Livingstone Taps Restaurant, Retail Industry Veteran Gene McCaffery as Advisor

CHICAGO, IL–(EMWNews – August 14, 2008) – Livingstone, the leading mid-market

international investment banking firm, today announced the appointment of

Gene McCaffery as its Consumer Industry Advisor, focused principally on the

restaurant and retail sectors. Throughout his professional career,

McCaffery has held senior executive positions with leading private and

publicly traded companies in the industry. Additionally, he has served on

the boards of countless civic and not-for-profit organizations. McCaffery

also served in the Military as an Infantry Officer in Vietnam, and

subsequently was appointed as Civilian Aide to the Secretary Army during

the George H.W. Bush (41) Administration.

Currently, McCaffery serves as Chairman of the Board of the Gibson

Restaurant Group, which owns and/or operates Gibson’s Steakhouse, Hugo’s

Frog Bar, Luxbar, Quartino, and the Ralph Lauren (RL) restaurants. He most

recently served as Executive Chairman and CEO of Value Vision Media

(NASDAQ: VVTV), which owns and operates the nation’s third largest home

shopping network, ShopNBC. He also served on the Board of Ralph Lauren

Media during the development of Polo.com. Previously, McCaffery spent 14

years at Montgomery Ward, a $7 billion retail chain, ultimately rising to

the company’s #2 position. During this time, he also served as Vice

Chairman of the Signature Group, one of the leading direct marketing and

insurance companies in the country.

“We are thrilled to have a man of Gene’s reputation and experience join the

Livingstone team,” said partner David Sulaski. “Working with our growing

panel of seasoned industry advisors, we can add greater value to our

clients by providing operational experience, unique sector perspective, and

board level contacts around the world.”

“I look forward to working with Livingstone to further strengthen its

30-year transaction record in the consumer sector,” added McCaffery. “As

the restaurant and retail sectors continue to globalize and grow

increasingly competitive, we can help clients navigate the marketplace in a

meaningful way — especially given Livingstone’s unique international

platform.”

McCaffery joins 10 other sector experts on Livingstone’s current Advisory

Panel. Additional U.S.-based appointments are planned.

ABOUT LIVINGSTONE

Livingstone is a leading independent, international investment banking firm

focused on M&A and private capital transactions with values between $30 and

$300 million. Across three principal offices in the U.S. and Europe,

Livingstone’s 50 corporate finance professionals specialize in four key

global sectors: Business Services, Consumer, Industrial, and Media &

Technology. Livingstone was named 2008 Boutique of the Year at the European

Private Equity awards. More information at www.livingstonepartners.com.