The Talbots, Inc. to Broadcast First Quarter Earnings Results Conferen

    Business Editors

    HINGHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 11, 2005--The Talbots, Inc. (NYSE: TLB) invites investors to listen to a broadcast of the Company's conference call to discuss first quarter earnings results. The conference call will be broadcast live on Wednesday, May 18, 2005 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time at http://www.talbots.com/about/investor.asp. The conference call, which will last approximately one hour, will be archived online shortly after its completion and will be available for a period of twelve months. Participating in the call will be Arnold Zetcher, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, and other members of the senior management team.
    Talbots is a leading national specialty retailer and cataloger of women's, children's and men's classic apparel, shoes and accessories. The Company operates 1,056 stores - 522 Talbots Misses stores, including 20 Talbots Misses stores in Canada and four Talbots Misses stores in the United Kingdom; 287 Talbots Petites stores, including four Talbots Petites stores in Canada; 41 Talbots Accessories & Shoes stores; 71 Talbots Kids stores; 98 Talbots Woman stores, including three Talbots Woman stores in Canada; 12 Talbots Mens stores; one Talbots Collection store; and 24 Talbots Outlet stores. Its direct marketing operation circulated approximately 46 million catalogs worldwide in fiscal 2004. Talbots on-line shopping site is located at www.talbots.com.

    The foregoing contains forward-looking information within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by such forward-looking terminology as "expect," "look," "believe," "anticipate," "outlook," "comfortable with," "would," or similar statements or variations of such terms. All of the "outlook" information (including future revenues, future comparable sales, future earnings, future EPS, and other future financial performance or operating measures) constitutes forward-looking information.
    Our outlook and other forward-looking statements are based on a series of expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about our Company which involve risks and uncertainty, including assumptions and projections concerning store traffic, levels of store sales including regular-price selling and markdown selling, and customer preferences. All of our outlook information and other forward-looking statements are as of the date of this release only. The Company can give no assurance that such outlook or expectations will prove to be correct and does not undertake to update or revise any "outlook" information or any other forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions, estimates or projections, or other circumstances occurring after the date of this release, even if such results, changes or circumstances make it clear that any projected results will not be realized.
    Our forward-looking statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties as to future events which may or may not occur, including effectiveness of the Company's brand awareness and marketing programs, effectiveness and profitability of new concepts including the Mens concept, effectiveness of its e-commerce site, acceptance of Talbots fashions including its spring and summer 2005 fashions, the Company's ability to anticipate and successfully respond to changing customer tastes and preferences and to produce the appropriate balance of merchandise offerings, the Company's ability to sell its merchandise at regular prices as well as its ability to successfully execute its major sale events including the timing and levels of markdowns and appropriate balance of available markdown inventory, retail economic conditions including consumer spending, consumer confidence and a continued uncertain economy, and the impact of a continued promotional retail environment. In each case, actual results may differ materially from such forward-looking information.
    Certain other factors that may cause actual results to differ from such forward-looking statements are included in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on the Talbots website under "Investor Relations," and you are urged to carefully consider all such factors.

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CONTACT: The Talbots, Inc. Julie Lorigan, 781-741-7775 Margery B. Myers, 781-741-4019 or Financial Dynamics Cara O'Brien - Investor Relations Melissa Merrill - Media Relations 212-850-5600

KEYWORD: MASSACHUSETTS INDUSTRY KEYWORD: CONSUMER/HOUSEHOLD APPAREL/TEXTILES RETAIL EARNINGS CONFERENCE CALLS SOURCE: The Talbots, Inc.

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