AMERICAN GREETINGS CORPORATION
ONE AMERICAN ROAD
CLEVELAND, OH 44144
(216) 252 - 7300
www.americangreetings.com
COMPANY  PROFILE
 

AMERICAN GREETINGS CORPORATION and its subsidiaries design, manufacture and sell everyday and seasonal greeting cards and other social expression products. Greeting cards, gift wrap, paper party goods, candles, balloons, stationery and giftware are manufactured and/or sold in the United States by American Greetings Corporation, Plus Mark, Inc., Carlton Cards Retail, Inc., and Quality Greeting Card Distributing Company.

AmericanGreetings.com (formerly Interactive Marketing, Inc.), markets e-mail greetings, personalized greeting cards and other social expression products through the Company's website www.americangreetings.com. AmericanGreetings.com also provides design and verse content which is included in various CD-Rom software products for use on personal computers.

Many of the Company's products are manufactured at common production facilities and marketed by a common sales force. Marketing and manufacturing functions in the United States and Canada are combined; dual priced cards are produced in the United States and distributed in both countries.

The Company's products are primarily sold in about 112,000 retail outlets worldwide. In addition, the Company licenses its designs to various foreign licensees, so that in total, the Company's products and designs are available in more than 70 nations around the world. The greeting card and gift wrap industry is intensely competitive. The Company's principal competitor is Hallmark Cards, Inc.

Based upon its general familiarity with the greeting card and gift wrap industry and limited information as to its competitors, the Company believes that it is the second largest company in the industry and the largest publicly owned company in the industry.

Production of the Company's products is generally on a level basis throughout the year. Everyday inventories remain relatively constant throughout the year, while seasonal inventories peak in advance of each major holiday season, including Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day and Graduation.