Swisher Hygiene Announces Results for the Three-Month Period Ended March 31, 2012

Swisher Hygiene Announces Results for the Three-Month Period Ended March 31,
2012

CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 11, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Swisher Hygiene Inc.
("Swisher Hygiene") (Nasdaq:SWSH) (TSX:SWI), a leading provider of essential
hygiene and sanitizing products and services, announced today that it has
filed its 10-Q for the three-month period ended March 31, 2012. All amounts in
this news release are in United States dollars.

First Quarter 2012 Highlights

  * The Waste segment, which was sold on November 15, 2012, is reported as
    discontinued operations beginning in the first quarter of 2012.
     
  * Total revenue from continuing operations of $58.2 million, a 171% increase
    compared to the prior-year period. Hygiene revenue from company-owned
    operations, excluding acquisitions, increased 19% from the prior-year
    period.
     
  * Adjusted EBITDA loss of $4.1 million based on a net loss from continuing
    operations of $13.3 million. For a reconciliation of non-GAAP to GAAP
    measures, please review the disclosures and table included with this
    release.
     
  * Basic and diluted loss per share from continuing operations of $0.08,
    compared to basic and diluted loss per share from continuing operations of
    $0.04 in the prior-year period.

"Our progress in filing our outstanding financials continues with today's
filing of our first quarter 2012 Form 10-Q and our plan to complete the
filings of our second and third quarter 2012 Form 10-Qs as soon as possible,"
said Thomas Byrne, President and Chief Executive Officer of Swisher
Hygiene. "As we review our financial results, it is important to keep in mind
that we have reported our Waste segment as discontinued operations and these
reported results reflect only our continuing Hygiene operations, which we
believe provides more meaningful information to our shareholders."

"In terms of our first quarter 2012 results, we achieved 19% revenue growth
from hygiene company-owned operations when excluding acquisitions," continued
Mr. Byrne. "While our cost of sales increased as a percentage of our revenue
due primarily to entering the wholesale chemical sales business in the latter
half of 2011 through our acquisitions of Daley, Cavalier and Kitter, we saw
considerable improvement in our route expense as a percentage of revenue
through our initial route consolidation initiatives. We remain dedicated to
serving our customers nationwide on a day-to-day basis with our comprehensive
core chemical program as well as our complementary hygiene and sanitation
services, and we look forward to providing additional 2012 results in the near
future."

First Quarter 2012 Results

For the three months ended March 31, 2012, Swisher Hygiene reported total
revenue from continuing operations of $58.2 million, a 171% increase from
$21.5 million in the prior-year period. Hygiene revenue from company-owned
operations, excluding acquisitions, increased 19% from the prior-year period.

Total costs and expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2012 increased
by 134% to $70.9 million, compared to $30.3 million in the prior-year
period. Excluding the impact of acquisition and merger expenses in both
periods, and $1.9 million of investigation and review-related expenses in the
three months ended March 31, 2012, total costs and expenses increased 61% from
the prior-year period.

For the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively:

                                 Q1 2012 Q1 2011
Cost of sales as a % of revenue  43.4%   38.4%
Route expense as a % of revenue  18.2%   24.0%
SG&A expense as a % of revenue   51.5%   63.0%

The increase in cost of sales as a percentage of revenue primarily reflects a
change in sales mix towards the chemical product line and entering the
wholesale chemical business through Swisher Hygiene's acquisition of Daley
International, Cavalier and Kitter in the third quarter of 2011, while the
favorable change in route expense as a percentage of revenue reflects the
economies of scale realized through route consolidation initiatives. 

Net loss from continuing operations for the three months ended March 31, 2012
was $13.3 million, compared to net loss from continuing operations of $5.4
million in the prior-year period.

Adjusted EBITDA loss for the three months ended March 31, 2012 was $4.1
million, compared to an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $3.9 million in the prior-year
period. 

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release and the attached financial tables contain certain non-GAAP
financial measures. In addition to net income determined in accordance with
GAAP, we use certain non-GAAP measures such as "Adjusted EBITDA" in assessing
our operating performance. We believe this non-GAAP measure serves as an
appropriate measure to be used in evaluating the performance of our business.

We define Adjusted EBITDA as net loss excluding the impact of income taxes,
depreciation and amortization expense, investigation and review-related
expenses, interest expense and income, gains and losses on foreign currency,
net loss on debt related fair value measurements, stock-based compensation and
costs directly related to mergers and acquisitions.

We present Adjusted EBITDA because we consider it an important supplemental
measure of our operating performance and believe it is frequently used by
securities analysts, investors and other interested parties in the evaluation
of our results. Management uses this non-GAAP financial measure frequently in
our decision-making because it provides supplemental information that
facilitates internal comparisons to the historical operating performance of
prior periods and gives an additional indication of our core operating
performance.  We include this non-GAAP financial measure in our earnings
announcement in order to provide transparency to our investors and enable
investors to better compare our operating performance with the operating
performance of our competitors.  Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in
isolation from, and is not intended to represent an alternative measure of,
revenue, operating results or cash flows from operating activities as
determined in accordance with GAAP. Additionally, our definition of Adjusted
EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other
companies.

Under SEC rules, we are required to provide a reconciliation of non-GAAP
measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures. Accordingly, the
following is a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to our net losses for the
three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011:

                                                  Three Months Ended March 31,
                                                                  
(in thousands)                                    2012           2011
Net loss from continuing operations               $(13,260)      $(4,707)
Income tax expense (benefit)                      80             (5,730)
Depreciation and amortization expense             4,976          2,122
Interest expense, net                             581            334
(Gain) loss on foreign currency                   (3)            35
Realized and unrealized (gain) loss on            (29)           1,961
convertible debt
Stock-based compensation                          1,583          802
Investigation and review-related professional     1,874          —
fees
Acquisition and merger expenses                   120            1,264
                                                                  
 Adjusted EBITDA                                  $(4,078)       $(3,919)

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this
press release constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking
statements" within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws and the
Securities Act (Ontario) and are based on the expectations, estimates and
projections of management as of the date of this press release unless
otherwise stated. All statements other than historical facts are, or may be,
deemed to be forward looking statements. The words "plans," "expects," "is
expected," "scheduled," "estimates," or "believes," or similar words or
variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions,
events or results "may," "could," "would," "might," or "will be taken,"
"occur," and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements.

Certain information in this press release is forward-looking
information. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of
estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Swisher Hygiene
as of the date of such statements, are inherently subject to significant
business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. All of
these assumptions have been derived from information currently available to
Swisher Hygiene including information obtained by Swisher Hygiene from
third-party sources. These assumptions may prove to be incorrect in whole or
in part.  All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are
qualified by the above cautionary statements and those made in the "Risk
Factors" section of Swisher Hygiene's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2011, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
available on www.sec.gov, and with Canadian securities regulators available on
Swisher Hygiene's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, and Swisher Hygiene's other
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and with Canadian
securities regulators available on Swisher Hygiene's SEDAR profile at
www.sedar.com. The forward-looking information set forth in this press release
is subject to various assumptions, risks, uncertainties and other factors that
are difficult to predict and which could cause actual results to differ
materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking
information. Swisher Hygiene disclaims any intention or obligation to update
or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events and
circumstances, except to the extent required by applicable law.

About Swisher Hygiene Inc.

Swisher Hygiene Inc. is a NASDAQ and TSX listed company that provides
essential hygiene and sanitation solutions to customers throughout much of
North America and internationally through its global network of company-owned
operations, franchises and master licensees operating in countries across
Europe and Asia. These essential solutions include cleaning and sanitizing
chemicals, foodservice and laundry products, restroom hygiene programs and a
full range of related products and services. This broad set of offerings is
designed to promote superior cleanliness and sanitation in all commercial
environments, enhancing the safety, satisfaction and well-being of employees
and patrons. Swisher Hygiene's customers include a wide range of commercial
enterprises, with a particular emphasis on the foodservice, hospitality,
retail, industrial and healthcare industries.

SWISHER HYGIENE INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS 
(Unaudited)
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
                                                                  
                                                  Three Months Ended March 31,
                                                  2012           2011
Revenue                                                           
Products                                          $50,849        $14,714
Services                                          7,009          5,368
Franchise and other                               294            1,393
Total revenue                                     58,152         21,475
                                                                  
Costs and expenses                                                
Cost of sales                                     25,247         8,242
Route expenses                                    10,594         5,155
Selling, general, and administrative              29,969         13,535
Acquisition and merger expenses                   120            1,264
Depreciation and amortization                     4,976          2,122
Total costs and expenses                          70,906         30,318
Loss from continuing operations                   (12,754)       (8,843)
                                                                  
Other expense, net                                (426)          (2,260)
Net loss from continuing operations before income (13,180)       (11,103)
taxes
                                                                  
Income tax (expense) benefit                      (80)           5,730
Net loss from continuing operations               (13,260)       (5,373)
                                                                  
Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax      (1)            (625)
Net loss                                          (13,261)       (5,998)
Comprehensive loss                                                
Foreign currency translation adjustment           (4)            242
Comprehensive loss                                (13,265)       (5,756)
                                                                  
Loss per share from continuing operations                         
Basic and diluted                                 $(0.08)        $(0.04)
Loss per share from discontinued operations                       
Basic and diluted                                 $(0.00)        $(0.01)
                                                                  
Weighted-average common shares used in the                        
computation of loss per share
Basic and diluted                                 174,832,128    122,780,115

CONTACT: Swisher Hygiene Inc.
        
         Investor Contact:
         Amy Simpson
         Phone: (704) 602-7116
        
         Garrett Edson, ICR
         Phone: (203) 682-8331
        
         Media Contact:
         Alecia Pulman, ICR
         Phone: (203) 682-8224