Sara Lee's Coffee & Tea business to be domiciled in Holland

Coffee & Tea intends to move its headquarters to Amsterdam in the second half of calendar 2012 

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. - USA (2 March 2012) – Sara Lee has received a Private Letter Ruling and is now able to provide additional details about the spin-off of its international Coffee & Tea business. The spin-off is expected to be completed by the end of June 2012. Post spin-off, the Coffee & Tea business will be domiciled as a new publicly traded company incorporated in the Netherlands.

"We are very pleased to reach this major milestone in our spin-off process and to provide our shareholders with additional news about the domiciling of the Coffee & Tea company and the payment of the $3.00 dividend" said Sara Lee Executive Chairman, Jan Bennink. "With over 250 years of history, the Coffee & Tea business has solid market positions and deep roots in many European markets. Domiciling Coffee & Tea in the Netherlands allows management to be close to its key Western European markets and effectively manage its global portfolio".

Coffee & Tea Company intends to Move its Headquarters to Amsterdam

The Coffee & Tea business also intends to move its operating headquarters from Utrecht to Amsterdam in the second half of calendar year 2012. Amsterdam was chosen as the location for the new headquarters in the Netherlands due to its central location and accessibility to an international labor market.

About Sara Lee Corporation

Sara Lee Corp. (NYSE: SLE) and it's leading portfolio of food and beverage brands, including Ball Park, Douwe Egberts, Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean, Pickwick Teas, Sara Lee and Senseo, generate nearly $8 billion in annual net sales from continuing operations and employ approximately 20,000 people worldwide. In January 2011, Sara Lee Corp. announced that it will divide the company into two pure-play publicly-traded companies, one focused on the international coffee and tea market and the other on North American meats.

Source: Sara Lee Corporation press releases, 2 March 2011

• Sara Lee Subsidiary DE International Holdings Files Registration Statement to Begin Spin-Off Process
• Sara Lee Receives Private Letter Ruling and Provides Information on Pending Spin-Off