Fire at Dorel Brazil Facility

Alternative arrangements already being made

EXCHANGES
TSX: DII.B, DII.A

MONTREAL, Nov. 19 /CNW Telbec/ - Dorel Industries Inc. (TSX: DII.B; DII.A) today advises that a Dorel Brazil car seat assembly facility located in Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro was destroyed by fire this past Wednesday. There were no injuries. Inventory of mostly raw materials and some assembly equipment were lost in the blaze.  However car seat molds, an inventory of finished goods and Dorel Brazil's offices were not affected as they are located in separate facilities.  Although damage estimates are not yet available, insurance coverage is in place.

Dorel Brazil President Rafael Camarano is on-site leading a team which is assessing the situation and making alternative arrangements to serve customers.

"We have already started to shift some of the production to another building and other work will be done at a city-sponsored facility we work with. Arrangements have been made to identify new warehousing space. We expect daily progress and anticipate being back to normal by the end of the year. Brazil is an excellent market for us and we are putting all of Dorel's resources to work to fully support our customer base," commented Hani Basile, Juvenile Group President and CEO.

Profile
Dorel Industries Inc. (TSX: DII.B, DII.A) is a world class juvenile products and bicycle company.  Established in 1962, Dorel creates style and excitement in equal measure to safety, quality and value. The Company's lifestyle leadership position is pronounced in both its Juvenile and Bicycle categories with an array of trend-setting products.  Dorel's powerfully branded products include Safety 1^st, Quinny, Cosco, Maxi-Cosi and Bébé Confort in Juvenile, as well as Cannondale, Schwinn, GT, Mongoose, IronHorse and SUGOI in Recreational/Leisure.  Dorel's Home Furnishings segment markets a wide assortment of furniture products, both domestically produced and imported.   Dorel is a US$2 billion company with 4500 employees, facilities in nineteen countries, and sales worldwide. 

Caution Regarding Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements included in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation.  Except as may be required by Canadian securities laws, Dorel does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Forward-looking statements, by their very nature, are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties and are based on several assumptions which give rise to the possibility that actual results could differ materially from Dorel's expectations expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements and that the objectives, plans, strategic priorities and business outlook may not be achieved. As a result, Dorel cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize. Forward-looking statements are provided in this press release for the purpose of giving information about Management's current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to get a better understanding of Dorel's operating environment. However, readers are cautioned that it may not be appropriate to use such forward-looking statements for any other purpose.

Forward-looking statements made in this press release are based on a number of assumptions that Dorel believed were reasonable on the day it made the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements include:  general economic conditions; changes in product costs and supply channel; foreign currency fluctuations; customer and credit risk including the concentration of revenues with few customers; costs associated with product liability; changes in income tax legislation or the interpretation or application of those rules; the continued ability to develop products and support brand names; changes in the regulatory environment; continued access to capital resources and the related costs of borrowing; changes in assumptions in the valuation of goodwill and other intangible assets and subject to dividends being declared by the Board of Directors, there can be no certainty that Dorel's Dividend Policy will be maintained. These and other risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements are discussed in Dorel's annual MD&A and Annual Information Form filed with the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities. The risk factors outlined in the previously mentioned documents are specifically incorporated herein by reference.

Dorel cautions readers that the risks described above are not the only ones that could impact it. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to Dorel or that Dorel currently deems to be immaterial may also have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.  Given these risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results.

Except as otherwise indicated, forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any non-recurring or other unusual items or of any dispositions, mergers, acquisitions, other business combinations or other transactions that may be announced or that may occur after the date hereof. The financial impact of these transactions and non-recurring and other unusual items can be complex and depends on the facts particular to each of them. Dorel therefore cannot describe the expected impact in a meaningful way or in the same way Dorel presents known risks affecting the business.

For further information:

MaisonBrison
Rick Leckner
[phone]

Dorel Industries Inc.
Jeffrey Schwartz
[phone]