CORPORATE FINANCIALS ONLINE Fastest direct links to news from publicly-traded companies.

    Blyth: Names Bergeron Vice Chairman of PartyLite

                              



CONTACT:                           FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jane F. Casey
Vice President
(203) 661-1926, ext. 6619




     BLYTH INDUSTRIES NAMES AL BERGERON VICE CHAIRMAN OF
                          PARTYLITE
     Frank Mineo Becomes President of Direct Sales Unit


GREENWICH, CT, USA April 3, 2000: Blyth Industries, Inc.
(NYSE:BTH) announced that Al Bergeron, President of its
direct sales unit, PartyLite Gifts, will assume the position
of Vice Chairman of PartyLite as the first step in a
transition towards his eventual retirement.  Frank Mineo,
currently EVP of PartyLite, will become its new President.
Both Mr. Bergeron and Mr. Mineo will report to Robert B.
Goergen, Chairman and CEO of Blyth Industries, who also
serves as PartyLite's Chairman.

Commenting on this latest change to his executive management
team, Mr. Goergen said, "After a decade of outstanding
leadership at PartyLite during which he led its substantial
growth into a multinational organization, Al Bergeron, 59,
is planning for a much deserved retirement.  However, Al
will continue to play a vital role at PartyLite as its Vice
Chairman.  We have made a series of organizational changes
over the past year that have enabled us to initiate this
transition without any business interruption at PartyLite.

Mr. Goergen continued to say, "Frank Mineo has played a key
role in PartyLite's success since joining the company in
1994, serving in a variety of management roles, including
Vice President, Finance & Administration, President -
PartyLite Europe, and his current role of EVP - PartyLite
Worldwide, where he has responsibility for PartyLite's
Canadian and European operations as well as PartyLite's
worldwide functions of Finance, Technology, Human Resources
and Operations.  I am very enthusiastic about Frank's
ability to lead PartyLite into its first fiscal year of the
new millennium."

Prior to joining PartyLite, Mr. Mineo, 46, had extensive
direct selling experience in both the U.S. and Europe.  Mr.
Mineo, who is originally from the Boston area, received a
B.S. from Boston College and an M.B.A. from Babson College.

Blyth Industries, Inc., headquartered in Greenwich, CT,
designs, manufactures, and markets an extensive line of
candles and home fragrance products including scented
candles, outdoor lighting products, potpourri and
environmental fragrance products, and markets a broad range
of related candle accessories and decorative seasonal
products.  Its products are sold in the United States under
various brand names, including Colonial Candle of Cape
Cod(R), PartyLite Gifts(R), Carolina Designs(R), Ambria(TM),
Canterbury(R), Florasense(R), Jeanmarie(R) and FilterMate(R)
and in Europe under Gies(TM), Liljeholmens(R) and Colony.
It is also a leading producer of portable heating fuel
products sold under the Sterno(R) and Handy Fuel(R) brand
names.  Net Sales for the twelve months ended January 31,
2000 totaled $1,097,450,000.

Blyth Industries, Inc. can be found on the Internet at
www.blythindustries.com.

                            # # #