PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP acquires assets of Alaris Consulting, Inc.

Acquisition of supply chain management consulting firm's assets supports PwC's strategy of accelerated growth as a global business consulting provider, and extends PwC's consulting capabilities in supply chain management and sustainable cost reduction

NEW YORK, December 15, 2009 — PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) today announced that it has acquired a substantial portion of the operating assets of Alaris Consulting, Inc.(Alaris), a supply chain management consulting firm focused on strategic sourcing, supply chain optimization, and the reduction of cost and complexity in supply chains.

Alaris CEO, Michael Deering, has been admitted to the PwC partnership as a principal and joins PwC's Advisory practice as a member of the strategy & operations solution group led by partner David Pittman. In addition, all of Alaris's US professionals are joining PricewaterhouseCoopers. These consultants have deep industry and operational expertise, and focus primarily on the industrial products and retail and consumer products sectors.

"In today's difficult economic environment, one of the top priorities shared by most large enterprises is the need to reduce costs and increase efficiencies, particularly in the areas of procurement transformation and supply chain effectiveness," said David Pittman, partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers. "The acquisition of Alaris Consulting's assets and resources will extend PricewaterhouseCoopers' consulting capabilities in supply chain management and sustainable cost reduction. We welcome the addition of Michael Deering and the Alaris team to our practice and look forward to working with them to help our clients solve their most pressing and complex supply chain issues."

PricewaterhouseCoopers' Advisory practice includes a team of dedicated practitioners focused on strategy & operations solutions, including professionals with skills in supply chain and back-office operations across multiple industries. These professionals help clients develop and achieve an agile and responsive supply chain that supports business strategy, helps improve processes and delivers sustainable cost reduction. Alaris Consulting's professionals will add expanded supply chain skills focused on business strategy, procurement transformation and overall supply chain effectiveness.

"Bringing the assets and expertise of Alaris Consulting to PricewaterhouseCoopers will create a powerful consulting team focused on helping clients reduce costs and improve the management of their supply chain," said Michael Deering, former CEO of Alaris Consulting. "We are excited to be a part of PwC, and look forward to accessing PwC's extensive resources to deliver even greater value to our clients."

Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

About Alaris Consulting, Inc.

Established in 1990 and headquartered in Chicago, Alaris Consulting, Inc. (Alaris) is a management consulting firm dedicated to helping clients remove cost and complexity from their supply chains. Alaris’ capabilities and experience are rooted in strategic sourcing, supply chain process implementation, and international operations optimization. Alaris employs a collaborative and data-driven approach that enables clients to solve problems, minimize costs, and increase profits.

About PricewaterhouseCoopers' Advisory practice

PricewaterhouseCoopers' Advisory professionals help organizations improve business performance, respond quickly and effectively to crisis, and extract value from transactions. We help clients implement their business strategies and priorities to build effective organizations, innovate and grow profitably, reduce costs, manage risk and regulation, and leverage talent. As business integrators, we look across the entire organization -- focusing on strategy, structure, people, process and technology -- to help our clients drive sustainable change that yields measurable results.

About PricewaterhouseCoopers

PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwc.com) provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for our clients and their stakeholders. More than 163,000 people in 151 countries across our network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice.

"PricewaterhouseCoopers" refers to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP or, as the context requires, the PricewaterhouseCoopers global network or other member firms of the network, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.