Acuity Brands named 2012 IMARK Group Supplier of the Year

Date Announced: 25 Oct 2012 Company Honored for Third Consecutive YearATLANTA – For an unprecedented third consecutive year, Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI; “Company”), a market leader in innovative energy-efficient lighting, controls and daylighting solutions, is proud to announce that it was selected as the IMARK Group’s (“IMARK”) 2012 “Supplier of the Year” and received the award at IMARK’s Annual Meeting. The Supplier of the Year award recognizes the Company’s efforts over the past 12 months to support the members that make up the IMARK Group. In addition to Supplier of the Year, Acuity Brands was recognized with the award for Sales Leadership by a vote of IMARK members. As a member-owned marketing group of electrical products, IMARK represents more than 2,000 distributor locations. The award winner was selected by IMARK’s more than 1,100 member companies. Members used the following criteria when rating preferred suppliers: annual sales growth and overall performance, marketing support for IMARK programs, new product promotion and communication activities, IMARK member training through IMARK University, and creative efforts to serve new IMARK members. Bob Smith, President of IMARK, said, “Our membership was very pleased to once again announce Acuity Brands as the Supplier of the Year. Acuity continues to demonstrate outstanding support for our membership through all of the IMARK marketing programs. We are proud of our association with Acuity Brands and the award is greatly deserved. What is more impressive is that this is the third consecutive year that our membership has recognized Acuity Brands as our Supplier of the Year.” “Acuity Brands is thrilled to be awarded IMARK's highest recognition for sales and marketing efforts for an unprecedented third year,” said Geoff Marlow, Acuity Brands Lighting Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing. “We value the relationship with IMARK and the recognition of its members for product leadership, training, and superior support. The acknowledgement reinforces our efforts to align closely with our customers to ensure our shared success.”For additional information, please visit Acuity Brands and the IMARK Group on the web and Acuity Brands’ YouTube® Channel. You can also become a fan of Acuity Brands on Facebook® and follow Acuity Brands on Twitter®.About Acuity Brands Acuity Brands, Inc. is a North American market leader and one of the world's leading providers of lighting solutions for both indoor and outdoor applications. With fiscal year 2012 net sales of over $1.9 billion, Acuity Brands employs approximately 6,000 associates and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with operations throughout North America, and in Europe and Asia. The company's lighting solutions are sold under various brands, including Lithonia Lighting®, Holophane®, Peerless®, Gotham®, Mark Architectural Lighting(TM), Winona® Lighting, Healthcare Lighting®, Hydrel®, American Electric Lighting®, Carandini®, Antique Street Lamps(TM), Tersen®, Sunoptics®, Sensor Switch®, Lighting Control & Design(TM), Synergy® Lighting Controls, Pathway Connectivity(TM), Dark to Light®, ROAM®, RELOC® Wiring Solutions, and Acculamp®. About The IMARK Group IMARK GROUP, Inc. is a member-owned marketing group made up of over 1,100 independently owned electrical distributors throughout the United States. Our membership includes over 70 members in the Top 200 largest distributors in the country. Member companies serve their local customers from over 2,000 branch locations. With over $15 billion in combined sales, IMARK Group is the largest member owned, member governed cooperative in the US electrical industry. IMARK members are market leading companies serving the needs of electrical contractors, industrial and institutional MRO customers, electric utilities and other customer types throughout the country. At the heart of IMARK's success is its relationship with over 100 of the electrical industry's leading manufacturers and service providers. IMARK members work closely with these companies to satisfy end customers while members and suppliers maximize profitability, increase market share, and strengthen business relationships.IMARK Group, Inc. is headquartered in Bowie, Maryland and was founded on February 1, 1996 as the result of a merger between The Independent Electrical Distributors Group (TIED) and Western Independent Electrical Distributors (WIED). In January 2009, IMARK Group merged with the Equity/EDN marketing group. Moving forward, IMARK Group will be a haven for high quality electrical distributors that intend to maintain their independence and enjoy high quality relationships with the electrical industry’s leading manufacturers. One of the largest independent marketing cooperatives in the United States, IMARK Group is an associate member of the National Association of Electrical Distributors and the National Cooperative Business Association.

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Rachel Kaylor 910-772-1688

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