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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2004.

Commission file No. 001-13615

RAYOVAC CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (770) 829-6200

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2).    Yes  x    No  ¨

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $900,923,785 based upon the closing price on the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter (March 28, 2004). As of December 1, 2004, there were outstanding 35,447,180 shares of the registrant’s Common Stock, $0.01 par value.

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PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

General

Rayovac Corporation is a global branded consumer products company with leading market positions in our two major product categories: consumer batteries and electric personal care products. We are a leading worldwide manufacturer and marketer of alkaline batteries, zinc carbon batteries, and hearing aid batteries, a leading worldwide designer and marketer of rechargeable batteries and a leading marketer of battery-powered lighting products. We are also a leading designer and marketer of electric shavers and accessories, electric grooming products and hair care appliances.

We sell our products in over 120 countries through a variety of trade channels, including retailers, wholesalers and distributors, hearing aid professionals, industrial distributors and original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”). We enjoy strong name recognition in our markets under the Rayovac, VARTA and Remington brands, each of which has been in existence for more than 80 years. We have 12 manufacturing and product development facilities located in the U.S., Europe, China and Latin America. A significant portion of our products are manufactured by third-party suppliers.

On May 28, 2004, we completed the acquisition of 90.1% of the outstanding capital stock, including all voting stock, of Microlite S.A. (“Microlite”), a Brazilian battery company, from VARTA AG of Germany and Tabriza Brasil Empreendimentos Ltda. (“Tabriza”) of Brazil. The total cash paid was approximately $30 million, including approximately $21 million in purchase price, approximately $7 million of contingent consideration and approximately $2 million of acquisition related expenditures, plus approximately $8 million of assumed debt. The contingent consideration will be earned by Tabriza upon Microlite’s attainment of certain earnings targets through June 30, 2005. Upon the calculation of the total contingent consideration due to Tabriza, if any, Tabriza will transfer Microlite’s remaining outstanding capital stock to us. Microlite operates two battery-manufacturing facilities in Recife, Brazil and has several sales and distribution centers located throughout Brazil. The acquisition of Microlite consolidates our rights to the Rayovac brand in Latin America. Subsequent to the acquisition, the financial results of Microlite are reported as part of our consolidated results in our Latin America segment.

On March 31, 2004, we completed the acquisition of an 85 percent equity interest in Ningbo Baowang Battery Company, Ltd. (“Ningbo”) of Ninghai, China for approximately $17 million in cash, including approximately $1 million of acquisition related expenditures, plus approximately $14 million of assumed debt. Ningbo, founded in 1995, produces alkaline and zinc carbon batteries for retail, OEM and private label customers within China. Ningbo also exports its batteries to customers in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Subsequent to the acquisition, the financial results of Ningbo are reported as part of our consolidated results in our Europe/Rest of World (“Europe/ROW”) segment.

During fiscal 2003, we completed two major acquisitions: (i) the acquisition of substantially all of the consumer battery business (“VARTA”) of VARTA AG on October 1, 2002; and (ii) the acquisition of Remington Products Company, L.L.C. (“Remington”), on September 30, 2003. With the acquisition of VARTA, we greatly enhanced our status as a global battery manufacturer and marketer and acquired additional low-cost manufacturing capacity and advanced battery technology. By expanding our product line with the acquisition of Remington, we became a diversified consumer products company with a focus beyond the battery and lighting product markets.

Our business is organized and managed according to three geographic regions: (i) North America, which includes the U.S. and Canada; (ii) Latin America, which includes Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean; and (iii) Europe/ROW, which includes continental Europe, the United Kingdom, China, Australia and all other countries in which we do business. Global and geographic strategic initiatives and financial objectives are determined at the corporate level. Each geographic region is responsible for implementing defined strategic initiatives and achieving certain financial objectives. Each geographic region has a general manager

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responsible for all the sales and marketing initiatives for all product lines within that region. Financial information pertaining to our geographic regions is contained in Note 12 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements filed with this report.

Our Products

We compete in two major product categories within the consumer products industry: consumer batteries and electric personal care products. Our broad line of products includes:

Net sales data for our products as a percentage of consolidated net sales is set forth below. During fiscal 2003 and 2002, we had no sales in the electric personal care product lines because the Remington acquisition was consummated on the last day of fiscal year 2003.

General Batteries

Our general batteries category includes alkaline and zinc carbon. We sell a full line of alkaline batteries (AA, AAA, C, D and 9-volt sizes) for both consumers and industrial customers. Our alkaline batteries are marketed and sold primarily under the Rayovac Maximum Plus brand and the VARTA Universal, High Energy and MaxiTech brands. We also engage in private label manufacturing of alkaline batteries. Our zinc carbon batteries are designed for low- and medium-drain battery-powered devices such as flashlights.

Rechargeable Batteries, Chargers and Other

We sell our rechargeable batteries and chargers under the Rayovac and VARTA brands. We sell NiMH and rechargeable alkaline batteries and a variety of chargers, including our 15-minute I-C³ NiMH rechargeable system, introduced in August 2003.

Our specialty battery products include photo batteries, lithium batteries, silver oxide batteries and keyless entry batteries. We sell coin cells for use in watches, cameras, calculators, communications equipment and

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medical instrumentation. Our lithium coin cells are high-quality lithium batteries marketed for use in instrumentation, calculators and personal computer clocks and memory back-up systems.

Hearing Aid Batteries

We are currently the largest worldwide seller of hearing aid batteries. We sell our hearing aid batteries through retail trade channels and directly to professional audiologists under several brand names and under several private labels, including Beltone, Miracle Ear, Siemens and Starkey.

Lighting Products

We sell our lighting products under the Rayovac and VARTA brand names, under other brand names and under licensing arrangements with third parties. We offer a broad line of battery-powered lighting products, including flashlights, lanterns and similar portable devices, for the retail and industrial markets.

Electric Shaving and Grooming Products

We market a broad line of electric shaving and grooming products, including men’s rotary and foil shavers, women’s shavers, beard and mustache trimmers, nose and ear trimmers, haircut kits and related accessories. We market electric shaver accessories consisting of shaver replacement parts (primarily foils and cutters), pre-shave products and cleaning agents. Remington is the only brand of men’s electric shavers to offer both a foil-design product line and a rotary-design product line.

Other Personal Care Products

Our hair care products consist of hair dryers, hairsetters, curling irons, hair crimpers and straighteners, hot air brushes and lighted mirrors. Our wellness products consist primarily of paraffin wax hand spas and foot spas.

Sales and Distribution

We sell our products through a variety of trade channels, including retailers, wholesalers and distributors, hearing aid professionals, industrial distributors and OEMs. Our sales to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. represented approximately 19% of consolidated net sales for fiscal 2004 and no other customer accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated net sales in fiscal 2004.

North America

We align our internal sales force by distribution channel. We maintain separate sales forces primarily to service (i) our retail sales and distribution channels, (ii) our hearing aid professionals and (iii) our industrial distributors and OEM sales and distribution channels. In addition, we use a network of independent brokers to service participants in selected distribution channels.

Europe/ROW

We maintain a separate sales force in Europe/ROW and utilize an international network of distributors to promote the sale of all of our products. We have sales operations throughout Europe/ROW organized by three sales channels: (i) food/retail, which includes mass merchandisers, discounters, drug and food stores and non-food stores; (ii) special trade, which includes clubs (cash/carry), consumer electronics stores, department stores, photography stores, hearing aid professionals and wholesalers/distributors, and (iii) industrial, government and OEMs.

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Latin America

We align our internal sales force by distribution channel or geographic territory. We sell primarily to large retailers, wholesalers, distributors, food and drug chains, and retail outlets in both urban and rural areas. In some countries where we do not maintain a separate internal sales force, we sell to distributors who sell our products to all channels in their particular market.

Manufacturing, Raw Materials and Suppliers

We manufacture alkaline batteries, zinc carbon batteries and zinc air hearing aid batteries. Raw materials comprise a significant portion of our cost of goods sold. Zinc powder, electrolytic manganese dioxide powder and steel are the most significant raw materials we use to manufacture batteries. A number of worldwide sources of such materials exist. We believe we will continue to have access to adequate quantities of these materials. We use commodity swaps, calls and puts in an attempt to manage risks associated with fluctuations in market prices for purchases of zinc used in the manufacturing process.

Substantially all of our rechargeable batteries and chargers, lighting products and hair care, wellness and other personal care products, and our electric shaving and grooming products are manufactured by third party suppliers, primarily located in China and Japan. We maintain ownership of tooling and molds used by many of our suppliers.

We continually evaluate our facilities’ capacity and related utilization. As a result of such analyses, we have closed a number of manufacturing facilities during the past five years. In general, we believe our existing facilities are adequate for our present and currently foreseeable needs.

Research and Development

Our research and development strategy is to direct resources toward performance improvements of our existing products, cost reduction initiatives and new product development. Our battery research and development strategy is focused on alkaline, zinc air and NiMH rechargeable battery systems. Our alkaline product development groups in Madison, Wisconsin and Ellwangen, Germany work closely with both our alkaline manufacturing plants in Fennimore, Wisconsin and Dischingen, Germany. Our zinc air product development group is also located in Madison, Wisconsin and works closely with our zinc air plants in Portage, Wisconsin and Washington, U.K. Our rechargeable NiMH program has been enhanced by our strong working relationships with suppliers based in China and Japan. Foil and rotary cutting system development groups work closely with our Asian suppliers to develop new features and innovative electric shaving products.

In fiscal years 2004, 2003 and 2002, Rayovac invested $23.2 million, $14.4 million and $13.1 million, respectively, in product research and development. These investments were supplemented by funds received from U.S. government contracts. These contracts enable us to investigate additional development opportunities.

Patents and Trademarks

We own or license from third parties a considerable number of patents and patent applications throughout the world for battery and electronic personal care product improvements, additional features and manufacturing equipment. We have a license through March 2022 to certain alkaline battery designs, technology and manufacturing equipment from Matsushita to whom we pay a royalty.

We also use and maintain a number of trademarks in our business, including Rayovac^®, VARTA^®, Remington^®, Maximum^®, Maximum Plus^™, I-C^3™, Renewal^®, Loud ‘n Clear^®, Pro Line^®, Prodigy^®, Microscreen^®, Microflex^®, Precision^®, Remington Titanium^™ and Smooth & Silky^®. We rely on both registered and common law trademarks worldwide to protect our trademark rights. The Rayovac, VARTA and Remington trademarks are also registered in countries outside of the U.S., including countries in Europe, Latin America and Asia. As a result of our acquisition of Microlite S.A. in May 2004, we now own the Rayovac trademark in Brazil.

As a result of the October 2002 sale by VARTA AG of substantially all of its consumer battery business to Rayovac and VARTA AG’s subsequent sale of its automotive battery business to Johnson Controls, Inc., we

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became the owner of the VARTA trademark in the consumer battery category and Johnson Controls acquired ownership rights to the trademark in the automotive battery category. VARTA AG and its VARTA Microbatteries subsidiary continue to have ownership rights to use the trademark with travel guides, industrial batteries and micro batteries. The four owners of the VARTA trademark are parties to a Trademark and Domain Names Protection and Delimitation Agreement that governs ownership and usage rights and obligations of the parties relative to the trademark.

As a result of the common origins of the Remington entity we acquired and Remington Arms Company, Inc., the Remington trademark is owned by us and by Remington Arms, each with respect to its principal products as well as associated products. As a result of our acquisition of Remington, we own the Remington trademark for electric shavers, shaver accessories, grooming products and personal care products, while Remington Arms owns the trademark for firearms, sporting goods and products for industrial use, including industrial hand tools. The terms of a 1986 agreement between Remington and Remington Arms provides for the shared rights to use the Remington trademark on products which are not considered “principal products of interest” for either company. We retain the Remington trademark for nearly all products which we believe can benefit from the use of the brand name in our distribution channels.

Competition

In our retail markets, companies compete for limited shelf space and consumer acceptance. Factors influencing product sales are brand name recognition, perceived quality, price, performance, product packaging and design innovation, as well as creative marketing, promotion and distribution strategies.

The battery marketplace is highly competitive. Most consumer batteries manufactured throughout the world are sold by one of four global companies: Rayovac; Energizer, a subsidiary of Energizer Holdings, Inc.; Duracell, a division of The Gillette Company; and Matsushita (manufacturer of the Panasonic brand). We also face competition from the private label brands of major retailers, particularly in Europe. The offering of private-label batteries by retailers may create pricing pressure and may also increase consumer perceptions that batteries are a commodity product. Typically, private-label brands are not supported by advertising or promotion, and retailers sell these private label offerings at retail prices below competing brands. The main barriers to entry for new competitors are investment in technology research, cost of building manufacturing capacity and the expense of building retail distribution channels and consumer brands.

In the U.S. alkaline battery category, Rayovac is positioned as a value brand while Duracell and Energizer are positioned as premium brands. In Europe, the VARTA brand has premium positioning. In Latin America where lower disposable incomes prevail and zinc carbon batteries still outsell alkaline, Rayovac is positioned as a value brand.

Our primary competitors in the electric shavers market are Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV (“Philips”) (which only sells and markets rotary shavers) and Braun (which only sells and markets foil shavers). Only Remington competes in both the foil and rotary segments. Our major competitors in the personal care market are Conair, Wahl and Helen of Troy. Companies that are able to maintain or increase the amount of retail shelf space allocated to their respective products can gain competitive advantage.

Our major competitors in the consumer battery and electric shaver markets have greater financial and other resources and greater overall market share than we do. They have committed significant resources to protect their own market shares or to capture market share from us in the past and may continue to do so in the future. In some key product lines, our competitors may have lower production costs and higher profit margins than we do, which may enable them to compete more aggressively in advertising and in offering retail discounts and other promotional incentives to retailers, distributors, wholesalers, and, ultimately, consumers.

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Seasonality

Sales of our products are seasonal. Sales during the first and fourth quarters of the fiscal year are generally higher than the second and third quarters due to the impact of the December holiday season. For a more detailed discussion of the seasonality of our product sales, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Seasonal Product Sales.”

Governmental Regulations and Environmental Matters

Due to the nature of our operations, our facilities are subject to a broad range of federal, state, local and foreign legal and regulatory provisions relating to the environment, including those regulating the discharge of materials into the environment, the handling and disposal of solid and hazardous substances and wastes, and the remediation of contamination associated with the releases of hazardous substances at our facilities. We believe that compliance with the federal, state, local and foreign regulations to which we are subject will not have a material effect upon our capital expenditures, financial position, earnings and competitive position.

From time to time, we have been required to address the effect of historic activities on the environmental condition of our properties, including without limitation, the effect of the generation and disposal of wastes, which are or may be considered hazardous. We have not conducted invasive testing to identify all potential environmental liability risks. Given the age of our facilities and the nature of our operations, there can be no assurance that material liabilities will not arise in the future in connection with our current or former facilities. If previously unknown contamination of property underlying or in the vicinity of our manufacturing facilities is discovered, we could be required to incur material unforeseen expenses. If this occurs, it may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Although we are currently engaged in investigative or remedial projects at a few of our facilities, we do not expect that such projects will cause us to incur material expenditures, however, there can be no assurance that our liability will not be material.

We have been, and in the future may be, subject to proceedings related to our disposal of industrial and hazardous material at off-site disposal locations. These proceedings are under the Federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (“CERCLA”) or similar state laws that hold persons who “arranged for” the disposal or treatment of such substances strictly liable for costs incurred in responding to the release or threatened release of hazardous substances from such sites, regardless of fault or the lawfulness of the original disposal. Liability under CERCLA is typically joint and several, meaning that a liable party may be responsible for all costs incurred in investigating and remediating contamination at a site. As a practical matter, liability at CERCLA sites is shared by all of the viable responsible parties. While we currently have no pending CERCLA or similar state matters, we may be named as a potentially responsible party at sites in the future and the costs and liabilities associated with these sites may be material.

It is difficult to quantify with certainty the potential financial impact of actions regarding expenditures for environmental matters, particularly remediation, and future capital expenditures for environmental control equipment. Nevertheless, based upon the information currently available, we believe that our ultimate liability arising from such environmental matters, taking into account established accruals of $5.3 million for estimated liabilities at September 30, 2004, should not be material to our business or financial condition.

Employees

We had approximately 6,500 full-time employees worldwide as of September 30, 2004.

Available Information

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to reports filed pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) are made available free of charge on or through our website at www.rayovac.com as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange

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Commission (the “SEC”). You may read and copy any materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 450 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains an Internet site that contains our reports, proxy statements and other information at www.sec.gov. In addition, copies of our (i) Corporate Governance Guidelines, (ii) charters for the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, (iii) Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, and (iv) Code of Ethics for the Principal Executive Officer and Senior Financial Officers are available at our Internet site at www.rayovac.com under “Investor Relations – Corporate Governance.” Copies will also be provided to any stockholder upon written request to the Vice President, Investor Relations, Rayovac Corporation, 6 Concourse Parkway, Suite 3300, Atlanta, Georgia 30328, via electronic mail at [email protected], or by contacting the Vice President, Investor Relations at 770-829-6200. None of the information posted on our website is incorporated by reference into this Annual Report.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

The following table lists our primary owned or leased manufacturing, packaging, and distribution facilities:

We also own, operate or contract with third parties to operate distribution centers, sales offices and administrative offices throughout the world in support of our business. We lease our administrative headquarters, located in Atlanta, Georgia, and our primary research and development facility and North America headquarters, located in Madison, Wisconsin.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Litigation

We are subject to litigation from time to time in the ordinary course of business. The amount of any liability with respect to any litigation to which we are now subject cannot currently be determined. Other than the matters set forth below, we are not party to any pending legal proceedings which, in the opinion of management, are material or may be material to our business or financial condition.

In March 2004, we agreed to a settlement of all claims brought against Rayovac Corporation and several of its current and former officers and directors generally alleging that the defendants made various false and misleading statements, which had the alleged effect of artificially inflating the price of Rayovac stock during the period from April 26, 2001 until September 19, 2001. These suits were consolidated into one suit, Eli Friedman v. Rayovac Corporation, Thomas H. Lee Partners, LP, Kenneth V. Biller, Kent J. Hussey, David A. Jones, Scott A. Schoen, Stephen P. Shanesy, Thomas R. Shepherd, Randall J. Steward, Warren C. Smith, Jr., and Merrell Tomlin (Case No. 02 C 0308 C, United States District Court, Western District of Wisconsin). In the settlement, Rayovac agreed to pay plaintiff class $4 million in consideration for dismissal of all claims brought under this suit. The parties filed a Stipulation of Settlement with the Court to this effect and the Court granted its preliminary approval of this Stipulation in April 2004 and its final approval of the Stipulation in July 2004. A majority of the $4 million settlement was covered by our insurers, and this matter did not have a material impact on our financial condition or operating results.

We are also involved in a number of legal proceedings with Philips in Europe with respect to trademark or other intellectual property rights Philips claims to have in relation to the appearance of the faceplate of the three-headed rotary shaver. In the first such legal proceeding in Europe, we were successful in having the Philips trademark at issue declared invalid by the High Court of Justice in the United Kingdom, a decision that was ultimately upheld by the European Court of Justice (“ECJ”) in 2002. The ECJ held that a shape consisting exclusively of the shape of a product is unregisterable as a trademark (or is subject to being declared invalid if it has been registered as a trademark) if it is established that the essential functional features of the shape are attributable only to the technical result. Both prior to and following the favorable ECJ decision in 2002, litigation over the Philips trademarks ensued between Rayovac (or one of its distributors) and Philips in each of France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany and again in the U.K. The status of these various matters is as follows:

In addition, The Gillette Company and its subsidiary, Braun GmbH, filed a complaint against Remington in the federal district court in Massachusetts on December 2, 2003 alleging that Remington’s “Smart Cleaner”

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automatic cleaning device on Remington’s Titanium Smart System shaving product infringes United States patent numbers 5,711,328 and 5,649,556 allegedly held by Braun (The Gillette Company and Braun GmbH v. Remington Consumer Products Company, LLC., Case No. 03 CV 12428 WGY). The complaint, which seeks injunctive relief and monetary damages, was served on Remington in March 2004. We have answered the complaint denying all material allegations and we are vigorously defending ourselves in this matter. Trial is tentatively scheduled for November 2005.

We are also involved in proceedings with Norelco Consumer Products Company, a subsidiary of Philips, relating to alleged false and misleading statements used in a Remington television advertisement referred to as “Slice” or “A Close Shave” that aired in the United States in 2003. However, the proceeding is not, in the opinion of management, material to our business or financial condition.

Environmental

We are subject to various federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations. We believe we are in substantial compliance with all such environmental laws which are applicable to our operations. See also the discussion captioned “Governmental Regulation and Environmental Matters” under Item 1 above.

ITEM 4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

Our Annual Meeting of Shareholders was held on July 21, 2004. The directors standing for election were elected in an uncontested election. The directors elected were John S. Lupo and Thomas R. Shepherd. Mr. Lupo received 29,648,901 votes in favor of his election and 2,159,091 votes were withheld. Mr. Shepherd received 29,126,233 votes in favor of his election and 2,681,759 votes were withheld. The terms of office as directors of the following directors continued after the meeting: John D. Bowlin, William P. Carmichael, Neil P. DeFeo, Kent J. Hussey, David A. Jones and Barbara S. Thomas. In addition to the election of directors, we submitted each of the 2004 Rayovac Incentive Plan and the ratification of the appointment of KPMG LLP as our independent auditors to a vote of the shareholders. The vote in favor of the 2004 Rayovac Incentive Plan was 18,475,163 in favor, 9,634,597 against (including broker non-votes) and 61,587 abstained. The vote in favor of ratification of KPMG LLP as our independent auditors was 31,082,648 in favor, 696,660 against and 28,684 abstained.

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PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

Our common stock, $0.01 par value per share (the “Common Stock”), is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the symbol “ROV.” The Common Stock commenced public trading on November 21, 1997. As of December 1, 2004, there were 503 holders of record of Common Stock based upon data provided by the transfer agent for the Common Stock. The following table sets forth the reported high and low prices per share of the Common Stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange Composite Transaction Tape for the fiscal periods indicated:

We have not declared or paid any cash dividends on the Common Stock since it commenced public trading in 1997 and we do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future, but intend to retain any future earnings for reinvestment in our business. In addition, the terms of our credit facility and the indentures governing our outstanding 8.5% senior subordinated notes due 2013 restrict our ability to pay dividends to our shareholders. Any future determination to pay cash dividends will be at the discretion of the Board of Directors and will be dependent upon our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, contractual restrictions and such other factors as the Board of Directors deems relevant.

Information regarding our equity compensation plans is set forth in Item 12 hereof under the caption “Equity Compensation Plan Information.”

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

The following selected historical financial data is derived from our audited consolidated financial statements. Only the most recent three fiscal years audited statements are included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following selected financial data should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto and the information contained in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included elsewhere herein.

Fiscal 2004 includes restructuring and related charges—cost of goods sold of $(0.8) million, and restructuring and related charges—operating expenses of $12.2 million. See Note 15 the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion.

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Fiscal 2003 includes restructuring and related charges—cost of goods sold of $21.1 million, and restructuring and related charges—operating expenses of $11.5 million. Fiscal 2003 also includes a non- operating expense of $3.1 million discussed in (8) below. See Note 15 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion.

In fiscal 2003, a non-operating expense of $3.1 million was recorded for the write-off of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the replacement of our previous credit facility in October 2002.

In fiscal 2001, a non-operating expense of $8.6 million was recorded for the premium on the repurchase of $65.0 million of our senior subordinated notes and related write-off of unamortized debt issuance costs in connection with a primary offering of our common stock in June 2001.

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following is management’s discussion of the financial results, liquidity, and other key items related to our performance. This section should be read in conjunction with the “Selected Financial Data” and our Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes in the Financial Statements section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation. All references to 2004, 2003 and 2002 refer to fiscal year periods ended September 30, 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively.

INTRODUCTION

We are a global branded consumer products company with leading market positions in our two major product categories: consumer batteries and electric personal care products. We are a leading worldwide manufacturer and marketer of alkaline batteries, zinc carbon batteries, and hearing aid batteries, a leading worldwide designer and marketer of rechargeable batteries and a leading marketer of battery-powered lighting products. We are also a leading designer and marketer of electric shavers and accessories, electric grooming products and hair care appliances.

We sell our products in over 120 countries through a variety of trade channels, including retailers, wholesalers and distributors, hearing aid professionals, industrial distributors and OEMs. We enjoy strong name recognition in our markets under the Rayovac, VARTA and Remington brands, each of which has been in existence for more than 80 years. We have 12 manufacturing and product development facilities located in the U.S., Europe, China and Latin America. A significant portion of our products are manufactured by third-party suppliers.

On May 28, 2004, we completed the acquisition of 90.1% of the outstanding capital stock, including all voting stock, of Microlite, a Brazilian battery company, from VARTA of Germany and Tabriza of Brazil. The total cash paid was approximately $30 million, including approximately $21 million in purchase price, approximately $7 million of contingent consideration and approximately $2 million of acquisition related expenditures, plus approximately $8 million of assumed debt. The contingent consideration will be earned by Tabriza upon Microlite’s attainment of certain earnings targets through June 30, 2005. Upon the calculation of the total contingent consideration due to Tabriza, if any, Tabriza will transfer Microlite’s remaining outstanding capital stock to us. Microlite operates two battery-manufacturing facilities in Recife, Brazil and has several sales and distribution centers located throughout Brazil. The acquisition of Microlite consolidates our rights to the Rayovac brand in Latin America. In addition, Microlite’s manufacturing facilities will support our business throughout the South American region, resulting in more efficient product sourcing with lower unit costs. Subsequent to the acquisition, the financial results of Microlite are reported as part of our consolidated results in our Latin America segment. Microlite contributed $12.8 million to our 2004 net sales, and recorded an operating loss of approximately $1.4 million. Microlite’s operating results reflect a period of transition and do not fully take into consideration the capital structure changes and other business changes that have occurred since the acquisition.

On March 31, 2004, we completed the acquisition of an 85 percent equity interest in Ningbo of Ninghai, China for approximately $17 million in cash, including approximately $1 million of acquisition related expenditures, plus approximately $14 million of assumed debt. Ningbo, founded in 1995, produces alkaline and zinc carbon batteries for retail, OEM and private label customers within China. Ningbo also exports its batteries to customers in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Subsequent to the acquisition, the financial results of Ningbo are reported as part of our consolidated results in our Europe/ROW segment. Ningbo contributed $8.4 million in net sales to our 2004 results, and recorded an operating loss of approximately $0.4 million.

During fiscal 2003, we completed two major acquisitions: (i) the acquisition of substantially all of the consumer battery business VARTA on October 1, 2002; and (ii) the acquisition of Remington, on September 30,

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2003. With the acquisition of VARTA, we greatly enhanced our status as a global battery manufacturer and marketer and acquired additional low-cost manufacturing capacity and advanced battery technology. By expanding our product line with the acquisition of Remington, we became a diversified consumer products company with a focus beyond the battery and lighting product markets.

Our financial performance is influenced by a number of factors including: general economic conditions, foreign exchange fluctuations, and trends in consumer markets; our overall product line mix, including sales prices and gross margins which vary by product line and geographic market; and our general competitive position, especially as impacted by our competitors’ promotional activities and pricing strategies.

We manage our business based upon three geographic regions. The regions are as follows: North America, which includes the United States and Canada; Latin America, which includes Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean; and Europe/ROW, which includes continental Europe, the United Kingdom, China, Australia and all other countries in which we do business.

Cost Reduction Initiatives

We continually seek to improve our operational efficiency, match our manufacturing capacity and product costs to market demand and better utilize our manufacturing resources. Since the beginning of fiscal 2001, we have undertaken various initiatives to reduce manufacturing and operating costs. We believe that we can continue to drive down our costs with continued focus on cost reduction initiatives.

Fiscal 2004. In January 2004, we announced a series of initiatives to position us for future growth opportunities and to optimize the global resources of the combined Remington and Rayovac companies. As of September 30, 2004, all these global integration initiatives were complete, as follows:

We recorded pretax restructuring and related integration charges of $11.4 million in 2004. Cash costs of the integration program, including those recorded as additional acquisition costs, are expected to total approximately $30 million. Cash savings related to these costs are projected to be approximately $35 million when fully realized in fiscal 2005. The result of these initiatives is a reduction of approximately 500 positions, or approximately 10%, of the combined organization.

As a result of the integration of Remington and Rayovac operations, we no longer separately report profitability for Remington and Rayovac legacy operations. Gross profit information related to the products sold historically by each company is available and presented below in our discussions of segment profitability.

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Fiscal 2003. In 2002, in conjunction with the acquisition of the VARTA consumer battery business, we announced a series of initiatives designed to position our consumer battery business for future growth opportunities and to optimize the combined global resources of Rayovac and VARTA. These initiatives provide significant benefits to the combined organization, including the renegotiation of certain sourcing arrangements, the elimination of duplicate costs in our consumer battery business and the consolidation of sales and marketing functions.

Also in 2002, we closed our Mexico City, Mexico zinc carbon manufacturing facility and transferred the majority of the production requirements to our Guatemala manufacturing facility. The consolidation of our zinc carbon capacity within Latin America was consistent with the global market trend away from zinc carbon toward alkaline batteries, and was intended to allow us to more closely match our manufacturing capacity to anticipated market demands.

We also announced the closure of operations at our Madison, Wisconsin packaging center and Middleton, Wisconsin distribution center in 2002. These facilities were closed during fiscal 2003 and their operations were combined into a new leased complex in Dixon, Illinois. Transition to the new facility was completed in June 2003.

We expect that all geographies will benefit from decreased costs and expenses resulting from the VARTA initiatives. These initiatives are anticipated to create long-term opportunities for procurement savings, resulting from renegotiated raw material and finished good sourcing arrangements, and lower operating costs as duplicative administrative support and sales and marketing functions are consolidated and overlapping functions are eliminated. Annual savings associated with all VARTA related initiatives are projected to be approximately $40 million when fully realized in fiscal 2005.

Fiscal 2002. In fiscal 2002, we closed our Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic manufacturing facility and transferred production of zinc carbon batteries to our Guatemala City, Guatemala manufacturing facility. We also outsourced a portion of our zinc carbon battery production previously manufactured at our Mexico City, Mexico facility.

Meeting Consumer Needs through Technology and Development

We continue to focus our efforts on meeting consumer needs for portable power, personal care, and lighting products through new product development and technology innovations. Research and development efforts at Remington allow us to maintain our unique manufacturing process in cutting systems for electric shavers. Remington is continuously pursuing new innovations for its line of shavers including foil improvements and new cutting and trimmer configurations. During fiscal 2003, Remington introduced the Remington Titanium^™ line of men’s MicroScreen^® and MicroFlex^® shavers, a line of personal grooming products that utilize titanium-coated components. During fiscal 2004, the Remington Titanium^™ line was expanded to include shavers with automatic cleaning systems. Remington also devotes resources to the development of new technologies for its other products. During fiscal 2004, we introduced the “Wet 2 Straight Professional Straightener”. This ceramic hair straightener dries and straightens hair in one step and includes special steam vents that release moisture to allow hair to dry as it is straightened.

We believe that our products are well poised to meet the portable power, lighting and electric personal care needs of consumers. We will continue to focus on identifying new technologies necessary to meet consumer and retailer needs within the marketplace.

Competitive Landscape

We primarily compete in two major product categories within the consumer products industry: consumer batteries and electric personal care products.

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The consumer battery industry has two major segments: general and specialty. General batteries consist of non-rechargeable alkaline or zinc carbon batteries in cell sizes of AA, AAA, C, D and 9-volt. Specialty batteries include rechargeable batteries, hearing aid batteries, photo batteries and watch/calculator batteries. Most consumer batteries are marketed under one of the following brands: Rayovac/VARTA, Duracell, Energizer or Panasonic. In addition, batteries are marketed under retailers’ private label brands, particularly in Europe.

In North America and Europe, the majority of consumers purchase alkaline batteries. The Latin America market consists primarily of zinc carbon batteries, but is slowly converting to higher-priced alkaline batteries as personal income grows.

Within North America and Europe, the rechargeable battery business has experienced dramatic changes over the past three years. Our development of a one-hour charger and an innovative 15-minute rechargeable battery technology help us maintain a leading market position within the rechargeable category in the United States, as estimated by management. Ongoing industry innovation in battery design and performance technology is also expected to help expand the size of the market.

Within the hearing aid battery category, we continue to maintain a leading global market position according to management estimates. We believe that our close relationship with hearing aid manufacturers and other customers, as well as our product performance improvements and packaging innovations, position us for continued success in this category.

We also operate in the electric personal care industry, which consists of electric shavers and accessories, electric grooming products and hair care appliances. Electric shavers include men’s and women’s shavers (both rotary and foil design) and electric shaver accessories consisting of shaver replacement parts (primarily foils and cutters), preshave products and cleaning agents. Electric grooming products include beard and mustache trimmers, nose and ear trimmers and haircut kits and related accessories. Hair care appliances include hair dryers, hairsetters, curling irons, hair crimpers and straighteners and hot air brushes. Electric shavers are marketed primarily under one of the following brands: Remington, Braun and Philips/Norelco. Europe and North America account for the majority of the worldwide industry sales, with other major markets including Japan and Asia/Pacific.

Our ability to succeed in these highly competitive product categories is influenced by the following factors:

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Seasonal Product Sales

Our quarterly results are impacted by seasonality. Sales during the first and fourth fiscal quarters of the year are generally higher than the second and third quarters due to the impact of the December holiday season. The seasonality of our sales during the last three fiscal years is as follows:

Percentage of Annual Sales

Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2004 Compared to Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2003

Highlights of consolidated operating results

Year over year historical comparisons are influenced by our acquisitions of Remington, Ningbo and Microlite, which are included in our current year Consolidated Statement of Operations but not in prior year results. See Note 16, Acquisitions, of Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information regarding these acquisitions.

Net Sales. Net sales for fiscal 2004 increased to $1,417 million from $922 million in fiscal 2003 reflecting a 54% increase. Acquisitions contributed approximately $409 million to the sales increase in fiscal 2004, with $388 million contributed by Remington, $13 million contributed by Microlite and $8 million contributed by Ningbo. Favorable foreign exchange rates contributed approximately $40 million to the increase during the year. The remaining sales increase was primarily a result of increased general battery sales. Sales increases occurred in all geographic segments, as discussed in more detail below.

Gross Profit. Our gross profit margins for fiscal 2004 improved to 42.8% from 38.1% in fiscal 2003. Excluding the impacts of restructuring and related charges, our gross profit margins were 42.7% in fiscal 2004 and 40.4% in the previous year. The improvement versus the previous year is primarily attributable to the impact of the Remington acquisition and lower alkaline promotional spending in North America. Sales of Remington products in fiscal 2004 were at higher gross profit margins than our general battery and lighting products. In addition, our margins benefited from favorable foreign currency exchange rates on worldwide purchases of Remington products, all of which are denominated in U.S. dollars. Excluding the impacts of the Remington, Ningbo and Microlite acquisitions and restructuring and related charges, our gross profit margins improved to 41.3% in fiscal 2004 from 40.4% in fiscal 2003.

Operating Income. Our operating income for fiscal 2004 increased to $156 million from $60 million in fiscal 2003. The increase was primarily attributable to the impacts of the Remington acquisition, approximately $21 million less in restructuring and related charges in fiscal 2004 versus the prior year and the impacts of favorable foreign currency movements of approximately $14 million. These improvements in operating income were partially offset by increases in corporate expenses driven primarily by the inclusion of Remington costs, an increased investment in research and development costs, and increases in incentive compensation, legal and professional fees.

Net Income. Our net income for fiscal 2004 increased to $56 million from income of $15 million last year. The increase was due to the improvements in operating income discussed above partially offset by an increase in interest expense of $29 million, reflecting the financing costs associated with the Remington acquisition, and the impact of increased income tax expense which was driven by improvements in operating income and the non-recurrence of tax credits recognized in the previous year.

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Discontinued Operations. Our loss from discontinued operations of $0.4 million for fiscal 2004 reflects the operating results of our Remington Service Centers. Net sales from discontinued operations were approximately $21 million for the current year. Service Centers in the United States and United Kingdom were closed during fiscal 2004.

Segment Results. We manage operations in three reportable segments based upon geographic area. North America includes the United States and Canada; Latin America includes Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean; Europe/Rest of World (“Europe/ROW”) includes the United Kingdom, continental Europe, China, Australia and all other countries in which we do business. We evaluate segment profitability based on operating income before corporate expenses and restructuring and related charges. Corporate expenses includes corporate purchasing expense, general and administrative expense, and certain research and development expenses.

Our sales to external customers in fiscal 2004 increased to $654 million from $376 million the previous year, a 74% increase. This increase was primarily due to the impacts of the Remington acquisition, which contributed approximately $241 million and increases in our general battery business primarily driven by a 16% increase in alkaline battery sales.

Our profitability in fiscal 2004 increased to $131 million from $65 million the previous year. The increase in profitability primarily reflects the impacts of the Remington acquisition and sales increases associated with our battery business. Our profitability margin increased to 20.0% from 17.3% last year, primarily due to the benefits of Remington’s higher margin products, offset by higher advertising expenses as a percentage of sales.

Our assets at September 30, 2004 increased approximately 3 percent to $645 million from $625 million at September 30, 2003. The increase in assets is primarily attributable to changes in receivables and inventories. Intangible assets are approximately $292 million and primarily relate to the Remington acquisition. The Remington acquisition was completed on September 30, 2003; thus, the total assets for Remington are included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2004 and 2003. The purchase price allocation for the Remington acquisition was finalized in September 2004.

Our sales to external customers in fiscal 2004 increased to $618 million from $422 million the previous year, a 46% increase, primarily due to the impacts of acquisitions and favorable foreign currency movements. The Remington acquisition contributed approximately $147 million to the sales increase, Ningbo contributed approximately $8 million, with the remaining increase primarily attributable to the favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates. Sales volumes reflected a 14% increase in alkaline sales, as well as growth in hearing aid battery and lighting products sales partially offset by softness in zinc carbon sales.

Our profitability in fiscal 2004 increased to $96 million from $54 million the previous year. The profitability increase was primarily driven by the Remington acquisition, gross profit margin expansion reflecting

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a favorable product line mix and the favorable impacts of foreign currency movements. Profitability as a percent of net sales increased to 15.5% in fiscal 2004 from 12.8% in fiscal 2003 due to improved gross profit margins resulting from the impact of the VARTA integration initiatives implemented in 2003 and the higher margins associated with our Remington product sales. These benefits were partially offset by a slight increase in operating expenses as a percentage of sales reflecting higher selling and administrative expenses.

Our assets at September 30, 2004 increased to $599 million from $537 million at September 30, 2003. The increase is due to the Ningbo acquisition, which added approximately $29 million in total assets and the impact of foreign currency translation. Intangible assets are approximately $264 million and primarily relate to the VARTA acquisition. The purchase price allocation for the Ningbo acquisition has not been finalized and future allocations could impact the amount and segment allocation of goodwill and other intangible assets. The Remington acquisition was completed on September 30, 2003; thus, the total assets for Remington are included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2004 and 2003. The purchase price allocation for the Remington acquisition was finalized in September 2004.

Our sales to external customers in fiscal 2004 increased to $145 million from $125 million in the previous year, a 16% increase. Sales increases reflect improvement in our general battery business, driven by the alkaline and zinc carbon battery product lines, coupled with the impact of the Microlite acquisition which contributed $13 million in net sales for the year. Partially offsetting these increases was the unfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates. The Remington acquisition did not have an impact on the Latin America segment.

Our profitability in fiscal 2004 decreased to $12 million from $18 million in the previous year. Our profitability margin in fiscal 2004 decreased to 8.3% from 14.4% last year. These decreases primarily reflect declining gross profit margins as a result of margin pressure in Mexico and the Andean region, which consists of Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela, and the inclusion of Microlite’s results.

Our assets at September 30, 2004 increased to $296 million from $204 million at September 30, 2003. The increase is due primarily to the Microlite acquisition, which added approximately $80 million in assets. The purchase price allocation for the Microlite acquisition has not been finalized and future allocations could impact the amount and segment allocation of goodwill and other intangible assets.

Corporate Expenses. Our corporate expenses in fiscal 2004 increased to $71 million from $44 million in the previous year. The increase in expense is primarily due to a general increase in expenses related to Remington, increased investments in research and development of approximately $9 million, and increases in incentive compensation, legal and professional fees. Our corporate expenses as a percentage of net sales in fiscal 2004 increased to 5.0% from 4.8% in the previous year.

Restructuring and Related Charges. In fiscal 2004, we recorded restructuring and related charges of $11.4 million associated with our cost reduction initiatives, as more fully described above under the heading “Cost Reduction Initiatives”. This amount is comprised of a credit of approximately $0.8 million recorded in cost of sales and approximately $12.2 million recorded in operating expenses. Fiscal 2004 net restructuring and related charges include amounts related to: (i) North American termination benefits of approximately $4.9 million associated with Remington integration initiatives, (ii) North American inventory impairments and related costs of approximately $0.6 million associated with the combination of Remington and Rayovac distribution facilities (iii) certain pre-acquisition executive compensation agreements with certain Remington employees of approximately $2.0 million,

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(iv) Europe/ROW fixed asset impairments and termination benefits of approximately $3.3 million associated with Remington integration initiatives, (v) relocation and recruiting expenses of approximately $3.0 million primarily associated with the integration of the Remington business and the move to our new corporate headquarters, (vi) changes in estimates associated with fiscal 2003 restructuring initiatives in North America and Europe of $1.3 million reflecting lower termination benefits and lower distributor termination costs than initially estimated, and (vii) favorable changes in estimates of approximately $1.1 million related to a reduction of previously established inventory obsolescence reserves associated with 2003 restructuring initiatives.

In fiscal 2003, we recorded restructuring and related charges of $32.6 million associated with our cost reduction initiatives, as more fully described above under the heading “Cost Reduction Initiatives—Fiscal 2003”, relating to: (i) approximately $13.0 million of employee termination benefits for approximately 650 notified employees and non cash costs of approximately $0.7 million associated with the write-off of pension intangible assets associated with the curtailment of our Madison, Wisconsin packaging facility pension plan, (ii) approximately $12.8 million of equipment, inventory and other asset write-offs primarily reflecting the abandonment of equipment and inventory associated with the closure of our Mexico City, Mexico plant and inventory and fixed asset impairments related to the closure of our Wisconsin packaging and distribution locations, (iii) approximately $6.1 million of other expenses which include distributor termination costs of approximately $0.9 million, research and development contract termination costs of approximately $0.5 million, and other legal and facility shutdown expenses of approximately $4.7 million, net of a $0.3 million change in estimate reducing our anticipated costs to close our Wonewoc, Wisconsin facility.

In fiscal 2003, we recorded restructuring and related charges in cost of goods sold of approximately $21.1 million including amounts related to: (i) the closure in October 2002 of our Mexico City, Mexico plant and integration of production into our Guatemala City, Guatemala manufacturing location, resulting in charges of approximately $6.2 million, including termination payments of approximately $1.4 million, fixed asset and inventory impairments of approximately $4.3 million, and other shutdown related expenses of approximately $0.5 million, (ii) the closure of operations at our Madison, Wisconsin packaging facility and combination with our Middleton, Wisconsin distribution center into a new leased complex in Dixon, Illinois resulting in charges of approximately $12.4 million, including termination costs of approximately $2.4 million and non cash pension curtailment costs of approximately $0.7 million, fixed asset and inventory impairments of approximately $6.9 million, and relocation expenses and other shutdown related expenses of approximately $2.4 million, (iii) a series of restructuring initiatives impacting our manufacturing functions in Europe, North America, and Latin America resulting in charges of approximately $2.8 million, including termination benefits of approximately $1.8 million and inventory and asset impairments of approximately $1.0 million, and (iv) a change in estimate relating to our anticipated costs to close our Wonewoc, Wisconsin facility resulting in a credit of $0.3 million.

In fiscal 2003, we recorded restructuring and related charges in operating expenses of approximately $11.5 million including amounts related to: (i) the closure of operations at our Middleton, Wisconsin distribution center and combination with our Madison, Wisconsin packaging facility into a new leased complex in Dixon, Illinois resulting in charges of approximately $1.4 million, including termination costs of approximately $0.3 million, fixed asset impairments of approximately $0.3 million, and relocation expenses and other shutdown related expenses of approximately $0.8 million, and (ii) a series of restructuring initiatives impacting our sales, marketing, and administrative functions in Europe, North America, and Latin America resulting in charges of approximately $10.1 million, including termination costs of approximately $7.1 million, distributor termination costs of approximately $0.9 million, research and development contract termination costs of approximately $0.5 million, fixed asset impairments of $0.3 million, and legal and other expenses of approximately $1.3 million. The carrying value of assets held for sale under restructuring plans is approximately $8.3 million, and is included in Prepaid expense and other in our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Interest Expense. Interest expense in fiscal 2004 increased to $66 million from $37 million in fiscal 2003. This increase was primarily due to the increase in debt of approximately $350 million associated with the Remington acquisition. The increase in interest expense was tempered by slightly lower interest rates in fiscal 2004 as well as net repayments of debt totaling approximately $113 million during fiscal 2004.

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Non-Operating expense. There were no non-operating expenses in fiscal 2004. Non-operating expense of approximately $3 million in fiscal 2003 relates to the write-off of unamortized debt fees associated with the credit facility which was replaced in conjunction with the VARTA acquisition.

Other Expense (Income). Other expense (income), net was not significant in fiscal 2004. Other income of $4 million recognized in fiscal 2003 was primarily attributable to foreign exchange transaction gains.

Income Tax Expense. Our effective tax rate on income from continuing operations was 38% for fiscal 2004, compared to approximately 33% in fiscal 2003. Our effective tax rate increased primarily as a result of the benefit of tax credits recognized in fiscal 2003 that did not recur in fiscal 2004.

Subsequent to September 30, 2004, the President signed into law both the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 and the Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2004. This legislation contains numerous corporate tax changes, including eliminating a tax benefit relating to U.S. product exports, a new deduction relating to U.S. manufacturing, a lower U.S. tax rate on non-U.S. dividends and an extension of the research and experimentation credit. This new legislation is not anticipated to materially affect our results of operations or our financial condition.

Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2003 Compared to Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2002

Highlights of consolidated operating results

Year over year historical comparisons are influenced by our October 1, 2002 acquisition of substantially all of the consumer battery business of VARTA AG, which is included in our fiscal 2003 but not fiscal 2002 results. See Note 16, Acquisitions, of Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information regarding the VARTA acquisition. The acquisition of Remington had no effect on fiscal 2003 operating results, as the transaction was completed after the close of business on September 30, 2003.

Net Sales. Our net sales for fiscal 2003 increased to $922 million from $573 million the previous year, reflecting a 61% increase. The sales increase is attributable to the VARTA acquisition partially offset by sales decreases in the North America segment.

Operating Income. Our fiscal 2003 operating income decreased to $60 million from $63 million in fiscal 2002, representing a 5% decrease. The decrease was primarily attributable to $33 million in restructuring and related charges reflecting a series of restructuring initiatives announced and implemented during fiscal 2003, and a $21 million decrease in North America segment profitability discussed below. These decreases were mostly offset by the profitability associated with the VARTA acquisition. For further discussion of restructuring and related charges see Note 15, Restructuring and Related Charges, of Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Net Income. Our net income in fiscal 2003 decreased to $15 million from $29 million the previous year. The decrease was due to restructuring and related charges, net of tax of $20 million, an increase in interest expense of $13 million, net of tax, North America retailer markdown programs of $4 million, non-operating expense of $2 million reflecting the write-off of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the replacement of our previous credit facility, and the decline in North America profitability, partially offset by the profitability of the VARTA acquisition. Fiscal 2002 includes an $8 million bad debt expense related to the bankruptcy filing of a North America segment customer.

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Our sales to external customers decreased in fiscal 2003 to $376 million from $436 million the previous year, a 14% decrease. Alkaline sales decreases of $54 million were caused by intense competitive promotional pricing activity in this battery category, a $10 million decline in post-bankruptcy sales to a customer, approximately $6 million in retailer markdown programs associated with our new alkaline pricing program, and our inability to replace $4 million in sales to a discontinued low-margin OEM customer in the prior year. Fiscal 2003 zinc carbon sales decreased $10 million compared to fiscal 2002 due to reduced distribution and general marketplace trends away from the use of this type of battery. Rechargeable battery sales also decreased $3 million compared to the previous year due to lower sales in advance of the I-C³ rechargeable battery system which was launched in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2003. Hearing aid battery sales increased $4 million, or 9.0% due to overall category strength.

Fiscal 2003 profitability decreased to $65 million from $85 million the previous year. The decrease in profitability was primarily attributable to a decline in sales partially offset by a $12 million bad debt expense related to the bankruptcy filing of a key customer recorded in the prior year. Fiscal 2003 profitability margins decreased to 17.3% from 19.5% in fiscal 2002.

Our assets increased in fiscal 2003 to $625 million from $256 million in fiscal 2002 primarily reflecting the impact of the Remington acquisition. Intangible assets of approximately $283 million were attributable to the transaction. The purchase price allocation for the Remington acquisition was finalized in September 2004.

The Europe/ROW segment was the segment most dramatically impacted by the VARTA acquisition. Increases in sales, segment profitability and assets within the region are primarily driven by the VARTA acquisition and the favorable impact of foreign currency movements. Significant sales, marketing, operational and administrative integration activities were implemented and substantially completed within the region making identification of factors causing year-over-year variation difficult.

Profitability as a percent of net sales increased in fiscal 2003 to 12.8% from 9.6% in fiscal 2002 primarily reflecting the impact of the VARTA acquisition and improved gross profit margins.

Intangible assets of $241 million, primarily related to the VARTA acquisition, now make up a substantial portion of the asset base within the segment. The segment’s asset base as of September 30, 2003, includes the international operations of Remington.

Our sales to external customers increased to $125 million in fiscal 2003 from $85 million in fiscal 2002, reflecting a 47% increase. The increase in sales is due to the impact of the VARTA acquisition and sales increases within Central America of $8 million primarily reflecting improvements in our wholesaler and distributor channels. These increases were partially offset by currency devaluations in the Dominican Republic contributing to a sales decrease of $4 million, declines caused by unfavorable economic conditions and political uncertainties in Venezuela resulting in a sales decline of $2 million, and the unfavorable impacts of foreign currency movements impacting other geographies within the region.

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Our profitability in fiscal 2003 increased to $18 million versus $5 million in fiscal 2002. This increase was primarily the result of the VARTA acquisition and improved profitability in Central America partially offset by profit declines in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.

Our assets increased to $204 million in fiscal 2003 from $191 million in fiscal 2002, representing a 7% increase. The acquisition of the VARTA business in Latin America resulted in increases across all asset categories, except for a reduction in accounts receivable reflecting improvements in collections and a decrease in property, plant and equipment reflecting the closure of the Mexico manufacturing facility. The closure and subsequent write-off of the Mexico manufacturing related assets are included in restructuring and related charges in our Consolidated Statement of Operations (see Note 15, Restructuring and Related Charges, of Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements) and are not included in our Latin America segment results. The Remington acquisition had no effect on Latin America segment assets.

Corporate Expenses. Our fiscal 2003 corporate expenses increased to $44 million from $32 million in fiscal 2002, reflecting a 38% increase. As a percentage of sales, corporate expenses were 4.8% in fiscal 2003, compared with 5.5% in fiscal 2002. Fiscal 2003 corporate expenses include higher legal expense associated with patent infringement litigation, a $2 million net charge associated with the settlement of such litigation, generally higher costs associated with the integration of the VARTA businesses and other increases in compensation expense, primarily reflecting an increase in unearned restricted stock compensation of $2 million. Fiscal 2002 included a loss of $2 million related to the bankruptcy filing of a freight payment service provider.

Restructuring and Related Charges: In fiscal 2003, we recorded restructuring and related charges of $32.6 million associated with our cost reduction initiatives, as more fully described above under the heading “Cost Reduction Initiatives—Fiscal 2003”, relating to: (i) approximately $13.0 million of employee termination benefits for approximately 650 notified employees and non cash costs of approximately $0.7 million associated with the write-off of pension intangible assets associated with the curtailment of our Madison, Wisconsin packaging facility pension plan, (ii) approximately $12.8 million of equipment, inventory and other asset write-offs primarily reflecting the abandonment of equipment and inventory associated with the closure of our Mexico City, Mexico plant and inventory and fixed asset impairments related to the closure of our Wisconsin packaging and distribution locations, (iii) approximately $6.1 million of other expenses which include distributor termination costs of approximately $0.9 million, research and development contract termination costs of approximately $0.5 million, and other legal and facility shutdown expenses of approximately $4.7 million, net of a $0.3 million change in estimate reducing our anticipated costs to close our Wonewoc, Wisconsin facility.

In fiscal 2003, we recorded restructuring and related charges in cost of goods sold of approximately $21.1 million including amounts related to: (i) the closure in October 2002 of our Mexico City, Mexico plant and integration of production into our Guatemala City, Guatemala manufacturing location, resulting in charges of approximately $6.2 million, including termination payments of approximately $1.4 million, fixed asset and inventory impairments of approximately $4.3 million, and other shutdown related expenses of approximately $0.5 million, (ii) the closure of operations at our Madison, Wisconsin packaging facility and combination with our Middleton, Wisconsin distribution center into a new leased complex in Dixon, Illinois resulting in charges of approximately $12.4 million, including termination costs of approximately $2.4 million and non cash pension curtailment costs of approximately $0.7 million, fixed asset and inventory impairments of approximately $6.9 million, and relocation expenses and other shutdown related expenses of approximately $2.4 million, (iii) a series of restructuring initiatives impacting our manufacturing functions in Europe, North America, and Latin America resulting in charges of approximately $2.8 million, including termination benefits of approximately $1.8 million and inventory and asset impairments of approximately $1.0 million, and (iv) a change in estimate relating to our anticipated costs to close our Wonewoc, Wisconsin facility resulting in a credit of $0.3 million.

In fiscal 2003, we recorded restructuring and related charges in operating expenses of approximately $11.5 million including amounts related to: (i) the closure of operations at our Middleton, Wisconsin distribution center and combination with our Madison, Wisconsin packaging facility into a new leased complex in Dixon, Illinois

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resulting in charges of approximately $1.4 million, including termination costs of approximately $0.3 million, fixed asset impairments of approximately $0.3 million, and relocation expenses and other shutdown related expenses of approximately $0.8 million, and (ii) a series of restructuring initiatives impacting our sales, marketing, and administrative functions in Europe, North America, and Latin America resulting in charges of approximately $10.1 million, including termination costs of approximately $7.1 million, distributor termination costs of approximately $0.9 million, research and development contract termination costs of approximately $0.5 million, fixed asset impairments of $0.3 million, and legal and other expenses of approximately $1.3 million. The carrying value of assets held for sale under restructuring plans is approximately $8.3 million, and is included in Prepaid expense and other in our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

In fiscal 2002, we recorded net restructuring and related charges in cost of goods sold of $1.2 million related to: (i) the closure of our manufacturing facility in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and transfer of production to our Guatemala City, Guatemala manufacturing facility and the outsourcing of a portion of our zinc carbon battery production previously manufactured at our Mexico City, Mexico manufacturing facility, as more fully described above under the heading “Cost Reduction Initiatives—Fiscal 2002” and (ii) the reversal of $1.3 million of expenses related to the December 2000 restructuring announcement which were not realized, primarily reflecting a change in estimated termination benefits of $1.0 million, due to lower estimates of outplacement costs and costs attributable to fringe benefits, and the retention of selected employees.

The closure of the Dominican Republic manufacturing facility and outsourcing of Mexico zinc carbon production, in fiscal 2002, resulted in $1.2 million of employee termination benefits for approximately 115 manufacturing employees, $0.9 million of charges from the abandonment of equipment and inventory, net of a change in estimate of $0.4 million, associated with the closing of the manufacturing facility and $0.3 million of other expenses. The change in estimate reflected our ability to utilize more inventory and manufacturing equipment at our Guatemala City, Guatemala manufacturing location than originally anticipated.

Interest Expense. Interest expense increased to $37 million in fiscal 2003 versus $16 million in fiscal 2002. The increase in interest expense was due to higher debt levels to finance the VARTA acquisition.

Non-Operating expense. In fiscal 2003, we recorded non-operating expense of $3 million relating to the write-off of unamortized debt fees associated with our previous credit facility, replaced in conjunction with the VARTA acquisition. There was no non-operating expense in fiscal 2002.

Other (Income) Expense. Other (income) expense, net, improved $5 million to income of $4 million in fiscal 2003, primarily attributable to foreign exchange transaction gains.

Income Tax Expense. Our effective tax rate was 32.8% for fiscal 2003, a decrease from 36.0% during the previous year. The decrease in the effective tax rate from the prior year primarily reflects the net impact of certain tax credits realized during fiscal 2003, favorable adjustments to prior year deferred taxes, and adjustments to prior year tax reserves reflecting the expiration of certain statute of limitations, partially offset by non-deductible interest expense associated with our acquisition of VARTA.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

For fiscal 2004, operating activities provided approximately $105 million in net cash, an increase of $29 million over the previous year. This increase was largely due to an increase in net income of $40 million. We also experienced an increase in other non-cash adjustments including an increase in deferred income taxes of approximately $16 million and the tax benefit of option exercises totaling approximately $9 million. These increases were partially offset by lower non-cash charges and the negative impact of changes in working capital of approximately $28 million in fiscal 2004 compared to fiscal 2003.

Net cash used by investing activities decreased to $69 million for fiscal 2004 from $446 million in fiscal 2003. The change is primarily due to payments totaling approximately $420 million made in 2003 associated

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with the VARTA and Remington acquisitions. 2004 capital expenditures were consistent with the level of spending in fiscal 2003.

During 2004, approximately 1.8 million options to purchase common stock were exercised, resulting in cash proceeds to us of approximately $21.1 million.

We believe our cash flow from operating activities and periodic borrowings under our credit facilities will be adequate to meet the short-term and long-term liquidity requirements of our existing business prior to the expiration of those credit facilities, although no assurance can be given in this regard.

Our Senior Credit Facilities include a term loan of $257 million, the “Term C loan facility”; a Euro denominated term loan of €114 million ($142 million at September 30, 2004), the “Euro term C loan facility”; a revolving credit facility of $120 million, the “Revolving credit facility”; and a Euro denominated revolving credit facility of €40 million ($50 million at September 30, 2004), the “Euro revolving credit facility”.

As of September 30, 2004, the following amounts were outstanding under these facilities: $257 million under the Term C loan facility, $142 million under the Euro term C loan facility, and $37 million under the Revolving credit facility. No borrowings were outstanding under the Euro revolving credit facility. In addition, approximately $21 million of the remaining availability under the Revolving credit facility was utilized for outstanding letters of credit. Approximately $112 million remains available under these facilities as of September 30, 2004.

During 2004, we redeemed the remaining $56 million of Series B and D Senior Subordinated Debentures assumed in connection with the acquisition of Remington. The notes were redeemed with the cash remaining following our debt offering of the $350 million 8.5% Senior Subordinated Notes. We also made net payments of $60 million, which represented gross payments of $257 million offset by borrowings of $197 million, on the Term B loan facility using a combination of cash remaining following the debt offering of the Senior Subordinated Notes and cash generated from operating activities. In addition, we made payments of $59 million on the Euro term A and B Loan facilities using cash generated from our operating activities. Additional payments of approximately $20 million were made in connection with other senior debt and capitalized lease obligations.

Also during this period, we borrowed approximately $45 million under our Revolving credit facility primarily for the acquisitions of Ningbo and Microlite. See Note 16 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on these acquisitions. The remaining increase in indebtedness for the period of $36 million is primarily related to debt acquired with the aforementioned acquisitions and unfavorable foreign exchange effects.

In addition to principal payments, we have annual interest payment obligations of approximately $30 million associated with our debt offering of the $350 million 8.5% Senior Subordinated Notes due in 2013. We also incur interest on our borrowings associated with the Senior Credit Facilities, and such interest would increase borrowings under the Revolving credit facilities if cash were not otherwise available for such payments. Based on amounts currently outstanding under the Senior Credit Facilities, and using market interest rates and foreign exchange rates in effect as of September 30, 2004, we estimate annual interest payments of approximately $20 million would be required assuming no further principal payments were to occur and excluding any payments associated with outstanding interest rate swaps.

The Third Restated Agreement, as amended, to the Senior Credit Facilities (“the Third Agreement”) contains financial covenants with respect to borrowings, which include maintaining minimum interest, fixed charge ratios and maximum leverage ratios. In accordance with the Third Agreement, the limits imposed by such ratios become more restrictive over time. In addition, the Third Agreement restricts our ability to incur additional indebtedness, create liens, make investments or specified payments, give guarantees, pay dividends, make capital expenditures, and enter into a merger or acquisition or sell assets.

The terms of the $350 million 8.5% Senior Subordinated Notes permit the holders to require us to repurchase all or a portion of the notes in the event of a change of control. In addition, the terms of the notes

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restrict or limit our ability to, among other things: (i) pay dividends or make other restricted payments, (ii) incur additional indebtedness and issue preferred stock, (iii) create liens, (iv) incur dividend and other restrictions affecting subsidiaries, (v) enter into mergers, consolidations, or sales of all or substantially all of our assets, (vi) make asset sales, (vii) enter into transactions with affiliates, and (viii) issue or sell capital stock of our wholly owned subsidiaries. Payment obligations of the notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a joint and several basis by all of our domestic subsidiaries, including ROV Holding, Inc. Our foreign subsidiaries, which do not guarantee the payment obligations under the notes, are directly and wholly owned by ROV Holding, Inc., with the exception of Ningbo, which is 85% owned by us.

As of September 30, 2004, we were in compliance with all covenants associated with the Senior Credit Facilities and Senior Subordinated Notes.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, or capital resources that are material to investors.

Contractual Obligations & Other Commercial Commitments

Contractual Obligations

The following table summarizes our contractual obligations as of September 30, 2004 and the effect such obligations are expected to have on our liquidity and cash flow in future periods. The table excludes other obligations we have reflected on our Consolidated Balance Sheet, such as pension obligations (see Employee Benefit Obligations, Note 11 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K) (in millions):

Other Commercial Commitments

The following table summarizes our other commercial commitments as of September 30, 2004, consisting primarily of standby letters of credit which back the performance of certain of our entities under various credit facilities and lease arrangements (in millions):

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Critical Accounting Policies

Our Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and fairly present our financial position and results of operations. We believe the following accounting policies are critical to an understanding of our financial statements. The application of these policies requires management judgment and estimates in areas that are inherently uncertain.

Valuation of Assets and Asset Impairment

We evaluate certain long-lived assets, such as property, plant and equipment and certain intangibles for impairment based on the expected future cash flows or earnings projections associated with such assets. Impairment reviews are conducted at the judgment of management when it believes that a change in circumstances in the business or external factors warrants a review. Circumstances such as the discontinuation of a product or product line, a sudden or consistent decline in the sales forecast for a product, changes in technology or in the way an asset is being used, a history of operating or cash flow losses, or an adverse change in legal factors or in the business climate, among others, may trigger an impairment review. An asset’s value is deemed impaired if the discounted cash flows or earnings projections generated do not substantiate the carrying value of the asset. The estimation of such amounts requires management judgment with respect to revenue and expense growth rates, changes in working capital, and selection of an appropriate discount rate, as applicable. The use of different assumptions would increase or decrease discounted future operating cash flows or earnings projections and could, therefore, change impairment determination.

Under SFAS 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, we test goodwill and trade name intangibles for impairment annually. During 2004, we changed the annual impairment testing date for goodwill and trade name intangibles from October 1 to August 31 of each year. The August 31 date is preferable as it provides us with more time prior to the fiscal year-end to complete impairment testing and to report the impact of the impairment tests in our annual Form 10-K filing. The fair values of our goodwill and trade name intangibles exceeded the carrying amounts, and accordingly, no impairment is indicated as of August 31, 2004. Fair values are determined using discounted cash flow models involving several assumptions. These include anticipated growth rates by geographic region, the long-term anticipated growth rate, estimates of the cash flows discount rate. Changes in our assumptions could materially impact our fair value estimates.

Assumptions critical to our fair value estimates are: i) our projected average revenue growth rates used in the reporting unit and trade name models, which management believes are reasonable growth rates for long-term projections, ii) our projected long-term growth rate of 4.0 percent for determining terminal value, and iii) our discount rate of approximately 10.0 percent, representing our targeted near-term weighted average cost of capital (WACC). These and other assumptions are impacted by economic conditions and expectations of management and will change in the future based on period specific facts and circumstances. Factors inherent in determining our WACC are: i) the value of our common stock, ii) the variability in the value of our common stock, iii) our interest costs on debt and debt market conditions, and iv) the amounts and relationships of debt and equity capital.

We evaluate net deferred tax assets based on future earnings projections. An asset’s value is deemed impaired if the earnings projections do not substantiate the carrying value of the asset. The estimation of such amounts requires significant management judgment with respect to revenue and expense growth rates, changes in working capital, and other assumptions, as applicable. The use of different assumptions would increase or decrease future earnings projections and could, therefore, change the determination of whether an asset is realizable.

See Note 2(h), Note 2(i), Note 4, Note 5, and Note 9 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information about these assets.

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Revenue Recognition and Concentration of Credit Risk

We recognize revenue from product sales upon shipment to the customer, which is the point at which all risks and rewards of ownership of the product are passed, provided that: there are no uncertainties regarding customer acceptance; persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; the price to the buyer is fixed or determinable; and collectibility is deemed reasonably assured. We are generally not obligated to allow for, and our general policy is not to accept, product returns for battery sales. We do accept returns related to our shaving, grooming and personal care products. We estimate and accrue the cost of these returns based on historical experience, which are treated as a reduction of net sales.

We enter into various promotional arrangements, primarily with retail customers, including arrangements entitling such retailers to cash rebates from us based on the level of their purchases, which require us to estimate and accrue the estimated costs of the promotional programs. These costs are generally treated as a reduction of net sales.

We also enter into promotional arrangements targeted to the consumer. Such arrangements are treated as either a reduction of net sales or an increase in cost of sales, based on the type of promotional program. The income statement characterization of our promotional arrangements complies with EITF 01-09, Accounting for Consideration Given by a Vendor to a Customer (Including A Reseller of the Vendor’s Products).

Cash consideration, or an equivalent thereto, given to a customer is generally classified as a reduction of net sales. If we provide a customer anything other than cash, the cost of the consideration is classified as an expense and included in cost of sales.

For all types of promotional arrangements and programs, we monitor our commitments and use statistical measures and past experience to determine the amounts to be recorded for the estimate of the earned, but unpaid, promotional costs. The terms of our customer-related promotional arrangements and programs are individualized to each customer and are generally documented through written contracts, correspondence or other communications with the individual customers.

We also enter into various contractual arrangements, primarily with retail customers, which require us to make an upfront cash, or “slotting” payment, to secure the right to distribute through such customer. We capitalize slotting payments, provided the payments are supported by a time or volume based contractual arrangement with the retailer, and will amortize the associated payment over the appropriate time or volume based term of the contractual arrangement. The amortization of the slotting payment is treated as a reduction in net sales and the corresponding asset is included in “Deferred charges and other” in our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Our trade receivables subject us to credit risk which is evaluated based on changing economic, political, and specific customer conditions. We assess these risks and make provisions for collectibility based on our best estimate of the risks presented and information available at the date of the financial statements. The use of different assumptions may change the estimate of collectibility. We extend credit to our customers based upon an evaluation of the customer’s financial condition and credit history and generally do not require collateral. Our credit terms generally range between 30 and 90 days from invoice date, depending upon the evaluation of the customer’s financial condition and history. We monitor our customers’ credit and financial conditions based on changing economic conditions and adjust our credit policies with respect to any individual customer as we determine appropriate. These adjustments may include, but are not limited to, restricting shipments to customers, reducing credit limits, shortening credit terms, requiring cash payments in advance of shipment, or securing credit insurance.

See Notes (2b), (2c), and (2e) to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information about our revenue recognition and credit policies.

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Pensions

Our accounting for pension benefits is primarily based on discount rate, expected and actual return on plan assets, and other assumptions made by management, and is impacted by outside factors such as equity and fixed income market performance. Pension liability is principally the estimated present value of future benefits, net of plan assets. In calculating the estimated present value of future benefits, net of plan assets, for 2004 and 2003, we used a discount rate of 5.25% to 6.25% and 5.0% to 6.0%, respectively. In adjusting the discount rate from 2004 to 2003, we considered the change in the general market interest rates of debt and solicited the advice of our actuary. We believe the discount rate used is reflective of the rate at which the pension benefits could be effectively settled.

Pension expense is principally the sum of interest and service cost of the plan, less the expected return on plan assets and the amortization of the difference between our assumptions and actual experience. The expected return on plan assets is calculated by applying an assumed rate of return to the fair value of plan assets. In both 2004 and 2003, we used an expected return on plan assets of 4.0 % to 8.5%. Based on the advice of our independent actuary, we believe the expected rate of return is reflective of the long-term average rate of earnings expected on the funds invested. An increase in the expected return on plan assets used by us would have the effect of decreasing future pension expense. If such expected return were overstated, it would ultimately increase future pension expense. Similarly, an understatement of the expected return would ultimately decrease future pension expense. If plan assets decline due to poor performance by the markets and/or interest rate declines our pension liability would increase, ultimately increasing future pension expense.

See Note 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a more complete discussion of our employee benefit plans.

Restructuring and Related Charges

Restructuring liabilities are recorded for estimated costs of facility closures, significant organizational adjustments, and measures undertaken by management to exit certain activities. Costs for such activities are estimated by management after evaluating detailed analyses of the cost to be incurred. Such liabilities could include amounts for items such as severance costs and related benefits (including settlements of pension plans), impairment of property and equipment and other current or long term assets, lease termination payments, plus any other items directly related to the exit activities. While the actions are carried out as expeditiously as possible, restructuring and related charges are estimates. Changes in estimates resulting in an increase to or a reversal of a previously recorded liability may be required as management executes the restructuring plan. During fiscal 2003, we adopted the requirements of SFAS 146, Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities, which impacts the timing of recognition of certain exit or disposal costs.

We report restructuring and related charges associated with manufacturing and related initiatives in cost of goods sold. Restructuring and related charges reflected in cost of goods sold include, but are not limited to, termination and related costs associated with manufacturing employees, asset impairments relating to manufacturing initiatives, and other costs directly related to the restructuring initiatives implemented.

We report restructuring and related charges associated with administrative functions in operating expenses, such as initiatives impacting sales, marketing, distribution, or other non-manufacturing related functions. Restructuring and related charges reflected in operating expenses include, but are not limited to, termination and related costs, any asset impairments relating to the functional area described above, and other costs directly related to the initiatives implemented.

See Note 15 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a more complete discussion of recent restructuring initiatives and related costs.

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Loss Contingencies

Loss contingencies are recorded as liabilities when it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. The outcome of existing litigation and the impact of environmental matters and pending or potential examinations by various taxing authorities are examples of situations evaluated as loss contingencies. Estimating the probability and magnitude of losses is often dependent upon management’s judgment of potential actions by third parties and regulators. It is possible that changes in estimates or an increased probability of an unfavorable outcome could materially affect future results of operations.

See further discussion in Item 3, “Legal Proceedings,” and Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Other Significant Accounting Policies

Other significant accounting policies, primarily those with lower levels of uncertainty than those discussed above, are also critical to understanding the Consolidated Financial Statements. Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements contain additional information related to our accounting policies and should be read in conjunction with this discussion.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Market Risk Factors

We have market risk exposure from changes in interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates and commodity prices. We use derivative financial instruments for purposes other than trading to mitigate the risk from such exposures.

A discussion of our accounting policies for derivative financial instruments is included in Derivative Financial Instruments, Note 2(r) of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Interest Rate Risk

We have bank lines of credit at variable interest rates. The general level of U.S. interest rates, LIBOR, and Euro LIBOR affects interest expense. We use interest rate swaps to manage such risk. The net amounts to be paid or received under interest rate swap agreements are accrued as interest rates change, and are recognized over the life of the swap agreements, as an adjustment to interest expense from the underlying debt to which the swap is designated. The related amounts payable to, or receivable from, the contract counter-parties are included in accrued liabilities or accounts receivable.

Foreign Exchange Risk

We are subject to risk from sales and loans to and from our subsidiaries as well as sales to, purchases from and bank lines of credit with, third-party customers, suppliers and creditors, respectively, denominated in foreign currencies. Foreign currency sales and purchases are made primarily in Euro, Pounds Sterling and Brazilian Reals. We manage our foreign exchange exposure from anticipated sales, accounts receivable, intercompany loans, firm purchase commitments, accounts payable and credit obligations through the use of naturally occurring offsetting positions (borrowing in local currency), forward foreign exchange contracts, foreign exchange rate swaps and foreign exchange options. The related amounts payable to, or receivable from, the contract counter-parties are included in accounts payable or accounts receivable.

Commodity Price Risk

We are exposed to fluctuations in market prices for purchases of zinc used in the manufacturing process. We use commodity swaps, calls and puts to manage such risk. The maturity of, and the quantities covered by, the contracts are closely correlated to our anticipated purchases of the commodities. The cost of calls, and the premiums received from the puts, are amortized over the life of the contracts and are recorded in cost of goods sold, along with the effects of the swap, put and call contracts. The related amounts payable to, or receivable from, the counter-parties are included in accounts payable or accounts receivable.

Sensitivity Analysis

The analysis below is hypothetical and should not be considered a projection of future risks. Earnings projections are before tax.

As of September 30, 2004, the potential change in fair value of outstanding interest rate derivative instruments, assuming a 1 percentage point unfavorable shift in the underlying interest rates would be a loss of $2.2 million. The net impact on reported earnings, after also including the reduction in one year’s interest expense on the related debt due to the same shift in interest rates, would be a net gain of $0.8 million.

As of September 30, 2004, the potential change in fair value of outstanding foreign exchange derivative instruments, assuming a 10% unfavorable change in the underlying exchange rates would be immaterial. The net impact on reported earnings, after also including the effect of the change in the underlying foreign currency-denominated exposures, would be immaterial.

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As of September 30, 2004, the potential change in fair value of outstanding commodity price derivative instruments, assuming a 10% unfavorable change in the underlying commodity prices would be a loss of $1.6 million. The net impact on reported earnings, after also including the reduction in cost of one year’s purchases of the related commodities due to the same change in commodity prices, would be a net gain of $0.5 million.

Forward-Looking Statements

We have made or implied certain forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. All statements, other than statements of historical facts included in this Annual Report, including the statements under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Business,” regarding our business strategy, future operations, financial position, estimated revenues, projected costs, projected synergies, prospects, plans and objectives of management, as well as information concerning expected actions of third parties, are forward-looking statements. When used in this Annual Report, the words “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate,” “believe,” “expect,” “project,” “could,” “will,” “should,” “may” and similar expressions are also intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words.

Since these forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations of future events and projections and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, actual results or outcomes may differ materially from those expressed or implied herein, and you should not place undue reliance on these statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied herein include, without limitation:

Some of the above-mentioned factors are described in further detail in the immediately following section entitled “Risk Factors.” You should assume the information appearing in this Annual Report is accurate only as of September 30, 2004 or as otherwise specified, as our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date. Except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States and the rules and regulations of the SEC, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise to reflect actual results or changes in factors or assumptions affecting such forward-looking statement.

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RISK FACTORS

Any of the following factors could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and the risks described below are not the only risks that we may face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently view as immaterial may also materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We participate in very competitive markets and we may not be able to compete successfully.

The consumer battery and electric personal care product markets in which we participate are very competitive. In the consumer battery market, our primary competitors are Duracell (a brand of Gillette), Energizer and Panasonic (a brand of Matsushita). In the electric personal care products market, our primary competitors are Braun (a brand of Gillette) and Norelco (a brand of Philips). We and our competitors compete for consumer acceptance and limited shelf space based upon brand name recognition, perceived quality, price, performance, product packaging and design innovation, as well as creative marketing, promotion and distribution strategies. Our ability to compete in these consumer product markets may be adversely affected by a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the following:

Consolidation of retailers and our dependence on a small number of key customers for a significant percentage of our sales may negatively affect our profits.

During the past decade, retail sales of consumer products, including battery, electric shaving and lighting products, have been increasingly consolidated into a small number of regional and national mass merchandisers and warehouse clubs. This trend towards consolidation is occurring on a worldwide basis. As a result of this consolidation, a significant percentage of our sales are attributable to a very limited group of retailer customers. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. our largest retailer customer, alone accounted for approximately 19% of our consolidated net sales in fiscal 2004. Our sales generally are made through the use of individual purchase orders, consistent with industry practice. Because of the importance of these key customers, price or promotional demands by such customers, reductions in their purchases, change in their financial condition or loss of their accounts could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, we primarily sell branded products and a move by one of our customers to sell significant quantities of private label products which compete with products that we sell could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and prevent us from fulfilling our obligations under the terms of our indebtedness.

We have, and we will continue to have, a significant amount of indebtedness. As of September 30, 2004, we had total indebtedness of $829.9 million.

Our substantial indebtedness could have material adverse consequences for our business, including:

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In addition, a portion of our debt bears interest at variable rates. If market interest rates increase, variable-rate debt will create higher debt service requirements, which would adversely affect our cash flow. While we may enter into agreements limiting our exposure to higher debt service requirements, any such agreements may not offer complete protection from this risk.

Although the terms governing our senior credit facility and the indenture governing our outstanding senior subordinated notes contain restrictions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness, new debt incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial. If new indebtedness is added to our and our subsidiaries’ current indebtedness levels, the related risks that we face would be magnified.

The terms of our indebtedness impose restrictions on us that may affect our ability to successfully operate our business.

The agreement governing our senior credit facilities and the indenture governing our outstanding senior subordinated notes each contain covenants that, among other things, limit our ability to:

Our senior credit facilities also require us to comply with specified financial ratios and tests, including, but not limited to, minimum interest coverage ratio, maximum leverage ratio and minimum fixed charge coverage ratio.

These covenants could materially and adversely affect our ability to finance our future operations or capital needs and to engage in other business activities that may be in our best interest. These covenants may also restrict our ability to expand or pursue our business strategies. Our ability to generate cash flow to make payments on and to refinance our debt, and to comply with these covenants may be affected by events beyond our control,

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such as prevailing economic, financial and competitive conditions and changes in regulations, and if such events occur, we cannot be sure that we will be able to comply. A breach of these covenants could result in a default under the indenture governing our senior subordinated notes and/or the agreement governing our senior credit facilities. If there were an event of default under the indenture for the notes and/or the agreement governing our senior credit facilities, holders of such defaulted debt could cause all amounts borrowed under these instruments to be due and payable immediately. Additionally, if we fail to repay the debt under the senior credit facilities when it becomes due, the lenders under the senior credit facilities could proceed against certain of our assets and capital stock which we have pledged to them as security. We cannot assure you that our assets or cash flow will be sufficient to repay borrowings under the outstanding debt instruments in the event of a default thereunder.

We may fail to identify suitable acquisition candidates, our acquisition strategy may divert the attention of management and our acquisitions may not be successfully integrated into our existing business.

We intend to pursue increased market penetration and expansion of our current product offerings through additional strategic acquisitions. We may fail to identify suitable acquisition candidates, and even if we do, acquisitions may not be completed on acceptable terms or successfully integrated into our existing business. Any acquisition we make could be of significant size and involve either domestic or international parties. The acquisition and integration of a separate organization would divert management attention from other business activities. This diversion, together with other difficulties we may encounter in integrating an acquired business could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we may borrow money or issue additional stock to finance acquisitions. Such funds might not be available on terms as favorable to us as our current borrowing terms and could increase our leveraged position or be dilutive to our stockholders.

If we are unable to improve existing products and develop new, innovative products, our sales and market share may suffer.

We believe that our future success in both our battery and electric personal care product markets will depend, in part, upon our ability to continue making innovations in our existing products and to develop, manufacture and market new products. If we fail to successfully introduce, market and manufacture new products or product innovations, our ability to maintain or grow our market share may be adversely affected, which in turn could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We have made and continue to make significant investments in research and development, as have our competitors. If our competitors successfully introduce new or enhanced products that eliminate technological advantages our products may have in a certain market segment or otherwise outperform our products, or are perceived by consumers as doing so, we may be unable to compete successfully in market segments affected by these changes. In the battery market, we may be unable to compete if our competitors develop or apply technology which permits them to manufacture batteries at a lower relative cost. The fact that our principal competitors have substantially greater resources than us increases this risk. Pre-emptive patent rights, restrictions on our ability to expand or modify manufacturing capacity or constraints on our research and development activity may also limit our ability to introduce products that are competitive on a performance basis.

Our foreign operations may expose us to a number of risks related to conducting business in foreign countries.

Our international operations and exports and imports to and from foreign markets are subject to a number of special risks. These risks include, but are not limited to:

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In many of the developing countries in which we operate, there has not been significant governmental regulation relating to the environment, occupational safety, employment practices or other business matters routinely regulated in the U.S. As such economies develop, it is possible that new regulations may increase the expense and risk of doing business in such countries. In addition, social legislation in many countries in which our business operates may result in significantly higher expenses associated with labor costs, terminating employees or distributors and with closing manufacturing facilities.

We may face a number of risks related to foreign currencies.

Our foreign sales and certain of our expenses are transacted in foreign currencies. With the exception of purchases of Remington products, which are denominated entirely in U.S. dollars, substantially all third-party materials purchases are transacted in the currency of the local operating unit. In fiscal 2004, approximately 54% of our revenues and 52% of our operating expenses were denominated in currencies other than U.S. dollars. Significant increases in the value of the U.S. dollar in relation to foreign currencies could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. While we generally hedge a portion of our foreign currency exposure, we are still vulnerable to the effects of currency exchange rate fluctuations. Changes in currency exchange rates may also affect our sales to, purchases from and loans to our subsidiaries as well as sales to, purchases from and bank lines of credit with our customers, suppliers and creditors that are denominated in foreign currencies. We expect that the amount of our revenues and expenses transacted in foreign currencies will increase as our Latin American, European and Asian operations grow and our exposure to risks associated with foreign currencies could increase accordingly.

Sales of our products are seasonal and may cause our quarterly operating results and working capital requirements to fluctuate.

Sales of our products are seasonal, with a large percentage of net sales occurring during the fiscal quarter ending on or about December 31, due to the impact of the December holiday season. As a result of this seasonality, our inventory and working capital needs fluctuate significantly during the year. In addition, orders from retailers are often made late in the year, making forecasting of production schedules and inventory purchases difficult. Furthermore, adverse business or economic conditions during these quarters could materially adversely affect results of operations for the full year. As a result, the market price of our common stock could fluctuate substantially. For a more detailed discussion of the seasonality of our product sales, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Seasonal Product Sales.”

We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property.

To establish and protect our technology and other intellectual property rights, we rely upon a combination of patent, trademark and trade secret laws, together with licenses, confidentiality agreements and other contractual covenants. The measures we take to protect our technology and other intellectual property rights may prove inadequate to prevent misappropriation of our technology or other intellectual property. In addition, our competitors may independently develop technologies that are substantially equivalent or superior to our technology. Moreover, the laws of certain foreign countries in which we operate or may operate in the future do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as do the laws of the U.S. which may negate our competitive or technological advantages in such markets. Also, some of the technology underlying our products is the subject of nonexclusive licenses from third parties. As a result, this technology could be made available to our competitors at any time. If this technology were licensed to a competitor, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Third-party infringement claims against us could adversely affect our business.

From time to time we have been subject to claims that we are infringing upon the intellectual property of others and it is possible that third parties will assert infringement claims against us in the future. Any such claims, with or without merit, could be time-consuming, result in costly litigation, cause product delays or require us to enter into licensing or other agreements in order to secure continued access to required technology. Licensing or other agreements, if required, may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. If claims of infringement against us are successful, they may also require us to pay significant damages or subject us to an injunction against the sale or use of our products. In the event of a ruling against us on any such claim, a license or similar agreement may not be available to us on reasonable terms.

Remington is involved in a number of legal proceedings with Philips with respect to trademarks owned by Philips relating to the shape of the head portion of Philips’ three-head rotary shaver. An adverse finding against us in these or similar litigations may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. For more information, see “Legal Proceedings—Litigation.”

We are dependent on a few suppliers located in Asia and one of our U.S. facilities for many of our electric personal care products. A disruption in the supply of our products could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Substantially all of our electric personal care products are manufactured by suppliers located in China and Japan. Although we have long-established relationships with many of these suppliers, we do not have long-term contracts with them. Any adverse change in any of the following could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations:

If our relationship with one of our key suppliers is adversely affected, we may not be able to quickly or effectively replace such supplier and may not be able to retrieve tooling and molds possessed by such supplier.

In addition, we manufacture the majority of our foil cutting systems for our shaving product lines, using specially designed machines and proprietary cutting technology, at one of our facilities. This manufacturing facility is subject to the normal hazards that could result in any material damage to any such facility. Damage to this facility, or prolonged interruption in the operations of this facility for repairs or other reasons, would have a material adverse effect on our ability to manufacture and sell our shaving products.

Our dependence on, and the price of, raw materials may adversely affect our profits.

The principal raw materials used to produce our products — including zinc powder, electrolytic manganese dioxide powder and steel — are sourced on a global or regional basis, and the prices of those raw materials are susceptible to price fluctuations due to supply/demand trends, transportation costs, government regulations and tariffs, changes in currency exchange rates, price controls, the economic climate and other unforeseen circumstances. We regularly engage in forward purchase and hedging transactions to effectively manage our raw materials costs for the next six to twelve months. These efforts may not be effective and, if we are unable to pass on raw materials price increases to our customers, our future profitability may be materially adversely affected.

We depend on key personnel and may not be able to retain those employees or recruit additional qualified personnel.

We are highly dependent on the continuing efforts of our current executive officers and we likely will depend on the senior management of any business we acquire in the future. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected by the loss of any of these persons and the inability to attract and retain qualified replacements.

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Class action lawsuits, regardless of their merits, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Rayovac and certain of its officers and directors have been named in the past, and may be named in the future, as defendants of class action lawsuits. Regardless of their subject matter or the merits, class action lawsuits may result in significant cost to us, which may not be covered by insurance, divert the attention of management or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may incur material capital and other costs due to environmental liabilities.

Because of the nature of our operations, our facilities are subject to a broad range of federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations relating to the environment. These include laws and regulations that govern:

Risk of environmental liability is inherent in our business. As a result, material environmental costs may arise in the future. In particular, we may incur capital and other costs to comply with increasingly stringent environmental laws and enforcement policies. Although we believe that we are substantially in compliance with applicable environmental regulations at our facilities, we may not be in compliance with such regulations in the future, which could have a material adverse effect upon our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have facilities that have been in operation by us or prior operators for decades and are constructed on fill that includes, among other things, battery materials containing various heavy metals. From time to time, we have been required to address the effect of historic activities on the environmental condition of our properties, including without limitation, the effect of the generation and disposal of wastes such as manganese, cadmium and mercury, which are or may be considered hazardous, and releases from underground storage tanks. We have not conducted invasive testing to identify all potential environmental liability risks. Given the age of our facilities and the nature of our operations, there can be no assurance that material liabilities will not arise in the future in connection with our current or former facilities. If previously unknown contamination of property underlying or in the vicinity of our manufacturing facilities is discovered, we could be required to incur material unforeseen expenses. If this occurs, it may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We have accepted a deed restriction on one such property in lieu of conducting remedial activities, and may consider similar actions at other properties if appropriate. Although we are currently engaged in investigative or remedial projects at a few of our facilities, we do not expect that such projects will cause us to incur material expenditures, however, there can be no assurance that our liability will not be material.

We have been, and in the future may be, subject to proceedings related to our disposal of industrial and hazardous material at off-site disposal locations. These proceedings are under the Federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (“CERCLA”) or similar state laws that hold persons who “arranged for” the disposal or treatment of such substances strictly liable for costs incurred in responding to the release or threatened release of hazardous substances from such sites, regardless of fault or the lawfulness of the original disposal. Liability under CERCLA is typically joint and several, meaning that a liable party may be responsible for all of the costs incurred in investigating and remediating contamination at a site. As a practical matter, liability at CERCLA sites is shared by all of the viable responsible parties. While we currently have no pending CERCLA or similar state matters, we may be named as a potentially responsible party at sites in the future and the costs and liabilities associated with these sites may be material.

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The price of our common stock could fluctuate.

The market price of our common stock has fluctuated over time. We believe that factors such as quarterly operating results, changes in market conditions, securities analysts’ estimates of future operating results and the overall performance of the economy and the stock market, as well as the other risks affecting our business, may cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate in the future. Broad market fluctuations have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of any individual company. These broad market fluctuations may materially adversely affect our stock price, regardless of operating results. In addition, sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur, may cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

Anti-takeover and other provisions of Wisconsin law and in our organizational documents could delay or prevent a change in control, which could adversely affect the price of our stock. Our shareholders may be liable for certain employee liabilities up to the par value of their shares.

The corporation law of the State of Wisconsin and our articles of incorporation and by-laws each contain certain provisions which may, in effect, discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of us or unsolicited acquisition proposals from taking place. These provisions may discourage transactions that otherwise could provide for a premium over prevailing market prices for our common stock and could also adversely affect the price that investors are willing to pay in the future for our shares of common stock.

In addition, in certain circumstances and subject to certain limitations under provisions of Wisconsin law, shareholders may be liable for unpaid wages of our employees up to the par value of their shares.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

The information required for this Item is included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K on pages 54 through 100, inclusive and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

None.

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures. Our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures are effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by us in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in applicable SEC rules and forms.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the fiscal 2004 fourth quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION

Not applicable.

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PART III

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT

The following table sets forth the name, age and position with the Company of each of our executive officers and directors as of December 1, 2004:

Mr. Jones has served as Chairman of our Board of Directors and our Chief Executive Officer since September 1996. From September 1996 to April 1998, Mr. Jones also served as our President. Between February 1995 and March 1996, Mr. Jones was Chief Operating Officer, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Thermoscan, Inc., a manufacturer and marketer of infrared ear thermometers for consumer and professional use. From 1989 to September 1994, Mr. Jones served as President and Chief Executive Officer of The Regina Company, a manufacturer of vacuum cleaners and other floor care equipment. In addition, Mr. Jones serves as a director of Tyson Foods, Inc., Pentair, Inc. and a privately-held company. Mr. Jones has over 30 years of experience working in the consumer products industry.

Mr. Hussey has served as a director of Rayovac since October 1996 and has served as our President and Chief Operating Officer since August 2002 and from April 1998 until November 2001. From December 2001 through July 2002, Mr. Hussey served as our President and Chief Financial Officer. From October 1996 to April 1998, Mr. Hussey served as our Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration and our Chief Financial Officer. From 1994 to 1996, Mr. Hussey was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of ECC International, a producer of industrial minerals and specialty chemicals, and from 1991 to July 1994, Mr. Hussey served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Regina Company. Mr. Hussey also serves as a director of American Woodmark Corporation and various privately-held companies.

Mr. Steward has served as our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since August 2002. From January 2002 until August 2002, Mr. Steward left the Company for personal reasons. Previously, he served as our Executive Vice President of Administration and Chief Financial Officer from October 1999 to December 2001. Mr. Steward initially joined us in March of 1998 as our Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and was named Senior Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer in April 1998, a position he held until October 1999. From October 1997 to March 1998, Mr. Steward worked as an independent consultant, primarily with Thermoscan, Inc. and Braun AG, assisting with financial and operational issues. From March 1996 to September 1997, Mr. Steward served as President and General Manager of Thermoscan, Inc. From January 1992 to March 1996, he served as Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer of Thermoscan, Inc.

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Mr. Biller has served as our Executive Vice President of Operations since October 1999, as our Senior Vice President of Operations from August 1998 to October 1999, as our Senior Vice President of Manufacturing/Supply Chain from January 1998 to August 1998, as our Senior Vice President and General Manager of Lighting Products & Industrial from 1996 to January 1998 and as our Vice President and General Manager of Lighting Products & Industrial from 1995 to 1996. Mr. Biller joined us in 1972 and has held numerous other positions with us, including Director of Technology/Battery Products and Vice President of Manufacturing.

Mr. Burel has served as our President, Europe/ROW since January 1, 2004. From October 2002, upon our acquisition of substantially all of the consumer battery division of VARTA AG, until December 2003, Mr. Burel served as our Executive Vice President—Europe. Before the acquisition, Mr. Burel had been Chief Executive Officer of VARTA Gerätebatterie GmbH since January 2, 2000. From May 1990 to December 1999, Mr. Burel held positions of increasing responsibility at VARTA AG as International Marketing Manager, Geographical Area Manager (France, Spain and Portugal), Profit Center Manager (general purpose batteries) and Divisional Board Member. Mr. Burel started his career at Braun GmbH, a subsidiary of the Gillette Company, and held several different positions in controlling and marketing in the United States, France and Germany from 1975 to 1988.

Mr. Cancio has served as our President, Latin America since January 1, 2004. From October 2000 until December 2003, Mr. Cancio served as our Executive Vice President—Latin America and from August 1999 to October 2000, he served as our Senior Vice President and General Manager of Latin America. From 1980 to 1996, Mr. Cancio held positions of increasing responsibility at Duracell International Inc., beginning as Vice President in Latin America and ending his tenure as Senior Vice President in other international markets.

Mr. Lee joined us as our President, Remington North America in October 2003 upon our acquisition of Remington Products Company, L.L.C. and he held this same position with Remington Products Company, L.L.C. since January 2002. Effective January 1, 2004, Mr. Lee assumed the position of President, North America. Previously, Mr. Lee held the position of President, U.S. Shaver & Grooming Division at Remington Products Company, L.L.C. since January 2000 and was Senior Vice President Sales and Integrated Logistics of Remington Products Company, L.L.C. since July 1997. From 1995 until 1997, Mr. Lee was employed by Pacific Bell Mobile Services, a Division of Pacific Telesis, most recently as Vice President of Sales, and from 1989 until 1995, he was employed by Norelco Consumer Products Company in various sales positions, including Director of Sales, Western Division.

Dr. Cheeseman has served as our Senior Vice President, Product Development since January 1, 2004. Immediately following our acquisition of Remington Products Company, L.L.C. in September 2003, Dr. Cheeseman assumed all responsibility for Remington product development. From November 2001 until December 2003, he served as our Senior Vice President—Technology and as our Vice President—Technology from June 1998 to November 2001. From 1992 to 1998, Dr. Cheeseman held positions of increasing responsibility at Duracell Inc., a division of The Gillette Company, including Director of Operations from 1992 to 1995 and Director of Technology from 1995 to June 1998.

Mr. Bowlin has served as a director of Rayovac since May 2004. Mr. Bowlin most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Miller Brewing Company, a subsidiary of SABMiller plc, from 2002 to 2003. From 1985 to 2002, Mr. Bowlin served in a variety of senior executive positions during his time at Philip Morris Companies, Inc., including: Chief Executive Officer of Miller Brewing Company from 1999 to 2002; President and Chief Executive Officer of Kraft Foods International from 1996 to 1999; President and Chief Operating Officer of Kraft Foods North America from 1994 to 1996; President and Chief Operating Officer of Miller Brewing Company from 1993 to 1994; and President of Oscar Mayer Food Corporation from 1991 to 1993. From 1974 to 1985, he held positions of increasing responsibility at General Foods Corporation. Mr. Bowlin serves as a director of various privately-held companies and is a member of both our Audit Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Mr. Carmichael has served as a director of Rayovac since August 2002. From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Carmichael served as Senior Managing Director of the Succession Fund, a company that provides strategic financial and tax

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consulting to closely held private companies. Mr. Carmichael also served as Senior Vice President of Sara Lee Corporation from 1991 to 1993, Vice President from 1985 to 1990 and Chief Financial Officer from 1987 to 1990 of Beatrice Foods Company, Vice President of E-II Holdings from 1987 to 1988 and Vice President of Esmark, Inc. from 1976 to 1984. Mr. Carmichael is a director of Cobra Electronics Corporation, The Finish Line, Inc. and a privately-held company and serves as a Trustee of the Nations Funds. Mr. Carmichael is the chairperson of our Audit Committee.

Mr. DeFeo has served as a director of Rayovac since September 30, 2003. In October 2004, Mr. DeFeo was named President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of Playtex Products, Inc. From 1997 to September 30, 2003, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Remington Products Company, L.L.C. and as Chairman of the Board of Remington Products Company, L.L.C. from 2001 to September 30, 2003. From 1993 to 1996, Mr. DeFeo served as Group Vice President of U.S. Operations of The Clorox Company, and from 1968 to 1993 he held positions of increasing responsibility at Procter & Gamble. Mr. DeFeo also serves as a director of American Woodmark Corporation and various privately-held companies.

Mr. Lupo has served as a director of Rayovac since July 1998 and is a principal in the consulting firm Renaissance Partners, LLC, which Mr. Lupo joined in February 2000. From October 1998 until November 1999, Mr. Lupo served as Executive Vice President for Sales and Marketing for Bassett Furniture Industries, Inc. From April 1998 to October 1998, Mr. Lupo served as a consultant in the consumer products industry. From August 1996 to April 1998, Mr. Lupo served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the international division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. From October 1990 to August 1996, Mr. Lupo served as Senior Vice President—General Merchandise Manager of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Mr. Lupo serves as a director of a privately-held company. Mr. Lupo is a member of both our Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Mr. Shepherd has served as a director of Rayovac since our September 1996 recapitalization. Mr. Shepherd is Chairman of TSG Equity Partners, LLC, a private equity investment firm, and is also a director of The Vermont Teddy Bear Company Inc. and various privately-held companies. From 1986 through 1998, Mr. Shepherd served as a Managing Director of Thomas H. Lee Company. Mr. Shepherd is our Presiding Director and the Chairperson of our Compensation Committee.

Ms. Thomas has served as a director of Rayovac since May 2002. Ms. Thomas most recently served as Interim Chief Executive Officer of The Ocean Spray Company from November 2002 to April 2003. Previously, Ms. Thomas was President of Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare, the over-the-counter pharmaceuticals business of the Warner-Lambert Company, until its purchase by Pfizer Inc. in July 2000. From 1993 to 1997, Ms. Thomas was employed by the Pillsbury Company, serving last as President of Pillsbury Canada Ltd. Prior to joining Pillsbury, Ms. Thomas served as Senior Vice President of Marketing for Nabisco Brands, Inc. Ms. Thomas serves as a director of the Bank of Nova Scotia and a privately-held company. Ms. Thomas is the Chairperson of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and a member of our Audit Committee.

Audit Committee Financial Expert and Audit Committee

Audit Committee Financial Expert. Our Board of Directors has determined that William P. Carmichael, Director, is our Audit Committee Financial Expert, as defined under Section 407 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated by the SEC in furtherance of Section 407. Mr. Carmichael is independent of our management.

Audit Committee. We have a separately-designated standing audit committee that was established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act for the overall purpose of overseeing our accounting and financial reporting processes and audits of our financial statements. The current members of our Audit Committee are John D. Bowlin, William P. Carmichael and Barbara S. Thomas.

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Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our directors, officers and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of our equity securities to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC. Based solely upon review of Forms 3, 4 and 5 (and amendments thereto) furnished to us during or in respect of the fiscal year ended September 30, 2004, we are not aware of any director or executive officer who has not timely filed reports required by Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act during or in respect of such fiscal year.

Code of Ethics

We have adopted the Code of Ethics for Principal Executive Officer and Senior Financial Officers, a code of ethics that applies to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and other senior finance organization employees. The Code of Ethics for Principal Executive Officer and Senior Financial Officers is publicly available on our website at www.rayovac.com under “Investor Relations – Corporate Governance.” We intend to disclose substantive amendments to, and, if applicable, waivers of, this code of ethics on that website.

We have also adopted the Rayovac Corporation Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, a code of ethics that applies to all of our directors, officers and employees. The Rayovac Corporation Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is publicly available on our website at www.rayovac.com under “Investor Relations – Corporate Governance.” Any waiver of this code of ethics for executive officers or directors may be made only by our Board of Directors as a whole or our Audit Committee and will be promptly disclosed to our shareholders via that website.

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The following table sets forth the fiscal 2004, fiscal 2003 and fiscal 2002 compensation paid to our Chief Executive Officer and each of the other four most highly compensated executive officers serving as of September 30, 2004 (the “Named Executive Officers”).