The Jones Group Announces Agreement To Be Acquired By Sycamore Partners For $15.00 Per Share In Cash

The Jones Group Inc.

("The Jones Group" or the "Company") and Sycamore Partners today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which affiliates of Sycamore Partners will acquire The Jones Group for $15.00 per share in cash, or a total of approximately $1.2 billion. The transaction is valued at approximately $2.2 billion, including net debt. Upon completion of the transaction, The Jones Group will become a privately held company. Under the terms of the agreement, The Jones Group's shareholders will receive $15.00 in cash for each share of The Jones Group's common stock.  This represents a premium of approximately 19% to The Jones Group's  30-day volume weighted average stock price for the period ended April 11, 2013, the last trading day prior to when media speculation began regarding the Company's plans to sell all or parts of its portfolio. The agreement was unanimously approved by The Jones Group's Board of Directors.  Sidney Kimmel, The Jones Group Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors, said: "We are pleased to have reached this agreement, which we believe is a positive development for all