Exhibit 99
Saks
Department Store Group and the Middleton Doll Company
Announce Newborn Nursery Exclusivity Agreement
PEWAUKEE,
Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 1, 2005--Saks Department
Store Group ("SDSG") and The Middleton Doll
Company (OTCBB:DOLL) today
announced an agreement giving SDSG the
exclusive rights to offer The
Middleton Doll Company's Newborn Nursery(R)
Adoption Centers within
its market territories.
The Middleton Doll
Company's goal is to expand the unique Newborn
Nursery Adoption Center concept to 100
boutiques within SDSG stores
over a three-year period. Fifteen Newborn
Nursery boutiques are in
development for spring 2005, with a total
of 40 new location openings
planned by the end of 2005. SDSG began
testing the concept with the
opening of three Newborn Nursery boutiques
in mid-2004. The success of
those locations led to the expansion into
five additional SDSG stores
by the end of 2004.
George Jones,
President and CEO of SDSG, said, "The Middleton Doll
Newborn Nursery is truly a unique concept.
Adding the boutiques to our
stores is consistent with SDSG's strategic
direction of offering
differentiated merchandise to our customers
and making our stores more
exciting places to shop. Mothers and
daughters alike love the dolls
and the interactivity of the entire newborn
adoption center
experience."
A Newborn Nursery baby
doll adoption is a heartwarming experience
that is attracting attention nationwide for
encouraging girls to enjoy
their childhoods. The 400+ sq. ft. Newborn
Nursery boutiques offer a
variety of baby dolls with different
complexions and hair and eye
colors. Once a little girl selects a baby
doll, a sales associate
dressed like a nurse helps the child
complete baby doll adoption
papers and teaches the little girl how to
take care of her baby doll.
At the end of the adoption, little girls
and their parents can shop
the Newborn Nursery boutique for doll
clothes, strollers, bottles and
everything else a baby doll needs.
"After perfecting the
Newborn Nursery concept at our own
mall-based, stand-alone store, we are
thrilled that the SDSG test
boutique exceeded expectations," said
George R. Schonath, President
and Chief Executive Officer of The
Middleton Doll Company.
