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<Page>                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION                             Washington, D.C. 20549                                    FORM 8-K                                 CURRENT REPORT                       PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF                       THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934          Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) MAY 13, 2002                                                           ------------                                   BLYTH, INC.             -------------------------------------------------------             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)             Delaware                1-13026              36-2984916             -------------------------------------------------------             (State or other      (Commission            (IRS Employer             jurisdiction of       File Number)          Identification No.)             incorporation)              ONE EAST WEAVER STREET, GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT 06831              ----------------------------------------------------               (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)        Registrant's telephone number, including area code (203) 661-1926                                                           --------------                                 Not Applicable          (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)<Page>Item 5.           Other Events      See Exhibit 99.1 attached hereto.Item 7.           Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and                  Exhibits      (c)   Exhibits            99.1  Press Release<Page>SIGNATURES      Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, theRegistrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by theundersigned hereunto duly authorized.                                    BLYTH, INC.Date: May 15, 2002                  By: /s/ Bruce D. Kreiger                                       ---------------------------                                    Name: Bruce D. Kreiger                                    Title: Vice President & General Counsel

<Page>                                                                    Exhibit 99.1                                  [BLYTH LOGO]CONTACT:                                  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASERobert H. BarghausChief Financial Officer(203) 661-1926, ext. 6668Jane F. CaseyVice President(203) 661-1926 ext. 6619                         BLYTH, INC. ACQUIRES CBK, LTD.    LEADING DESIGNER AND MARKETER OF PREMIUM EVERYDAY GIFTWARE AND HOME DECOR         TO COMPLEMENT BLYTH'S EXISTING CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS BUSINESSESGREENWICH, CT, USA May 13, 2002: Blyth, Inc. (NYSE:BTH), a leader in thecandles, home fragrance and decorative accessories industry, today announcedthat it has acquired all of the membership interest in CBK, Ltd., LLC, adesigner and marketer of premium everyday giftware and home decor, sold underthe CBK(TM) brand. The effective date of the acquisition was May 10, 2002.Blyth purchased the interests in CBK for total cash consideration ofapproximately $49.5 million. CBK will remain obligated on its indebtedness,including approximately $4.8 million of long-term debt. The purchase pricereflects an EBIT multiple in keeping with the Company's practice and objectives.Blyth anticipates CBK's annualized sales to be approximately $80 million andthat it will be accretive to its fiscal year 2003 earnings per share.Commenting on the newest addition to the Blyth family of companies, Robert B.Goergen, Blyth's Chairman and CEO, said, "CBK is a market leader in the largeand growing gifts and decorative accessories industry and fits solidly intoBlyth's Creative Expressions acquisition strategy. CBK's ability to capitalizeon emerging trends and speed product to market with one of the largest employeesales forces in the industry makes it unique among its competitors. Moreover,the members of CBK's strong management team, who will continue in their roles,have delivered a history of significant sales and profit growth over the pastfive years."CBK was founded in 1979 by Carl and Robert Kirkland. The Company designs andmarkets a wide range of products, including metal arts, such as planters, standsand decorative accessories, picture frames, lamps, wicker furniture, gardendecor and other giftable products for the home. The CBK(TM) brand is sold bymore than 25,000 independent retailers throughout the United States. TheCompany's products are sourced primarily from Asia. CBK(TM) brand productsconsistently rank at the top of their competitive categories in point-of-salesurveys conducted by giftware industry publications.<Page>John H. Dammermann, Vice President, and head of Blyth's Creative Expressionssegment, said, "CBK is an ideal addition to our Creative Expressions business asits premium everyday products complement the largely seasonal offerings ofMidwest of Cannon Falls. The CBK(TM) brand is respected for its quality andoffers the newest trends in home decor to a wide audience at attractive pricepoints."Randy Eller, CBK's President, joined the Company in 1987 from Russ Berrie andCompany, Inc. and held several positions of increasing responsibility in salesand marketing prior to his appointment as President in 1996. Mr. Eller added,"Joining Blyth offers numerous benefits to CBK. We expect that improvedoperating efficiencies will result from leveraging the resources of Blyth'sGlobal Services Group, particularly for CBK's supply chain managementrequirements. We would also expect that CBK's strong brand awareness amongretailers in the premium channel will help facilitate Blyth's growth in thelarge giftware and decorative accessories industry."CBK is headquartered in Union City, Tennessee. Additional information may befound at the Company's website, www.cbkltd.com.Blyth, Inc., headquartered in Greenwich, CT, USA, designs, manufactures andmarkets an extensive line of candles and home fragrance products includingscented candles, potpourri and other fragranced products, as well as tabletopillumination products and portable heating fuel, and markets a broad range ofrelated candle accessories. Its products are sold direct to the consumer underthe PartyLite(R) brand, to retailers in the mid-tier and premium retailchannels, under the Colonial Candle of Cape Cod(R), Kate's(TM) and Carolina(R)brands, in the mass retail channel under the Florasense(R), Ambria(TM) andFilterMate(R) brands and to the Foodservice industry, under the Ambria(TM),Sterno(R) and HandyFuel(R) brand names. In Europe, its products are also soldunder the Gies, Ambria, Carolina, Colonial and Wax Lyrical brands. Blyth alsomarkets a broad range of Creative Expressions products, including decorative andseasonal products under the Midwest of Cannon Falls(R) and Impact(TM) brands,and paper-related products under the Jeanmarie(R) brand. Net Sales for thetwelve months ended January 31, 2002 totaled $1,199 million.Blyth, Inc. can be found on the Internet at www.blythinc.com.This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning ofthe Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statementsinclude statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, futureevents or performance and underlying assumptions and other statements which areother than statements of historical facts. Actual results could differmaterially due to various factors, including the current slowing of the UnitedStates economy as a whole and the continuing weakness of the retail environment,the effects of our restructuring, the risk that we will be unable to maintainthe Company's historic growth rate, the Company's ability to respondappropriately to changes in product demand, the risks (including foreigncurrency fluctuations, economic and political instability, transportationdelays, difficulty in maintaining quality control, trade and foreign tax lawsand others) associated with international sales and foreign products, risksassociated with our ability to<Page>recruit new independent sales consultants, our dependence on key managementpersonnel, risks associated with the sourcing of raw materials for our products,competition in terms of price and new product introductions, and other factorsdescribed in this press release and in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-Kfor the year ended January 31, 2002.                                       ###