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Cooper Industries Completes Acquisition of Regent Lighting

23 November 1999

Cooper Industries Completes Acquisition of Regent Lighting; Worldwide Growth Continues With Third Addition to Cooper's Lighting Business In 1999 COOPER INDUSTRIES LOGO Cooper Industries' logo. (PRNewsFoto)[DM] HOUSTON, TX USA 05/13/1999    

    HOUSTON, Nov. 22 -- Cooper Industries, Inc. today
announced it had completed its acquisition of Regent Lighting, a privately
held company with 1998 revenues of $99 million.  Headquartered in Burlington,
N.C., Regent is a leading U.S. manufacturer of residential outdoor security
lighting fixtures including motion-activated lights, dusk-to-dawn lights,
floodlights and worklights.  Regent has manufacturing operations in the United
States, Malaysia and China and employs approximately 650 people.  Regent will
become a part of the Cooper Lighting division.
    "Regent is a great strategic fit with Cooper Lighting," said H. John
Riley, Jr., chairman, president and chief executive officer, Cooper
Industries.  "Our acquisition of Regent dramatically increases our presence in
the high-volume retail lighting market and complements our strong commitment
to our dealers and distributors.  Regent also enhances our opportunities for
cross-selling and generates additional opportunities to lower material costs
through greater purchasing leverage."
    Cooper Lighting, a division of Cooper Industries, manufactures recessed,
track, fluorescent, high intensity discharge (HID) and emergency lighting
fixtures.  Headquartered in Elk Grove Village, Ill., Cooper Lighting has
manufacturing facilities in 11 domestic and five international locations and
approximately 5,500 employees worldwide.
    Cooper Industries, with 1998 revenues of $3.7 billion, is a worldwide
manufacturer of electrical products, tools and hardware.  Additional
information about Cooper is available on the Company's Internet site:
http://www.cooperindustries.com.

    CONTACT:  John Breed of Cooper Industries, 713-209-8835.