinese origin. Its non-renewal justifies the actions of those who have been fraudulently circumventing the tax for more than 20 years, and will obviously favor Asian lighter importers who already hold more than 70% of the European market in volume¹.

Beyond anti-dumping, the BIC Group continues to protest against the non-compliance with safety standards and unbalanced custom duties:

• For many years, more than 3/4 of imported lighter models have not complied with European safety standards, at the cost of both consumer safety and manufacturers who have massively invested in order to meet these standards,
• Chinese manufacturers, who produce 6 times more lighters than Europeans, pay only 2.7% custom duties when entering the European market while European manufacturers are subject to 25% custom duties when entering China.

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This document contains forward-looking statements. Although BIC believes its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, these statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. A description of the risks borne by BIC appears in the section, "Risk factors” in BIC’s 2011 Registration Document filed with the French financial markets authority (AMF) on March 27, 2012.

For more information, please consult the corporate web site: www.bicworld.com

2012 – 2013 Agenda (all dates to be confirmed)

About BIC

BIC is a world leader in stationery, lighters, shavers and promotional products. For more than 60 years, BIC has honored the tradition of providing high-quality, affordable products to consumers everywhere. Through this unwavering dedication, BIC has become one of the most recognized brands in the world. BIC products are sold in more than 160 countries around the world. In 2011, BIC recorded net sales of 1,824.1 million euros. The Company is listed on "Euronext Paris” and is part of the SBF120 and CAC Mid 60 indexes. BIC is also part of the following SRI indexes: FTSE4Good Europe, ASPI Eurozone, Ethibel Excellence Europe, Gaia Index and Stoxx Global ESG Index.

¹ : BIC estimates – total European pocket lighters market (flint and piezo)