EXPRESS, LLC

Your Signature:

(Sign exactly as your name appears on the face of this Note)

Tax Identification No.:

EX-4.2 4 dex42.htm INDENTURE Indenture

Exhibit 4.2

EXECUTION VERSION

EXPRESS, LLC

EXPRESS FINANCE CORP.

AND EACH OF THE GUARANTORS PARTY HERETO

$250,000,000

8.750% SENIOR NOTES DUE 2018

INDENTURE

Dated as of March 5, 2010

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

as Trustee

CROSS-REFERENCE TABLE*


*Trust Indenture* *Act Section*		*Indenture Section*
310(a)(1)		7.10
(a)(2)		7.10
(a)(3)		N.A.
(a)(4)		N.A.
(a)(5)		7.10
(b)		7.10
(c)		N.A.
311(a)		7.11
(b)		7.11
(c)		N.A.
312(a)		2.05
(b)		12.03
(c)		12.03
313(a)		7.06
(b)(2)		7.06; 7.07
(c)		7.06; 12.02
(d)		7.06
314(a)		4.03;12.02; 12.05
(c)(1)		12.04
(c)(2)		12.04
(c)(3)		N.A.
(e)		12.05
(f)		N.A.
315(a)		7.01
(b)		7.05; 12.02
(c)		7.01
(d)		7.01
(e)		6.11
316(a) (last sentence)		2.09
(a)(1)(A)		6.05
(a)(1)(B)		6.04
(a)(2)		N.A.
(b)		6.07
(c)		2.12
317(a)(1)		6.08
(a)(2)		6.09
(b)		2.04
318(a)		12.01
(b)		N.A.
(c)		12.01

N.A. means not applicable.

*	This Cross Reference Table is not part of the Indenture.

TABLE OF CONTENTS


		*Page*

ARTICLE 1
DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION
BY REFERENCE

Section 1.01	Definitions	1
Section 1.02	Other Definitions	32
Section 1.03	Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act	33
Section 1.04	Rules of Construction	33

ARTICLE 2
THE NOTES

Section 2.01	Form and Dating	34
Section 2.02	Execution and Authentication	35
Section 2.03	Registrar and Paying Agent	35
Section 2.04	Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust	36
Section 2.05	Holder Lists	36
Section 2.06	Transfer and Exchange	36
Section 2.07	Replacement Notes	49
Section 2.08	Outstanding Notes	49
Section 2.09	Treasury Notes	49
Section 2.10	Temporary Notes	49
Section 2.11	Cancellation	50
Section 2.12	Defaulted Interest	50

ARTICLE 3
REDEMPTION AND PREPAYMENT

Section 3.01	Notices to Trustee	50
Section 3.02	Selection of Notes to Be Redeemed or Purchased	50
Section 3.03	Notice of Redemption	51
Section 3.04	Effect of Notice of Redemption	52
Section 3.05	Deposit of Redemption or Purchase Price	52
Section 3.06	Notes Redeemed or Purchased in Part	52
Section 3.07	Optional Redemption	52
Section 3.08	Mandatory Redemption	53
Section 3.09	Offer to Purchase by Application of Excess Proceeds	53

ARTICLE 4
COVENANTS

Section 4.01	Payment of Notes	55
Section 4.02	Maintenance of Office or Agency	55
Section 4.03	Reports	56
Section 4.04	Compliance Certificate	57
Section 4.05	Taxes	58
Section 4.06	Stay, Extension and Usury Laws	58
Section 4.07	Restricted Payments	58
Section 4.08	Dividend and Other Payment Restrictions Affecting Restricted Subsidiaries	63
Section 4.09	Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock	65
Section 4.10	Asset Sales	69


		*Page*

Section 4.11	Transactions with Affiliates	71
Section 4.12	Liens	74
Section 4.13	Corporate Existence	74
Section 4.14	Offer to Repurchase Upon Change of Control	75
Section 4.15	Payments for Consent	76
Section 4.16	Additional Note Guarantees	76
Section 4.17	Designation of Restricted and Unrestricted Subsidiaries	77
Section 4.18	Restrictions on Activities of Express Finance	77
Section 4.19	Changes in Covenants when Notes Rated Investment Grade	77

ARTICLE 5
SUCCESSORS

Section 5.01	Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets	78
Section 5.02	Successor Corporation Substituted	79

ARTICLE 6
DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES

Section 6.01	Events of Default	80
Section 6.02	Acceleration	81
Section 6.03	Other Remedies	82
Section 6.04	Waiver of Past Defaults	82
Section 6.05	Control by Majority	82
Section 6.06	Limitation on Suits	83
Section 6.07	Rights of Holders of Notes to Receive Payment	83
Section 6.08	Collection Suit by Trustee	83
Section 6.09	Trustee May File Proofs of Claim	83
Section 6.10	Priorities	84
Section 6.11	Undertaking for Costs	84

ARTICLE 7
TRUSTEE

Section 7.01	Duties of Trustee	84
Section 7.02	Rights of Trustee	85
Section 7.03	Individual Rights of Trustee	87
Section 7.04	Trustee’s Disclaimer	87
Section 7.05	Notice of Defaults	87
Section 7.06	Reports by Trustee to Holders of the Notes	87
Section 7.07	Compensation and Indemnity	87
Section 7.08	Replacement of Trustee	88
Section 7.09	Successor Trustee by Merger, etc	89
Section 7.10	Eligibility; Disqualification	89
Section 7.11	Preferential Collection of Claims Against the Issuers	89

ARTICLE 8
LEGAL DEFEASANCE AND COVENANT DEFEASANCE

Section 8.01	Option to Effect Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance	90
Section 8.02	Legal Defeasance and Discharge	90
Section 8.03	Covenant Defeasance	90
Section 8.04	Conditions to Legal or Covenant Defeasance	91
Section 8.05	Deposited Money and Government Securities to be Held in Trust; Other Miscellaneous Provisions	92


		*Page*

Section 8.06	Repayment to Issuers	92
Section 8.07	Reinstatement	93

ARTICLE 9
AMENDMENT, SUPPLEMENT AND WAIVER

Section 9.01	Without Consent of Holders of Notes	93
Section 9.02	With Consent of Holders of Notes	94
Section 9.03	Compliance with Trust Indenture Act	95
Section 9.04	Revocation and Effect of Consents	95
Section 9.05	Notation on or Exchange of Notes	95
Section 9.06	Trustee to Sign Amendments, etc.	96

ARTICLE 10.
NOTE GUARANTEES

Section 10.01.	Guarantee	96
Section 10.02.	Limitation on Guarantor Liability	97
Section 10.03.	Execution and Delivery of Note Guarantee	97
Section 10.04.	Guarantors May Consolidate, etc., on Certain Terms	98
Section 10.05.	Releases	98

ARTICLE 11
SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE

Section 11.01	Satisfaction and Discharge	99
Section 11.02	Application of Trust Money	100

ARTICLE 12
MISCELLANEOUS

Section 12.01	Trust Indenture Act Controls	101
Section 12.02	Notices	101
Section 12.03	Communication by Holders of Notes with Other Holders of Notes	102
Section 12.04	Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent	102
Section 12.05	Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion	102
Section 12.06	Rules by Trustee and Agents	103
Section 12.07	No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees and Stockholders	103
Section 12.08	Governing Law	103
Section 12.09	No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements	103
Section 12.10	Successors	103
Section 12.11	Severability	103
Section 12.12	Counterpart Originals	103
Section 12.13	Table of Contents, Headings, etc.	104
Section 12.14	Force Majeure	104
Section 12.15	Waiver of Jury Trial	104

EXHIBITS

Exhibit A1	FORM OF NOTE
Exhibit A2	FORM OF REGULATION S TEMPORARY GLOBAL NOTE
Exhibit B	FORM OF CERTIFICATE OF TRANSFER
Exhibit C	FORM OF CERTIFICATE OF EXCHANGE
Exhibit D	FORM OF CERTIFICATE OF ACQUIRING INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR

iii


		*Page*

Exhibit E	FORM OF NOTATION OF GUARANTEE
Exhibit F	FORM OF SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE

INDENTURE dated as of March 5, 2010 among Express, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Express”), Express Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (“Express Finance” and, together with Express, the “Issuers”), the Guarantors (as defined) and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee.

The Issuers, the Guarantors and the Trustee agree as follows for the benefit of each other and for the equal and ratable benefit of the Holders (as defined) of the 8.750% Senior Notes due 2018 (the “Notes”):

ARTICLE 1

DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION

BY REFERENCE

Section 1.01 Definitions.

“144A Global Note” means a Global Note substantially in the form of Exhibit A1 hereto bearing the Global Note Legend and the Private Placement Legend and deposited with or on behalf of, and registered in the name of, the Depositary or its nominee that will be issued in a denomination equal to the outstanding principal amount of the Notes sold in reliance on Rule 144A.

“Acquired Debt” means, with respect to any specified Person:

(1) Indebtedness of any other Person existing at the time such other Person is merged with or into or became a Subsidiary of such specified Person, whether or not such Indebtedness is incurred in connection with, or in contemplation of, such other Person merging with or into, or becoming a Restricted Subsidiary of, such specified Person; provided, however, that any Indebtedness of such acquired Person that is redeemed, defeased, retired or otherwise repaid at the time of or immediately upon consummation of the transactions by which such Person merges with or into or becomes a Subsidiary of such Person shall not be considered to be Acquired Debt; and

(2) Indebtedness secured by a Lien encumbering any asset acquired by such specified Person.

“Additional Notes” means additional Notes (other than the Initial Notes) issued under this Indenture in accordance with Sections 2.02 and 4.09 hereof, as part of the same series as the Initial Notes.

“Advisory Agreement” means the advisory agreement, dated as of July 6, 2007, among Holdings, Parent, Express Topco LLC, Express and GGC Administration, LLC, as amended, restated, modified, or replaced as of the date of this Indenture.

“Affiliate” of any specified Person means any other Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with such specified Person. For purposes of this definition, “control,” as used with respect to any Person, means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of such Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by agreement or otherwise. For purposes of this definition, the terms “controlling,” “controlled by” and “under common control with” have correlative meanings.

“Agent” means any Registrar, co-registrar, Paying Agent or additional paying agent.

“Applicable Premium” means, with respect to any Note on any redemption date, the greater of:

(1) 1.0% of the principal amount of the Note; or

(2) the excess of: (a) the present value at such redemption date of (i) the redemption price of the Note at March 1, 2014, (such redemption price being set forth in the table appearing in Section 3.07 hereof) plus (ii) all required interest payments due on the Note through March 1, 2014 (excluding accrued but unpaid interest to the redemption date), computed using a discount rate equal to the Treasury Rate as of such redemption date plus 50 basis points; over (b) the principal amount of the Note.

“Applicable Procedures” means, with respect to any transfer or exchange of or for beneficial interests in any Global Note, the rules and procedures of the Depositary, Euroclear and Clearstream that apply to such transfer or exchange.

“Asset Sale” means:

(1) the sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition of any assets or rights by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries; provided that the sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of Express and its Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole will be governed by Sections 4.14 and 5.01 hereof (and not by Section 4.10 hereof); and

(2) the issuance of Equity Interests (other than directors’ qualifying shares or shares or interests required to be held by foreign nationals or third parties to the extent required by applicable law) by any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries or the sale by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries of Equity Interests in any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries.

Notwithstanding the preceding, none of the following items will be deemed to be an Asset Sale:

(1) any single transaction that involves assets or Equity Interests having a Fair Market Value of less than $2.5 million;

(2) a transfer of assets between or among the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries;

(3) an issuance or sale of Equity Interests by a Restricted Subsidiary of Express to the Issuers or to another Restricted Subsidiary of Express;

(4) the sale, lease or other transfer of products, inventory, services or accounts receivable in the ordinary course of business, the discount or forgiveness of accounts receivable in the ordinary course of business in connection with the collection or compromise thereof, the closing of one or more individual retail stores in the ordinary course of business not comprising the disposition of an entire line of business and any sale or other disposition of surplus, damaged, worn-out or obsolete assets in the ordinary course of business (including the abandonment or other disposition of intellectual property that is, in the reasonable judgment of Express, no longer economically practicable or commercially reasonable to maintain or useful in any material respect, taken as a whole, in the conduct of the business of the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries taken as whole);

(5) licenses and sublicenses by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries of software or intellectual property;

(6) any surrender or waiver of contract rights or settlement, release, recovery on or surrender of contract, tort or other claims in the ordinary course of business;

(7) the granting of Liens not prohibited by Section 4.12 hereof;

(8) the sale or other disposition of cash or Cash Equivalents;

(9) a Restricted Payment that does not violate Section 4.07 hereof or a Permitted Investment;

(10) leases and subleases and licenses and sublicenses by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries of real or personal property in the ordinary course of business;

(11) any liquidation or dissolution of a Restricted Subsidiary provided that such Restricted Subsidiary’s direct parent is also either Express or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express and immediately becomes the owner of such Restricted Subsidiary’s assets;

(12) transfers, sales, leases, assignments, exchanges, conveyances or other dispositions of accounts receivable in one or more transactions involving Foreign Subsidiaries of Express not to exceed $10.0 million in any fiscal year;

(13) transfers, sales, leases, assignments, exchanges, conveyances or other dispositions of accounts receivable in connection with Express’ private label credit card programs in the ordinary course of business;

(14) the granting of any option or other right to purchase, lease or otherwise acquire inventory and delinquent accounts receivable in the ordinary course of business;

(15) any sale of Equity Interests in, or Indebtedness or other securities of, an Unrestricted Subsidiary;

(16) any exchange of assets for assets (including a combination of assets and Cash Equivalents) related to a Permitted Business of comparable or greater market value or usefulness to the business of the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries as a whole, as determined in good faith by the Issuers, which in the event of an exchange of assets with a Fair Market Value in excess of (a) $5.0 million shall be evidenced by an Officers’ Certificate, and (b) $15.0 million shall be set forth in a resolution approved in good faith by at least a majority of the Board of Directors of Express;

(17) the sale, transfer or other disposition of Hedging Obligations incurred pursuant to Section 4.09 hereof;

(18) sales of assets received by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries upon the foreclosure on a Lien;

(19) the sale of any property in a Sale/Leaseback Transaction within six months of the acquisition of such property;

(20) a sale or transfer of accounts receivable and related assets of the type specified in the definition of “Securitization Transaction” (or a fractional undivided interest therein) to a Securitization Entity in a Qualified Securitization Transaction; and

(21) (a) any loss or destruction of or damage to any property or asset or receipt of insurance proceeds in connection therewith or (b) any institution of a proceeding for, or actual condemnation, seizure or taking by exercise of the power of eminent domain or otherwise of such property or asset, or confiscation of such property or asset or the requisition of the use of such property or asset or settlement in lieu of the foregoing.

“Bankruptcy Law” means Title 11, U.S. Code or any similar federal or state law for the relief of debtors.

“Beneficial Owner” has the meaning assigned to such term in Rule 13d-3 and Rule 13d-5 under the Exchange Act, except that in calculating the beneficial ownership of any particular “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), such “person” will be deemed to have beneficial ownership of all securities that such “person” has the right to acquire by conversion or exercise of other securities, whether such right is currently exercisable or is exercisable only after the passage of time. The terms “Beneficially Owns” and “Beneficially Owned” have a corresponding meaning.

“Board of Directors” means:

(1) with respect to a corporation, the board of directors of the corporation or any committee thereof duly authorized to act on behalf of such board;

(2) with respect to a partnership, the Board of Directors of the general partner of the partnership;

(3) with respect to a limited liability company, the managing member or members or any controlling committee of managing members thereof; and

(4) with respect to any other Person, the board or committee of such Person serving a similar function.

“Borrowing Base” means, at any time, an amount equal to the sum of:

(1) 85% of the book value of the inventory of Express and its Restricted Subsidiaries as of the date of the most recent available internal financial statements; and

(2) 90% of accounts receivable owed to Express and its Restricted Subsidiaries from major credit card and debit card processors as of the date of the most recent available internal financial statements.

“Broker-Dealer” has the meaning set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement.

“Business Day” means any day other than a Legal Holiday.

“Capital Lease Obligation” means, at the time any determination is to be made, the amount of the liability in respect of a capital lease that would at that time be required to be capitalized on a balance sheet prepared in accordance with GAAP, and the Stated Maturity thereof shall be the date of the last payment of rent or any other amount due under such lease prior to the first date upon which such lease may be prepaid by the lessee without payment of a penalty.

“Capital Stock” means:

(1) in the case of a corporation, corporate stock;

(2) in the case of an association or business entity, any and all shares, interests, participations, rights or other equivalents (however designated) of corporate stock;

(3) in the case of a partnership or limited liability company, partnership interests (whether general or limited) or membership interests; and

(4) any other interest or participation that confers on a Person the right to receive a share of the profits and losses of, or distributions of assets of, the issuing Person, but excluding from all of the foregoing any debt securities convertible into Capital Stock, whether or not such debt securities include any right of participation with Capital Stock.

“Cash Contribution Amount” means the aggregate amount of cash contributions made to the common equity capital of the Issuers or any Subsidiary Guarantor described in the definition of “Contribution Indebtedness.”

“Cash Equivalents” means:

(1) United States dollars, pounds sterling, euros, the national currency of any participating member state of the European Union or, in the case of any Foreign Subsidiary, such local currencies held by it from time to time in the ordinary course of business;

(2) readily marketable direct obligations of any member of the European Economic Area, Switzerland, or Japan, or any agency or instrumentality thereof or obligations unconditionally guaranteed by the full faith and credit of such country, and, at the time of acquisition thereof, having a credit rating of at least AA- (or the equivalent grade) by Moody’s or Aa3 by S&P;

(3) marketable general obligations issued by any state of the United States or any political subdivision thereof or any instrumentality thereof that are guaranteed by the full faith and credit of such state and, at the time of acquisition thereof, having a credit rating of at least AA- (or the equivalent grade) by Moody’s or Aa3 by S&P;

(4) securities or any other evidence of Indebtedness or readily marketable direct obligations issued or directly and fully guaranteed or insured by the United States government or any agency or instrumentality of the United States government (provided that the full faith and credit of the United States is pledged in support of those securities) having maturities of not more than twelve months from the date of acquisition;

(5) certificates of deposit and eurodollar time deposits with maturities of twelve months or less from the date of acquisition, bankers’ acceptances with maturities not exceeding twelve months and overnight bank deposits, in each case, with any lender party to the Credit Agreements or with any domestic commercial bank having capital and surplus in excess of $250.0 million and a Thomson Bank Watch Rating of “B” or better;

(6) repurchase obligations with a term of not more than thirty days for underlying securities of the types described in clauses (4) and (5) above entered into with any financial institution meeting the qualifications specified in clause (5) above;

(7) commercial paper having one of the two highest ratings obtainable from Moody’s or S&P and, in each case, maturing within twelve months after the date of acquisition; and

(8) money market funds at least 95% of the assets of which constitute Cash Equivalents of the kinds described in clauses (1) through (7) of this definition.

“Change of Control” means the occurrence of any of the following:

(1) the direct or indirect sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition (other than by way of merger or consolidation), in one or a series of related transactions, of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of Express and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole to any Person (including any “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act)) other than a Permitted Holder; or

(2) Express becomes aware of (by way of a report or any other filing pursuant to Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act, proxy, vote, written notice or otherwise) the consummation of any transaction (including, without limitation, any merger or consolidation), the result of which is that any Person (including any “person” (as defined above)) other than the Permitted Holders becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of more than 50% of the Voting Stock of Express, measured by voting power rather than number of shares.

“Clearstream” means Clearstream Banking, S.A.

“Consolidated EBITDA” means, with respect to any specified Person for any period, the Consolidated Net Income of such Person for such period plus, without duplication:

(1) an amount equal to any extraordinary loss and any unusual or nonrecurring expense plus any net loss realized by such Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with any disposition of assets outside the ordinary course of business, to the extent such losses or expenses were deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus

(2) provision for taxes based on income, profits or capital (including state franchise taxes and similar taxes in the nature of income tax) of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period and foreign withholding taxes and including an amount equal to the tax distributions actually made to the holders of the Capital Stock of such Person or any direct or indirect parent of such Person in respect of such period in accordance with clause (2) of the definition of “Permitted Payments to Parent,” as though such amounts had been paid as income taxes directly by such Person, in each case, to the extent that such provision for taxes was deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus

(3) the Fixed Charges of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, to the extent that such Fixed Charges were deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus

(4) any Consolidated Non-cash Charges of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, to the extent that such Consolidated Non-cash Charges were included in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus

(5) any losses from foreign currency transactions (including losses related to currency remeasurements of Indebtedness) of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, to the extent that such losses were taken into account in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus

(6) any expenses in connection with earn out obligations of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, to the extent that such expenses were deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus

(7) any (a) salary, benefit and other direct savings resulting from workforce reductions by such Person implemented or reasonably expected to be implemented within the twelve months following such period, (b) severance or relocation costs or expenses of such Person during such period, (c) one-time non-cash compensation charges incurred by such Person during such period and (d) costs and expenses incurred after the date of this Indenture related to employment of terminated employees incurred by such Person during such period, in each case to the extent deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus

(8) any losses in respect of post-retirement benefits of such Person, as a result of the application of Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 106, to the extent that such losses were deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus

(9) the amount of any loss from stores which have been closed or identified to be closed by such Person, to the extent that such amounts were deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus

(10) the amount of fees and expenses incurred by such Person pursuant to the Advisory Agreement as in effect on the date of this Indenture during such period and the amount of advisory fees and expenses incurred by such Person pursuant to the Limited Liability Company Agreement as in effect on the date of this Indenture during such period, or pursuant to any amendment, modification or supplement thereto or replacement thereof, so long as the Advisory Agreement or the Limited Liability Company Agreement, as so amended, modified, supplemented or replaced, taken as a whole, is not materially more restrictive than the original Advisory Agreement or the original Limited Liability Company Agreement, as in effect on the date of this Indenture, to the extent that such fees and related expenses were deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus

(11) any proceeds from business interruption insurance received by such Person during such period, to the extent the associated losses arising out of the event that resulted in the payment of such business interruption insurance proceeds were included in computing Consolidated Net Income; plus

(12) any fees and expenses related to a Qualified Securitization Transaction, to the extent such fees and expenses are included in computing Consolidated Net Income; plus

(13) the amount of loss on sales of receivables and related assets to a Securitization Entity in connection with a Qualified Securitization Transaction, to the extent included in computing Consolidated Net Income; plus

(14) any (a) Special Interest in respect of the Notes and (b) commissions, discounts, yield and other fees and charges (including any interest expense) related to any Qualified Securitization Transaction, to the extent deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income; minus

(15) any extraordinary gains and unusual or non-recurring gains for such period, all determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP, to the extent such gains were taken into account in computing such Consolidated Net Income; minus

(16) all gains during such period resulting from the sale or disposition of any asset of such Person outside the ordinary course of business, to the extent such gains were taken into account in computing such Consolidated Net Income; minus

(17) the amount of any gain in respect of post-retirement benefits as a result of the application of Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 106, to the extent such gains were taken into account in computing such Consolidated Net Income; minus

(18) any gains from foreign currency transactions (including gains related to currency remeasurements of Indebtedness) of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, to the extent that such gains were taken into account in computing such Consolidated Net Income; minus

(19) non-cash items increasing such Consolidated Net Income for such period, other than the accrual of revenue in the ordinary course of business and other than reversals of an accrual or reserve for a potential cash item that reduced Consolidated EBITDA in any prior period,

in each case, on a consolidated basis and determined in accordance with GAAP.

“Consolidated Net Income” means, with respect to any specified Person for any period, the aggregate of the net income (loss) of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, on a consolidated basis (excluding the net income (loss) of any Unrestricted Subsidiary of such Person), determined in accordance with GAAP and without any reduction in respect of preferred stock dividends; provided that:

(1) all extraordinary, nonrecurring or unusual gains or losses or income or expenses, including, without limitation, any expenses related to any reconstruction, recommissioning or reconfiguration of fixed assets for alternate uses, any severance or relocation expenses and fees, restructuring costs, any expenses, costs or charges (other than Consolidated Non-cash Charges) incurred in connection with any Equity Offering, Permitted Investment, acquisition, disposition, recapitalization or incurrence or repayment of Indebtedness permitted under this Indenture, including a refinancing thereof (in each case whether or not successful) (including any such costs and charges incurred in connection with the transactions described in the Issuers’ Offering Memorandum dated March 2, 2010 under the caption “Summary—Refinancing Transactions”), and all gains and losses realized in connection with any business disposition or any disposition of assets outside the ordinary course of business or the disposition of securities or the early extinguishment of Indebtedness, together with any related provision for taxes on any such gain, loss, income or expense will be excluded;

(2) the net income (or loss) of any Person that is not a Restricted Subsidiary or that is accounted for by the equity method of accounting will be included only to the extent of the amount of dividends or similar distributions paid in cash (or converted to cash) to the specified Person or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Person;

(3) (a) the net income (or loss) of any Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries will be calculated without deducting the income attributed to, or adding the losses attributed to, the

minority equity interests of third parties in any non-wholly owned Restricted Subsidiary except to the extent of the dividends declared or paid in respect of such period or any prior period on the shares of Capital Stock of such Restricted Subsidiary held by such third parties and (b) any ordinary course dividends, distributions or other payments paid in cash and received from any Person in excess of amounts included in clause (2) pursuant to the definition of “Consolidated Net Income” will be included;

(4) solely for the purpose of Section 4.07 hereof, the net income (but not loss) of any Restricted Subsidiary will be excluded to the extent that the declaration or payment of dividends or similar distributions by that Restricted Subsidiary of that net income is not at the date of determination permitted without any prior governmental approval (that has not been obtained) or, directly or indirectly, by operation of the terms of its charter or any agreement, instrument, judgment, decree, order, statute, rule or governmental regulation applicable to that Restricted Subsidiary or its stockholders, unless such restrictions with respect to the payment of dividends or similar distributions have been legally waived; provided that the Consolidated Net Income of such Person will be increased by the amount of dividends or distributions or other payments actually paid in cash (or converted to cash) by any such Restricted Subsidiary to such Person in respect of such period, to the extent not already included therein;

(5) the cumulative effect of any change in accounting principles will be excluded;

(6) (a) any non-cash expenses resulting from the grant or periodic remeasurement of stock options, restricted stock grants or other equity incentive programs (including any stock appreciation and similar rights) and (b) any costs or expenses incurred pursuant to any management equity plan or stock option plan or other management or employee benefit plan or agreement or any stock subscription or shareholder agreement, to the extent that such costs or expenses are funded with cash proceeds contributed to the common equity capital of Express or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express, will be excluded;

(7) the effect of any non-cash impairment charges or asset write-downs or write-offs resulting from the application of GAAP, including pursuant to Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement Nos. 142 and 144, and the amortization of intangibles arising from the application of GAAP, including pursuant to Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 141 will be excluded;

(8) any net after-tax income or loss from discontinued operations and any net after-tax gains or losses on disposal of discontinued operations will be excluded;

(9) any increase in amortization or depreciation, any adjustments to inventory basis or rent expenses or any one-time cash charges (such as purchased in-process research and development or capitalized manufacturing profit in inventory) resulting from purchase accounting in connection with any acquisition that is consummated after the date of this Indenture will be excluded;

(10) an amount equal to the tax distributions actually made to the holders of the Capital Stock of such Person or any direct or indirect parent of such Person in respect of such period in accordance with clause (2) of the definition of “Permitted Payments to Parent” will be included as though such amounts had been paid as income taxes directly by such Person for such period;

(11) (a) the non-cash portion of rent expense will be excluded and (b) the cash portion of rent expense which exceeds the amount expensed in respect of such rent expense will be included, except for the impact of landlord construction allowance amortization, including construction allowance amortization as if not adjusted for purchase accounting related to the acquisition of 75% of the issued and outstanding limited liability company interests of Holdings by Express Investment Corp.; and

(12) unrealized gains and losses relating to foreign currency transactions, including those relating to mark-to-market of Indebtedness denominated in foreign currencies resulting from the application of GAAP, including pursuant to Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 52 will be excluded.

“Consolidated Non-cash Charges” means, with respect to any Person for any period, the aggregate depreciation, amortization (including amortization of intangibles but excluding amortization of prepaid cash expenses that were paid in a prior period), impairment, compensation, rent and other non-cash charges, losses or expenses (including non-cash charges, losses or expenses attributable to the movement in the mark-to-market valuation of Hedging Obligations pursuant to Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 133 or in connection with the early extinguishment of Hedging Obligations) of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries reducing Consolidated Net Income of such Person for such period on a consolidated basis and otherwise determined in accordance with GAAP, but excluding (i) any such charge which consists of or requires an accrual of, or cash reserve for, anticipated cash charges for any future period and (ii) the non-cash impact of recording the change in fair value of any embedded derivatives under Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 133 and related interpretations as a result of the terms of any agreement or instrument to which such Consolidated Non-cash Charges relate.

“continuing” means, with respect to any Default or Event of Default, that such Default or Event of Default has not been cured or waived.

“Contribution Indebtedness” means Indebtedness of the Issuers or any Subsidiary Guarantor in an aggregate principal amount not greater than the aggregate amount of cash contributions (other than Excluded Contributions) made to the common equity capital of Express or such Subsidiary Guarantor after the date of this Indenture; provided that:

(1) such Contribution Indebtedness has a Stated Maturity later than the Stated Maturity of the Notes; and

(2) such Contribution Indebtedness (a) is incurred within 210 days after the making of such cash contributions and (b) is so designated as Contribution Indebtedness pursuant to an Officers’ Certificate on the date of incurrence thereof.

“Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee” will be at the address of the Trustee specified in Section 12.02 hereof or such other address as to which the Trustee may give notice to the Issuers.

“Credit Agreements” means, collectively (a) that certain Asset-Based Loan Credit Agreement, dated as of July 6, 2007, as amended as of the date of this Indenture, by and among Holdings, Express, Wells Fargo Retail Finance, LLC, as administrative agent, and the lenders, agents and other parties party thereto, providing for up to $200.0 million of revolving credit borrowings (the “Revolving Credit Agreement”), (b) that certain Term Loan Credit Agreement, dated as of July 6, 2007, as amended as of the date of this Indenture, by and among Holdings, Express, Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc., as administrative agent, and the lenders, agents and other parties party thereto, providing for up to $125.0

million of term loan borrowings (the “Term Loan Credit Agreement”), and (c) that certain Credit Agreement, dated June 26, 2008, as amended as of the date of this Indenture, by and among Express Topco LLC, as borrower, the lenders party thereto, and KKR SCF Loan Administration, LLC, as administrative agent, providing for up to $300.0 million of term loan borrowings (the “Topco Credit Agreement”), in each case, including any related notes, Guarantees, collateral documents, instruments and agreements executed in connection therewith, and, in each case, as amended, restated, modified, renewed, refunded, replaced in any manner (whether upon or after termination or otherwise) or refinanced (including by means of sales of debt securities to institutional investors) in whole or in part from time to time.

“Credit Facilities” means, (a) one or more debt facilities (including, without limitation, the Credit Agreements) or commercial paper facilities, in each case, with banks or other institutional lenders providing for revolving credit loans, term loans, receivables financing (including through the sale of receivables to such lenders or to special purpose entities formed to borrow from such lenders against such receivables) or letters of credit, (b) debt securities, indentures or other forms of debt financing (including convertible or exchangeable debt instruments or bank guarantees or bankers’ acceptances) sold to institutional investors, or (c) instruments or agreements evidencing any other Indebtedness, in each case with banks or other institutional lenders and, in each case, with the same or different borrowers or issuers and, in each case, as amended, supplemented, modified, extended, restructured, renewed, refinanced, restated, replaced or refunded in whole or in part from time to time.

“Custodian” means the Trustee, as custodian with respect to the Notes in global form, or any successor entity thereto.

“Default” means any event that is, or with the passage of time or the giving of notice or both would be, an Event of Default.

“Definitive Note” means a certificated Note registered in the name of the Holder thereof and issued in accordance with Section 2.06 hereof, substantially in the form of Exhibit A1 hereto except that such Note shall not bear the Global Note Legend and shall not have the “Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note” attached thereto.

“Depositary” means, with respect to the Notes issuable or issued in whole or in part in global form, the Person specified in Section 2.03 hereof as the Depositary with respect to the Notes, and any and all successors thereto appointed as depositary hereunder and having become such pursuant to the applicable provision of this Indenture.

“Designated Non-cash Consideration” means the Fair Market Value of non-cash consideration received by Express or one its Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with an Asset Sale that is so designated as Designated Non-cash Consideration pursuant to an Officers’ Certificate, setting forth the basis of such valuation, less the amount of Cash Equivalents received in connection with a subsequent sale of such Designated Non-cash Consideration.

“Designated Preferred Stock” means preferred stock of Express or any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent (other than Disqualified Stock), that is issued for cash (other than to the Issuers or any of Express’ Subsidiaries or an employee stock plan or trust established by the Issuers or any of Express’ Subsidiaries) and is so designated as Designated Preferred Stock, pursuant to an Officers’ Certificate, on the date of issuance thereof, the cash proceeds of which are excluded from the calculation set forth in clause (3) of Section 4.07 hereof.

“Disqualified Stock” means any Capital Stock that, by its terms (or by the terms of any security into which it is convertible, or for which it is exchangeable, in each case, at the option of the holder of the Capital Stock), or upon the happening of any event, matures or is mandatorily redeemable, pursuant to a sinking fund obligation or otherwise, or is redeemable at the option of the holder of the Capital Stock, in whole or in part, on or prior to the date that is 91 days after the date on which the Notes mature; provided, however, that only the portion of Capital Stock which so matures or is mandatorily redeemable, is so convertible or exchangeable or is so redeemable at the option of the holder thereof prior to such date will be deemed to be Disqualified Stock; provided, further, however, that if such Capital Stock is issued to any employee or to any plan for the benefit of employees of Express, any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, or Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries or by any such plan to such employees, such Capital Stock will not constitute Disqualified Stock solely because it may be required to be repurchased by Express in order to satisfy applicable statutory or regulatory obligations or as a result of such employee’s termination, death or disability; provided, further, that any class of Capital Stock of such Person that by its terms authorizes such Person to satisfy its obligations thereunder by delivery of Capital Stock that is not Disqualified Stock will not be deemed to be Disqualified Stock.

“Domestic Subsidiary” means any Restricted Subsidiary of Express that was formed under the laws of the United States or any state of the United States or the District of Columbia.

“Equity Interests” means Capital Stock and all warrants, options or other rights to acquire Capital Stock (but excluding any debt security that is convertible into, or exchangeable for, Capital Stock).

“Equity Offering” means a public or private sale either (1) of Equity Interests of Express by Express (other than Disqualified Stock and other than to a Subsidiary of Express or Parent) or (2) of Equity Interests of a direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent (other than to Express, a Subsidiary of Express or any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent).

“Euroclear” means Euroclear Bank, S.A./N.V., as operator of the Euroclear system. “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

“Exchange Notes” means the Notes issued in the Exchange Offer pursuant to Section 2.06(f) hereof.

“Exchange Offer” has the meaning set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement.

“Exchange Offer Registration Statement” has the meaning set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement.

“Excluded Contributions” means the net cash proceeds, Cash Equivalents and/or Fair Market Value of Investment Grade Securities received by Express after the date of this Indenture from:

(1) contributions to its common equity capital; and

(2) the sale (other than to the Issuers or to a Subsidiary of Express or to any management equity plan or stock option plan or any other management or employee benefit plan or agreement of the Issuers or any Subsidiary of Express) of Capital Stock (other than Disqualified Stock and Designated Preferred Stock) of Express;

in each case designated as Excluded Contributions pursuant to an Officers’ Certificate, the proceeds of which are excluded from the calculation set forth in Section 4.07(a)(3) hereof.

“Existing Indebtedness” means all Indebtedness of the Issuers and Express’ Subsidiaries (other than Indebtedness under the Credit Agreements) in existence on the date of this Indenture, until such amounts are repaid.

“Fair Market Value” means the value (which, for the avoidance of doubt, will take into account any liabilities associated with related assets) that would be paid by a willing buyer to an unaffiliated willing seller in an arm’s length transaction not involving distress or compulsion of either party, determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of Express (unless otherwise provided in this Indenture).

“Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio” means with respect to any specified Person for any period, the ratio of the Consolidated EBITDA of such Person for such period to the Fixed Charges of such Person for such period. In the event that the specified Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries incurs, assumes, Guarantees, repays, repurchases, redeems, defeases or otherwise discharges any Indebtedness (other than in the case of revolving credit borrowings or revolving advances under any Qualified Securitization Transaction, in which case interest expense will be computed based upon the average daily balance of such Indebtedness during the applicable period) or issues, repurchases or redeems preferred stock subsequent to the commencement of the period for which the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio is being calculated and on or prior to the date on which the event for which the calculation of the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio is made (the “Calculation Date”), then the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio will be calculated giving pro forma effect (as determined in good faith by Express, as certified in an Officers’ Certificate delivered to the Trustee) to such incurrence, assumption, Guarantee, repayment, repurchase, redemption, defeasance or other discharge of Indebtedness, or such issuance, repurchase or redemption of preferred stock, and the use of the proceeds therefrom, as if the same had occurred at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter reference period.

For purposes of making the computations referred to above, Investments, acquisitions, dispositions, mergers, consolidations and discontinued operations (as determined in accordance with GAAP), in each case with respect to an operating unit of a business, and operational changes, that the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries have both determined to make and made after the date of this Indenture and during the four-quarter reference period or subsequent to such reference period and on or prior to or simultaneously with the Calculation Date (each, for purposes of this definition, a “pro forma event”) will be calculated on a pro forma basis assuming that all such Investments, acquisitions, dispositions, mergers, consolidations, discontinued operations and operational changes (and the change of any associated fixed charge obligations and the change in Consolidated EBITDA resulting therefrom) had occurred on the first day of the four-quarter reference period. If since the beginning of such period any Person that subsequently became a Restricted Subsidiary of Express or was merged with or into an Issuer or any Restricted Subsidiary of Express since the beginning of such period will have made or effected any Investment, acquisition, disposition, merger, consolidation or discontinued operation, in each case with respect to an operating unit of a business, or operational change that would have required adjustment pursuant to this definition, then the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio will be calculated giving pro forma effect thereto for such period as if such Investment, acquisition, disposition, merger, consolidation, discontinued operation, or operational change had occurred at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter period.

For purposes of this definition, whenever pro forma effect is to be given to any pro forma event, the pro forma calculations will be made in good faith by a responsible financial or accounting officer of Express. If any Indebtedness bears a floating rate of interest and is being given pro forma effect, the interest on such Indebtedness will be calculated as if the rate in effect on the Calculation Date had been the applicable rate for the entire period (taking into account any Hedging Obligations applicable to such Indebtedness if such Hedging Obligations have a remaining term in excess of 12 months as of the

Calculation Date). For purposes of this definition, interest on a Capital Lease Obligation will be deemed to accrue at an interest rate reasonably determined by a responsible financial or accounting officer of Express to be the rate of interest implicit in such Capital Lease Obligation in accordance with GAAP. For purposes of making the computation referred to above, interest on any Indebtedness under a revolving credit facility computed on a pro forma basis will be computed based upon the average daily balance of such Indebtedness during the applicable period. Interest on Indebtedness that may optionally be determined at an interest rate based upon a factor of a prime or similar rate, a eurocurrency interbank offered rate, or other rate, will be deemed to have been based upon the rate actually chosen, or, if none, then based upon such optional rate chosen as Express may designate. Any pro forma calculations made pursuant to this definition may include adjustments appropriate, in the reasonable determination of Express as set forth in an Officers’ Certificate delivered to the Trustee, to reflect (1) in the case of any pro forma event, operating expense reductions and other operating improvements or synergies reasonably expected to result within twelve months of the date of such pro forma event and (2) all adjustments of the type and nature used in connection with the calculation of “EBITDA” and “Adjusted EBITDA” as set forth in the footnotes under the caption “Summary Historical and As Adjusted Consolidated Financial and Operating Data” in the Issuers’ Offering Memorandum dated March 2, 2010 to the extent such adjustments, without duplication, continue to be applicable to such four quarter period.

“Fixed Charges” means, with respect to any specified Person for any period, the sum, without duplication, of:

(1) the consolidated interest expense of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, whether paid or accrued, to the extent such expense was deducted in computing Consolidated Net Income, including, without limitation, amortization of original issue discount, the interest component of all payments associated with Capital Lease Obligations, and the net of the effect of all payments made or received pursuant to Hedging Obligations in respect of interest rates and excluding amortization or write off of deferred financing fees and expensing of any other financing fees, the non-cash portion of interest expense resulting from the reduction in the carrying value under purchase accounting of the Issuers’ outstanding Indebtedness and commissions, discounts, yield and other fees and charges (including any interest expense) related to any Securitization Transaction; provided that, for purposes of calculating consolidated interest expense, no effect will be given to the discount and/or premium resulting from the bifurcation of derivatives under Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 133 and related interpretations as a result of the terms of the Indebtedness to which such consolidated interest expense applies; plus

(2) the consolidated interest expense of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries that was capitalized during such period; plus

(3) all cash dividends, whether paid or accrued, on any series of preferred stock of such Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, excluding items eliminated in consolidation, in each case, determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP; minus

(4) the consolidated interest income of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, whether received or accrued, to the extent such income was included in determining Consolidated Net Income.

“Foreign Subsidiary” means any Restricted Subsidiary of Express that is not a Domestic Subsidiary and any direct or indirect Subsidiary of such Restricted Subsidiary.

“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or in such other statements by such other entity as have been approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession, which are in effect on the date of this Indenture, except with respect to any reports or financial information required to be delivered pursuant to Section 4.03 hereof, which shall be prepared in accordance with GAAP as in effect on the date thereof. For the purposes of this Indenture, the term “consolidated” with respect to any Person shall mean such Person consolidated with its Restricted Subsidiaries, and shall not include any Unrestricted Subsidiary, but the interest of such Person in an Unrestricted Subsidiary will be accounted for as an Investment.

“Global Note Legend” means the legend set forth in Section 2.06(g)(2) hereof, which is required to be placed on all Global Notes issued under this Indenture.

“Global Notes” means, individually and collectively, each of the Restricted Global Notes and the Unrestricted Global Notes deposited with or on behalf of and registered in the name of the Depository or its nominee, substantially in the form of Exhibit A1 hereto and that bears the Global Note Legend and that has the “Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note” attached thereto, issued in accordance with Section 2.01, 2.06(b)(3), 2.06(b)(4), 2.06(d)(2) or 2.06(f) hereof.

“Government Securities” means direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed by, the United States of America, and the payment for which the United States pledges its full faith and credit.

“Guarantee” means a guarantee other than by endorsement of negotiable instruments for collection in the ordinary course of business, direct or indirect, in any manner including, without limitation, by way of a pledge of assets or through letters of credit or reimbursement agreements in respect thereof, of all or any part of any Indebtedness (whether arising by virtue of partnership arrangements, or by agreements to keep-well, to purchase assets, goods, securities or services, to take or pay or to maintain financial statement conditions or otherwise).

“Guarantors” means:

(1) Parent;

(2) each direct or indirect Domestic Subsidiary of Express on the date of this Indenture (other than Immaterial Subsidiaries); and

(3) any other Subsidiary of Express that executes a Note Guarantee in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture;

and their respective successors and assigns, in each case, until the Note Guarantee of such Person has been released in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture.

“Hedging Obligations” means, with respect to any specified Person, the obligations of such Person under:

(1) interest rate swap agreements (whether from fixed to floating or from floating to fixed), interest rate cap agreements and interest rate collar agreements;

(2) other agreements or arrangements designed to manage interest rates or interest rate risk; and

(3) other agreements or arrangements designed to protect such Person against fluctuations in currency exchange rates or commodity prices.

“Holder” means a Person in whose name a Note is registered.

“Holdings” means Express Holding, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.

“Immaterial Subsidiary” means, as of any date, any Restricted Subsidiary that would not be a Significant Subsidiary of Express.

“Indebtedness” means, with respect to any specified Person, any indebtedness of such Person (excluding accrued expenses and trade payables, deferred compensation, deferred rent (other than for Capital Lease Obligations), unredeemed gift card deferred revenue and landlord allowances), whether or not contingent:

(1) in respect of borrowed money;

(2) evidenced by bonds, notes, debentures or similar instruments or letters of credit (or reimbursement agreements in respect thereof);

(3) in respect of banker’s acceptances;

(4) representing Capital Lease Obligations;

(5) representing the balance of deferred and unpaid purchase price of any property or services due more than six months after such property is acquired or such services are completed; or

(6) representing any Hedging Obligations,

if and to the extent any of the preceding items (other than letters of credit and Hedging Obligations) would appear as a liability upon a balance sheet of the specified Person prepared in accordance with GAAP. In addition, the term “Indebtedness” includes all Indebtedness of others secured by a Lien on any asset of the specified Person (whether or not such Indebtedness is assumed by the specified Person) and, to the extent not otherwise included, the Guarantee by the specified Person of any Indebtedness of any other Person; provided that (a) contingent obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business and (b) obligations under or in respect of Securitization Transactions shall be deemed not to constitute Indebtedness. Indebtedness shall be calculated without giving effect to the effects of Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 133 and related interpretations to the extent such effects would otherwise increase or decrease an amount of Indebtedness for any purpose under this Indenture as a result of accounting for any embedded derivatives created by the terms of such Indebtedness.

“Indenture” means this Indenture, as amended or supplemented from time to time.

“Independent Financial Advisor” means an accounting, appraisal or investment banking firm or consultant to Persons engaged in a Permitted Business, in each case of nationally recognized standing that is, in the good faith determination of Express, qualified to perform the task for which it has been engaged.

“Indirect Participant” means a Person who holds a beneficial interest in a Global Note through a Participant.

“Initial Notes” means the first $250.0 million aggregate principal amount of Notes issued under this Indenture on the date hereof.

“Initial Purchasers” means Banc of America Securities LLC, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated.

“Institutional Accredited Investor” means an institution that is an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501(a)(1), (2), (3) or (7) under the Securities Act, who are not also QIBs.

“Investment Grade Securities” means:

(1) securities issued or directly and fully guaranteed or insured by the U.S. government or any agency or instrumentality thereof (other than Cash Equivalents) and in each case with maturities not exceeding two years from the date of acquisition;

(2) securities that have a rating equal to or higher than Baa3 (or the equivalent) by Moody’s or BBB- (or the equivalent) by S&P, or an equivalent rating by any other “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” within the meaning of Rule 15c3-1(c)(2)(vi)(F) under the Exchange Act;

(3) investments in any fund that invests at least 95% of its assets in investments of the type described in clauses (1) and (2) which fund may also hold immaterial amounts of cash pending investment and/or distribution; and

(4) corresponding instruments in countries other than the United States customarily utilized for high quality investments and in each case with maturities not exceeding two years from the date of acquisition.

“Investments” means, with respect to any Person, all direct or indirect investments by such Person in other Persons (including Affiliates) in the forms of loans (including Guarantees), advances or capital contributions (excluding accounts receivable, trade credit and advances to customers and commission, travel and similar advances to officers and employees made in the ordinary course of business), purchases or other acquisitions for consideration of Indebtedness, Equity Interests or other securities issued by any other Person, together with all items that are required to be classified as investments on a balance sheet prepared in accordance with GAAP in the same manner as the other investments included in this definition to the extent such transactions involve the transfer of cash or other property. If the Issuers or any Restricted Subsidiary of Express sells or otherwise disposes of any Equity Interests of any direct or indirect Restricted Subsidiary of Express such that, after giving effect to any such sale or disposition, such Person is no longer a Restricted Subsidiary of Express, such Issuer will be deemed to have made an Investment on the date of any such sale or disposition equal to the Fair Market Value of such Issuer’s Investments in such Subsidiary that were not sold or disposed of in an amount determined as provided in Section 4.07(c) hereof. The acquisition by the Issuers or any Restricted Subsidiary of Express of a Person that holds an Investment in a third Person will be deemed to be an Investment by such Issuer or such Restricted Subsidiary in such third Person in an amount equal to the Fair Market Value of the Investments held by the acquired Person in such third Person in an amount determined as provided in Section 4.07(c) hereof. Except as otherwise provided in this Indenture, the amount of an Investment will be determined at the time the Investment is made and without giving effect to subsequent changes in value. Notwithstanding anything in this Indenture to the contrary, for purposes of Section 4.07 hereof:

(1) “Investments” shall include the portion (proportionate to Express’ equity interest in such Subsidiary) of the Fair Market Value of the net assets of a Subsidiary of Express at the time that such Subsidiary is designated an Unrestricted Subsidiary; provided, however, that upon a redesignation of such Subsidiary as a Restricted Subsidiary of Express, Express shall be deemed to continue to have a permanent “Investment” in an Unrestricted Subsidiary equal to an amount (if positive) equal to:

(a) Express’ “Investment” in such Subsidiary at the time of such redesignation; minus

(b) the portion (proportionate to Express’ equity interest in such Subsidiary) of the Fair Market Value of the net assets of such Subsidiary at the time of such redesignation; and

(2) any property transferred to or from an Unrestricted Subsidiary shall be valued at its Fair Market Value at the time of such transfer, in each case as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of Express.

“Legal Holiday” means a Saturday, a Sunday or a day on which banking institutions in the City of New York or at a place of payment are authorized by law, regulation or executive order to remain closed. If a payment date is a Legal Holiday at a place of payment, payment may be made at that place on the next succeeding day that is not a Legal Holiday, and no interest shall accrue on such payment for the intervening period.

“Letter of Transmittal” means the letter of transmittal to be prepared by the Issuers and sent to all Holders of the Notes for use by such Holders in connection with the Exchange Offer.

“Lien” means, with respect to any asset, any mortgage, lien, pledge, charge, security interest or encumbrance of any kind in respect of such asset, whether or not filed, recorded or otherwise perfected under applicable law, including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, any lease in the nature thereof, any option or other agreement to sell or give a security interest in and any filing of or agreement to give any financing statement under the Uniform Commercial Code (or equivalent statutes) of any jurisdiction.

“Limited Liability Company Agreement” means the Limited Liability Company Agreement of Express Parent LLC, dated as of June 28, 2008, as amended, modified or restated from time to time, between Express Parent LLC and its members.

“Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.

“Net Proceeds” means the aggregate cash proceeds and Cash Equivalents received by Express or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in respect of any Asset Sale (including, without limitation, any cash or Cash Equivalents received upon the sale or other disposition of any Designated Non-cash Consideration received in any Asset Sale, but excluding the assumption by the acquiring Person of Indebtedness relating to the disposed asset or other consideration received in any other non-cash form), net of the direct costs relating to such Asset Sale and the sale or disposition of such Designated Non-cash Consideration, including, without limitation, legal, accounting and investment banking fees, discounts and sales commissions, and any relocation expenses incurred as a result of the Asset Sale, taxes paid or payable as a result of the Asset Sale, in each case, after taking into account any available tax credits or deductions and any tax sharing arrangements, amounts required to be applied to the repayment of principal, premium (if any) and interest on Indebtedness required (other than pursuant to Section 4.10(c) hereof) to be paid as a

result of such transaction, and any deduction of appropriate amounts to be provided by the Issuers as a reserve in accordance with GAAP against any liabilities associated with the asset disposed of in such transaction and retained by the Issuers after such sale or other disposition thereof, including, without limitation, pension and other post-employment benefit liabilities and liabilities related to environmental matters or against any indemnification obligations associated with such transaction.

“Non-Recourse Debt” means Indebtedness:

(1) as to which none of the Issuers, Parent nor any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries (a) provides credit support of any kind (including any undertaking, agreement or instrument that would constitute Indebtedness) or (b) is directly or indirectly liable as a guarantor or otherwise; and

(2) as to which the lenders have been notified in writing that they will not have any recourse to the stock or assets of the Issuers, Parent or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries (other than the Equity Interests of an Unrestricted Subsidiary).

“Non-U.S. Person” means a Person who is not a U.S. Person.

“Note Guarantee” means the Guarantee by each Guarantor of the Issuers’ obligations under this Indenture and the Notes, executed pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture.

“Notes” has the meaning assigned to it in the preamble to this Indenture. The Initial Notes and the Additional Notes shall be treated as a single class for all purposes under this Indenture, and unless the context otherwise requires, all references to the Notes shall include the Initial Notes and any Additional Notes.

“Obligations” means any principal, interest, penalties, fees, indemnifications, reimbursements, damages and other liabilities payable under the documentation governing any Indebtedness; provided, that obligations with respect to the Notes shall not include fees or indemnifications in favor of Trustee and other third parties other than the Holders of the Notes.

“Officer” means, with respect to any Person, the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Operating Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Treasurer, any Assistant Treasurer, the Controller, the Secretary or any Vice-President of such Person.

“Officers’ Certificate” means a certificate signed on behalf of Express by two Officers of Express, one of whom must be the principal executive officer, the principal financial officer, the treasurer or the principal accounting officer of Express, that meets the requirements of Section 12.05 hereof.

“Opinion of Counsel” means an opinion from legal counsel who is reasonably acceptable to the Trustee, that meets the requirements of Section 12.05 hereof. The counsel may be an employee of or counsel to Express, any Subsidiary of Express or the Trustee.

“Parent” means Express Parent LLC, a Delaware limited liability company

“Participant” means, with respect to the Depositary, Euroclear or Clearstream, a Person who has an account with the Depositary, Euroclear or Clearstream, respectively (and, with respect to DTC, shall include Euroclear and Clearstream).

“Permitted Asset Swap” means the substantially concurrent purchase and sale or exchange of Related Business Assets or a combination of Related Business Assets and cash and Cash Equivalents; provided, that any cash and Cash Equivalents received are applied in accordance with Section 4.10 hereof.

“Permitted Business” means any business that is the same as, or reasonably related, ancillary or complementary to, any of the businesses in which the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries are engaged on the date of this Indenture.

“Permitted Holders” means (i) each of the Principals, (ii) members of management of Express or any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, (iii) any Person that has no material assets other than the Capital Stock of Express or any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, and, directly or indirectly, holds or acquires 100% of the total voting power of the Voting Stock of Express, and of which no other Person or group (in each case within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or Section 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act, or any successor provision), other than any Permitted Holder specified in clause (i) or (ii) above, holds more than 50% of the total voting power of the Voting Stock thereof, and (iv) any group (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or Section 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act, or any successor provision) the members of which include any Permitted Holder specified in clause (i) or (ii) above and that, directly or indirectly, holds or acquires beneficial ownership of the Voting Stock of Express or any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent (a “Permitted Holder Group”); provided that (1) each member of the Permitted Holder Group has voting rights proportional to the percentage of ownership interests held or acquired by such member and (2) no Person or other group (other than a Permitted Holder specified in clause (i) or (ii) above) beneficially owns more than 50% on a fully diluted basis of the Voting Stock held by the Permitted Holder Group. Any person or group, together with its Affiliates, whose acquisition of beneficial ownership constitutes a Change of Control in respect of which a Change of Control Offer is made in accordance with the requirements of this Indenture will thereafter constitute an additional Permitted Holder.

“Permitted Investments” means:

(1) any Investment in the Issuers (including in the Notes) or in a Restricted Subsidiary of Express;

(2) any Investment in cash, Cash Equivalents or Investment Grade Securities;

(3) any Investment by the Issuers or any Restricted Subsidiary of Express in a Person, if as a result of such Investment:

(a)

such Person becomes a Restricted Subsidiary of Express; or

(b)

such Person is merged, consolidated or amalgamated with or into, or transfers or conveys substantially all of its assets to, or is liquidated into, Express or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express;

(4) any Investment made as a result of the receipt of non-cash consideration from an Asset Sale that was made pursuant to and in compliance with Section 4.10 hereof;

(5) any acquisition of assets or Capital Stock solely in exchange for, or out of the proceeds of, the issuance of Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Issuers or of any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent;

(6) any Investments received in compromise or resolution of (a) obligations of trade creditors or customers that were incurred in the ordinary course of business of the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries, including pursuant to any plan of reorganization or similar arrangement upon the bankruptcy or insolvency of any trade creditor or customer; or (b) litigation, arbitration or other disputes;

(7) Investments represented by Hedging Obligations;

(8) loans or advances to employees made in the ordinary course of business of the Issuers or any Subsidiary of Express in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $5.0 million at any one time outstanding;

(9) repurchases of the Notes;

(10) any guarantee of Indebtedness permitted to be incurred under Section 4.09 hereof other than a guarantee of Indebtedness of an Affiliate of the Issuers that is not a Restricted Subsidiary of Express;

(11) any Investment existing on, or made pursuant to binding commitments existing on, the date of this Indenture and any Investment consisting of an extension, modification, renewal, replacement, refunding or refinancing of any Investment existing on, or made pursuant to a binding commitment existing on, the date of this Indenture; provided that the amount of any such Investment may be increased (a) as required by the terms of such Investment as in existence on the date of this Indenture or (b) as otherwise permitted under this Indenture;

(12) Investments acquired after the date of this Indenture as a result of the acquisition by the Issuers or any Restricted Subsidiary of Express of another Person, including by way of a merger, amalgamation or consolidation with or into the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries in a transaction that is not prohibited by Section 5.01 hereof after the date of this Indenture to the extent that such Investments were not made in contemplation of such acquisition, merger, amalgamation or consolidation and were in existence on the date of such acquisition, merger, amalgamation or consolidation;

(13) Investments by the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries consisting of deposits, prepayment and other credits to suppliers or landlords made in the ordinary course of business;

(14) guaranties made in the ordinary course of business of obligations owed to landlords, suppliers, customers, franchisees and licensees of Express and its Subsidiaries;

(15) any Investment acquired by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries (a) in exchange for any other Investment or accounts receivable held by the Issuers or any such Restricted Subsidiary in connection with or as a result of a bankruptcy, workout, reorganization or recapitalization of the issuer of such other Investment or accounts receivable, or (b) as a result of a foreclosure by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries with respect to any secured Investment or other transfer of title with respect to any secured Investment in default;

(16) any Investment by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries in a Permitted Business (other than an Investment in an Unrestricted Subsidiary) having an aggregate Fair Market Value, taken together with all other Investments made pursuant to this clause (16) that are at the time outstanding, not to exceed the greater of (a) $50.0 million and (b) 6.0% of

Total Assets at the time of such Investment (with the Fair Market Value of each Investment being measured at the time made and without giving effect to subsequent changes in value), at any one time outstanding; provided, however, that if any Investment pursuant to this clause (16) is made in any Person that is not a Restricted Subsidiary of Express at the date of the making of such Investment and such Person becomes a Restricted Subsidiary of Express after such date, such Investment shall thereafter be deemed to have been made pursuant to clause (1) above and shall cease to have been made pursuant to this clause (16) for so long as such Person continues to be a Restricted Subsidiary;

(17) loans and advances to officers, directors and employees for business-related travel expenses, moving and relocation expenses and other similar expenses, in each case incurred in the ordinary course of business;

(18) Investments consisting of the licensing or contribution of intellectual property pursuant to joint marketing arrangements with other Persons;

(19) Investments in joint ventures of the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries existing on the date of this Indenture in an aggregate amount, taken together with all other Investments made pursuant to this clause (19) that are at the time outstanding, not to exceed the greater of (a) $25.0 million and (b) 3.0% of Total Assets at the time of such Investment, at any one time outstanding;

(20) Investments consisting of purchases and acquisitions of inventory, supplies, materials and equipment or purchases of contract rights or licenses of intellectual property or leases, in each case, in the ordinary course of business;

(21) Investments by Express or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express in a Securitization Entity or any Investments by a Securitization Entity in any other Person in connection with a Qualified Securitization Transaction, including Investments of funds held in accounts permitted or required by the arrangements governing such Qualified Securitization Transaction or any related Indebtedness; provided, however, that such Investment is solely in the form of a Purchase Money Note, equity interests or contribution of additional accounts receivable generated by Express or any of its Subsidiaries;

(22) loans and advances made by Express or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries to officers, directors or employees of Express, any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, or Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries, the proceeds of which are used to purchase Equity Interests of Express, any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, or Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $10.0 million at any one time outstanding;

(23) any transaction to the extent it constitutes an Investment that is permitted by and made in accordance with Section 4.11(b) hereof (except transactions described in clauses (6), (10), (11) and (13) of Section 4.11(b) hereof);

(24) Investments by Restricted Subsidiaries of Express in other Restricted Subsidiaries of Express and Investments by Unrestricted Subsidiaries of Express in other Unrestricted Subsidiaries of Express;

(25) Investments in Unrestricted Subsidiaries having an aggregate Fair Market Value (measured on the date each such Investment was made and without giving effect to subsequent

changes in value), when taken together with all other Investments made pursuant to this clause (25) that are at that time outstanding not to exceed the greater of (a) $25.0 million and (b) 3.0% of Total Assets at the time of such Investment, at any one time outstanding; and

(26) other Investments in any Person having an aggregate Fair Market Value (measured on the date each such Investment was made and without giving effect to subsequent changes in value), when taken together with all other Investments made pursuant to this clause (26) that are at the time outstanding not to exceed the greater of (a) $25.0 million and (b) 3.0% of Total Assets at the time of such Investment, at any one time outstanding.

“Permitted Liens” means:

(1) Liens on assets of the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries securing Indebtedness and other Obligations under Credit Facilities that were incurred pursuant to either clause (1) or clause (20) of the definition of “Permitted Debt” and/or securing Hedging Obligations related thereto and/or securing Obligations with regard to Treasury Management Arrangements;

(2) Liens in favor of the Issuers or the Subsidiary Guarantors;

(3) Liens on assets, property or Capital Stock of a Person existing at the time such Person becomes a Restricted Subsidiary of Express or is merged with or into or consolidated with the Issuers or any Restricted Subsidiary of Express; provided that such Liens (a) were in existence prior to the contemplation of such Person becoming a Restricted Subsidiary of Express or such merger or consolidation and (b) do not extend to any assets other than those of the Person that becomes a Restricted Subsidiary of Express or is merged with or into or consolidated with the Issuers or any Restricted Subsidiary of Express;

(4) Liens on assets or on property (including Capital Stock) existing at the time of acquisition of the assets or property by the Issuers or any Subsidiary of Express; provided that such Liens (a) were in existence prior to such acquisition and not incurred in contemplation of, such acquisition and (b) do not extend to any other assets of the Issuers or any of Express’ Subsidiaries;

(5) Liens, pledges or deposits to secure the performance of bids, trade contracts, leases, statutory obligations, insurance, judgments, surety or appeal bonds, workers compensation obligations, performance bonds, unemployment insurance obligations, social security obligations, or other obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary course of business (including Liens to secure letters of credit issued to assure payment of such obligations);

(6) Liens to secure Indebtedness (including Capital Lease Obligations) permitted to be incurred by clause (4) of Section 4.09(b) hereof covering only the assets acquired with or financed by such Indebtedness;

(7) Liens existing on the date of this Indenture;

(8) Liens for taxes, assessments or governmental charges or claims that are not yet delinquent or that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings promptly instituted and diligently concluded; provided that any reserve or other appropriate provision as is required in conformity with GAAP has been made therefor;

(9) Liens imposed by law, such as carriers’, warehousemen’s, materialmen’s, landlord’s, workmen’s, repairmen’s and mechanics’ Liens, in each case, incurred in the ordinary course of business;

(10) survey exceptions, easements or reservations of, or rights of others for, licenses, rights-of-way, sewers, electric lines, telegraph and telephone lines and other similar purposes, or zoning or other restrictions as to the use of real property that were not incurred in connection with Indebtedness and that do not in the aggregate materially adversely affect the value of said properties or materially impair their use in the operation of the business of such Person;

(11) Liens created for the benefit of (or to secure) the Notes (or the Note Guarantees);

(12) Liens to secure any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness permitted to be incurred under this Indenture; provided, however, that:

(a)

the new Lien is limited to all or part of the same property and assets that secured or, under the written agreements pursuant to which the original Lien arose, could secure the original Lien (plus improvements and accessions to, such property or proceeds or distributions thereof); and

(b)

the Indebtedness secured by the new Lien is not increased to any amount greater than the sum of (x) the outstanding principal amount, or, if greater, committed amount, of the Indebtedness renewed, refunded, refinanced, replaced, defeased or discharged with such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness and (y) an amount necessary to pay any fees and expenses, including premiums, related to such renewal, refunding, refinancing, replacement, defeasance or discharge;

(13) Liens on insurance policies and proceeds thereof, or other deposits, to secure insurance premium financings;

(14) filing of Uniform Commercial Code financing statements as a precautionary measure in connection with operating leases;

(15) bankers’ Liens, rights of setoff, Liens arising out of judgments or awards not constituting an Event of Default and notices of lis pendens and associated rights related to litigation being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which adequate reserves have been made;

(16) Liens on cash, Cash Equivalents or other property arising in connection with the defeasance, discharge or redemption of Indebtedness;

(17) Liens on specific items of inventory or other goods and the proceeds thereof (including documents, instruments, accounts, chattel paper, letter of credit rights, general intangibles, supporting obligations, and claims under insurance policies relating thereto) of any Person securing such Person’s obligations in respect of bankers’ acceptances or letters of credit issued or created in the ordinary course of business for the account of such Person to facilitate the purchase, shipment or storage of such inventory or other goods;

(18) grants of software and other technology licenses in the ordinary course of business;

(19) Liens arising out of conditional sale, title retention, consignment or similar arrangements for the sale of goods entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(20) statutory, common law or contractual Liens of creditor depository institutions or institutions holding securities accounts (including the right of set-off or similar rights and remedies);

(21) customary Liens granted in favor of a trustee (including the Trustee) to secure fees and other amounts owing to such trustee under an indenture or other agreement pursuant to which Indebtedness not prohibited by this Indenture is issued;

(22) Liens in favor of customs and revenue authorities arising as a matter of law to secure payment of custom duties in connection with the importation of goods;

(23) Liens on assets or the Capital Stock of Foreign Subsidiaries securing Indebtedness of Foreign Subsidiaries permitted to be incurred by clause (12) of Section 4.09(b) hereof;

(24) Liens on the Equity Interests of Unrestricted Subsidiaries;

(25) Liens securing Hedging Obligations entered into in the ordinary course of business and not for speculative purposes; provided that such Hedging Obligations relate solely to Indebtedness that is permitted to be incurred under this Indenture;

(26) Liens on assets pursuant to merger agreements, stock or asset purchase agreements and similar agreements in respect of the disposition of such assets otherwise permitted under this Indenture for so long as such agreements are in effect;

(27) Liens incurred in the ordinary course of business with respect to obligations that do not exceed the greater of (a) $25.0 million and (b) 3.0% of Total Assets at the time of such incurrence, at any one time outstanding;

(28) Liens securing Indebtedness or other Obligations of a Restricted Subsidiary of Express owing to the Issuers or another Restricted Subsidiary of Express permitted to be incurred in accordance with Section 4.09 hereof;

(29) leases and subleases of real property which do not materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of the business of the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries;

(30) Liens on accounts receivable and related assets of the type specified in the definition of “Securitization Transaction” incurred in connection with a Qualified Securitization Transaction;

(31) deposits made in the ordinary course of business to secure liability to insurance carriers; and

(32) Liens incurred to secure any Treasury Management Arrangement incurred in the ordinary course of business.

“Permitted Payments to Parent” means the declaration and payment of dividends by the Issuers to, or the making of loans to, any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, in amounts required for any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent (and, in the case of clause (2) below, its direct or indirect members), to pay, in each case without duplication:

(1) general corporate operating and overhead costs and expenses (including without limitation, any such fees, costs or expenses required for any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, to maintain its corporate existence) of any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, to the extent such costs and expenses are attributable to the ownership or operation of the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries;

(2) foreign, federal, state and local income taxes, to the extent such income taxes are attributable to the income of the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries and, to the extent of the amount actually received from Express’ Unrestricted Subsidiaries, in amounts required to pay such taxes to the extent attributable to the income of such Unrestricted Subsidiaries; provided that in each case the amount of such payments in any fiscal year does not exceed the amount that Express and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries would be required to pay in respect of foreign, federal, state and local taxes for such fiscal year were Express, Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries and Express’ Unrestricted Subsidiaries (to the extent described above) to pay such taxes separately from any such parent and file a consolidated or combined return with Express as the parent corporation, and for so long as Parent is treated as a partnership for Federal income tax purposes, as if subject to the tax rates applicable to an individual residing in the state of California (assuming deductions relating to the Notes are properly allocable to Express and taking into account the effect of any net operating loss carryforwards, alternative minimum tax carryforwards or other carryforwards or tax attributes that would have arisen if Express and such Restricted Subsidiaries and Unrestricted Subsidiaries were corporations); and

(3) fees and expenses owed by the Issuers, any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, as the case may be, or Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries to Affiliates, in each case to the extent permitted by Section 4.11 hereof.

“Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness” means any Indebtedness of the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries issued in exchange for, or the net proceeds of which are used to renew, refund, refinance, replace, defease or discharge other Indebtedness of the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries (other than intercompany Indebtedness); provided that:

(1) the principal amount (or accreted value, if applicable) of such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness does not exceed the principal amount (or accreted value, if applicable) of the Indebtedness renewed, refunded, refinanced, replaced, defeased or discharged (plus all accrued interest on the Indebtedness and the amount of all fees and expenses, including premiums, incurred in connection therewith);

(2) such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness (a) has a final maturity date that is no earlier than (i) the final maturity date of the Indebtedness being renewed, refunded, refinanced, replaced, defeased or discharged or (ii) 90 days after the final maturity date of the Notes, and (b) has a Weighted Average Life to Maturity that is not less than the Weighted Average Life to Maturity of the Indebtedness being renewed, refunded, refinanced, replaced, defeased or discharged;

(3) if the Indebtedness being renewed, refunded, refinanced, replaced, defeased or discharged is subordinated in right of payment to the Notes, such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness is subordinated in right of payment to the Notes on terms at least as favorable to the Holders as those contained in the documentation governing the Indebtedness being renewed, refunded, refinanced, replaced, defeased or discharged; and

(4) such Indebtedness is incurred by the Issuers or by the Restricted Subsidiary of Express that was the obligor on the Indebtedness being renewed, refunded, refinanced, replaced, defeased or discharged and is guaranteed only by Persons who were obligors on the Indebtedness being renewed, refunded, refinanced, replaced, defeased or discharged.

“Person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization, limited liability company or government or other entity.

“Principals” means (1) Golden Gate Private Equity, Inc., (2) one or more investment funds advised, managed or controlled by Golden Gate Private Equity, Inc. and, in each case (whether individually or as a group) their Affiliates (not including, however, any of their portfolio companies), and (3) Limited Brands, Inc. and its direct and indirect Subsidiaries.

“Private Placement Legend” means the legend set forth in Section 2.06(g)(1) hereof to be placed on all Notes issued under this Indenture except where otherwise permitted by the provisions of this Indenture.

“Purchase Money Note” means a promissory note of a Securitization Entity evidencing a line of credit, which may be irrevocable, from Express or any of its Subsidiaries to a Securitization Entity in connection with a Qualified Securitization Transaction, which note is intended to finance that portion of the purchase price that is not paid by cash or a contribution of equity.

“QIB” means a “qualified institutional buyer” as defined in Rule 144A.

“Qualified Securitization Transaction” means any Securitization Transaction of a Securitization Entity that meets the following conditions:

(1) the Board of Directors of Express shall have determined in good faith that such Qualified Securitization Transaction (including financing terms, covenants, termination events or other provisions) is in the aggregate economically fair and reasonable to Express and the Securitization Entity;

(2) all sales of accounts receivable and related assets to the Securitization Entity are made at Fair Market Value (as determined in good faith by Express) and may include Standard Securitization Undertakings; and

(3) the financing terms, covenants, termination events and other provisions thereof shall be market terms (as determined in good faith by Express) and may include Standard Securitization Undertakings.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, for the avoidance of doubt, the grant of a security interest in any accounts receivable of the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries (other than a Securitization Entity) to secure Indebtedness or other obligations under any Credit Agreement shall not be deemed a Qualified Securitization Transaction.

“Qualifying Equity Interests” means Equity Interests of the Issuers other than Disqualified Stock.

“Registration Rights Agreement” means the Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of March 5, 2010, among the Issuers, the Guarantors and the other parties named on the signature pages thereof, as such agreement may be amended, modified or supplemented from time to time, and, with respect to any Additional Notes, one or more registration rights agreements among the Issuers, the Guarantors and the other parties thereto, as such agreement(s) may be amended, modified or supplemented from time to time, relating to rights given by the Issuers to the purchasers of Additional Notes to register such Additional Notes under the Securities Act.

“Regulation S” means Regulation S promulgated under the Securities Act.

“Regulation S Global Note” means a Regulation S Temporary Global Note or Regulation S Permanent Global Note, as appropriate.

“Regulation S Permanent Global Note” means a permanent Global Note in the form of Exhibit A1 hereto bearing the Global Note Legend and the Private Placement Legend and deposited with or on behalf of and registered in the name of the Depositary or its nominee, issued in a denomination equal to the outstanding principal amount of the Regulation S Temporary Global Note upon expiration of the Restricted Period.

“Regulation S Temporary Global Note” means a temporary Global Note in the form of Exhibit A2 hereto deposited with or on behalf of and registered in the name of the Depositary or its nominee, issued in a denomination equal to the outstanding principal amount of the Notes initially sold in reliance on Rule 903 of Regulation S.

“Related Business Assets” means assets (other than cash or Cash Equivalents) used or useful in a Permitted Business and not classified as current assets under GAAP; provided, that assets received by Express or a Restricted Subsidiary in exchange for assets transferred by Express or a Restricted Subsidiary will not qualify as Related Business Assets if they consist of Securities of a Person, unless upon receipt of such securities such Person becomes a Restricted Subsidiary of Express.

“Responsible Officer” shall mean, when used with respect to the Trustee, any officer within the corporate trust department of the Trustee, including any vice president, assistant vice president, assistant secretary, assistant treasurer, trust officer or any other officer of the Trustee who customarily performs functions similar to those performed by the Persons who at the time shall be such officers, respectively, or to whom any corporate trust matter is referred because of such person’s knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject and who shall have direct responsibility for the administration of this Indenture.

“Restricted Definitive Note” means a Definitive Note bearing the Private Placement Legend.

“Restricted Global Note” means a Global Note bearing the Private Placement Legend.

“Restricted Investment” means an Investment other than a Permitted Investment.

“Restricted Period” means the 40-day distribution compliance period as defined in Regulation S.

“Restricted Subsidiary” of a Person means any Subsidiary of the referent Person that is not an Unrestricted Subsidiary.

“Rule 144” means Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act.

“Rule 144A” means Rule 144A promulgated under the Securities Act.

“Rule 903” means Rule 903 promulgated under the Securities Act.

“Rule 904” means Rule 904 promulgated under the Securities Act.

“S&P” means Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group.

“Sale/Leaseback Transaction” means any arrangement relating to property now owned or hereafter acquired by Express or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries whereby Express or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express transfers such property to a Person and Express or such Restricted Subsidiary of Express leases it from such Person, other than leases between Express and a Restricted Subsidiary of Express or between Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries.

“SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

“Securitization Entity” means a Wholly Owned Restricted Subsidiary of Express (or another Person formed for the purposes of engaging in a Qualified Securitization Transaction with Express in which Express or any Restricted Subsidiary of Express makes an Investment and to which Express or any Restricted Subsidiary of Express transfers accounts receivable and related assets) which is designated by the Board of Directors of Express (as provided below) as a Securitization Entity and engages in no activities other than in connection with the financing of accounts receivable of Express and Express’ Subsidiaries, all proceeds thereof and all rights (contractual or other), collateral and other assets relating thereto, and any business or activities incidental or related to such business and:

(1) no portion of the Indebtedness or any other obligations (contingent or otherwise) of which (a) is guaranteed by the Issuers or any of Express’ Subsidiaries (other than the Securitization Entity) (excluding guarantees of obligations (other than the principal of, and interest on, Indebtedness) pursuant to Standard Securitization Undertakings), (b) is recourse to or obligates the Issuers or any of Express’ Subsidiaries (other than the Securitization Entity) in any way other than pursuant to Standard Securitization Undertakings or (c) subjects any asset of the Issuers or any of Express’ Subsidiaries (other than the Securitization Entity), directly or indirectly, contingently or otherwise, to the satisfaction thereof, other than pursuant to Standard Securitization Undertakings;

(2) with which neither the Issuers nor any of Express’ Subsidiaries has any material contract, agreement, arrangement or understanding other than on terms no less favorable to the Issuers or such Subsidiary than those that might be obtained at the time from Persons that are not Affiliates of the Issuers; and

(3) to which neither the Issuers nor any of Express’ Subsidiaries has any obligation to maintain or preserve such entity’s financial condition or cause such entity to achieve certain levels of operating results.

Any designation by the Board of Directors of Express shall be evidenced to the Trustee by filing with the Trustee a certified copy of the resolutions of the Board of Directors of Express giving effect to such designation and an Officers’ Certificate certifying that such designation complied with the foregoing conditions.

“Securitization Fees” means distributions or payments made directly or by means of discounts with respect to any participation interest issued or sold in connection with, and other fees paid to a Person that is not a Restricted Subsidiary of Express or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with, a Qualified Securitization Transaction.

“Securitization Repurchase Obligation” means any obligation of a seller of receivables in a Qualified Securitization Transaction to repurchase receivables arising as a result of a breach of a representation, warranty or covenant or otherwise, including as a result of a receivable or portion thereof becoming subject to any asserted defense, dispute, off-set or counterclaim of any kind as a result of any action taken by, any failure to take action by or any other event relating to the seller.

“Securitization Transaction” means any transaction or series of transactions that may be entered into by Express, any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries or a Securitization Entity pursuant to which Express, such Restricted Subsidiary or such Securitization Entity may sell, convey or otherwise transfer to, or grant a security interest in for the benefit of, (1) a Securitization Entity, Express or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries which subsequently transfers to a Securitization Entity (in the case of a transfer by Express or such Restricted Subsidiary) and (2) any other Person (in the case of transfer by a Securitization Entity), any accounts receivable (whether now existing or arising or acquired in the future) of Express or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries which arose in the ordinary course of business of Express or such Restricted Subsidiary, and any assets related thereto, including, without limitation, all collateral securing such accounts receivable, all contracts and contract rights and all guarantees or other obligations in respect of such accounts receivable, proceeds of such accounts receivable and other assets (including contract rights) which are customarily transferred or in respect of which security interests are customarily granted in connection with asset securitization transactions involving accounts receivable.

“Shelf Registration Statement” means the Shelf Registration Statement as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement.

“Significant Subsidiary” means any Restricted Subsidiary that would be a “significant subsidiary” as defined in Article 1, Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X, promulgated pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Regulation is in effect on the date of this Indenture.

“Special Interest” has the meaning assigned to that term pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement.

“Standard Securitization Undertakings” means representations, warranties, covenants, indemnities and guarantees of performance entered into by the Issuers or any of Express’ Subsidiaries which the Issuers have determined in good faith to be customary in a Securitization Transaction including, without limitation, those relating to the servicing of the assets of a Securitization Entity, it being understood that any Securitization Repurchase Obligation shall be deemed to be a Standard Securitization Undertaking.

“Stated Maturity” means, with respect to any installment of interest or principal on any series of Indebtedness, the date on which the payment of interest or principal was scheduled to be paid in the documentation governing such Indebtedness as of the date of this Indenture, and will not include any contingent obligations to repay, redeem or repurchase any such interest or principal prior to the date originally scheduled for the payment thereof.

“Subsidiary” means, with respect to any specified Person:

(1) any corporation, association or other business entity of which more than 50% of the total voting power of shares of Capital Stock entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency and after giving effect to any voting agreement or stockholders’ agreement that

effectively transfers voting power) to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees of the corporation, association or other business entity is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by that Person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that Person (or a combination thereof); and

(2) any partnership or limited liability company of which (a) more than 50% of the capital accounts, distribution rights, total equity and voting interests or general and limited partnership interests, as applicable, are owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such Person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that Person or a combination thereof, whether in the form of membership, general, special or limited partnership interests or otherwise, and (b) such Person or any Subsidiary of such Person is a controlling general partner or otherwise controls such entity.

“Subsidiary Guarantor” means any Guarantor other than Parent.

“TIA” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (15 U.S.C. §§ 77aaa-77bbbb).

“Total Assets” means the total consolidated assets of the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries, as shown on the most recent consolidated balance sheet of Parent.

“Treasury Management Arrangement” means any agreement or other arrangement governing the provision of treasury or cash management services, including deposit accounts, overdraft, credit or debit card, funds transfer, automated clearinghouse, zero balance accounts, returned check concentration, controlled disbursement, lockbox, account reconciliation and reporting and trade finance services and other cash management services.

“Treasury Rate” means, as of any redemption date, the yield to maturity as of such redemption date of United States Treasury securities with a constant maturity (as compiled and published in the most recent Federal Reserve Statistical Release H.15 (519) that has become publicly available at least two business days prior to the redemption date (or, if such Statistical Release is no longer published, any publicly available source of similar market data)) most nearly equal to the period from the redemption date to March 1, 2014; provided, however, that if the period from the redemption date to March 1, 2014 is less than one year, the weekly average yield on actually traded United States Treasury securities adjusted to a constant maturity of one year will be used.

“Trustee” means U.S. Bank National Association, until a successor replaces it in accordance with the applicable provisions of this Indenture and thereafter means the successor serving hereunder.

“Unrestricted Definitive Note” means a Definitive Note that does not bear and is not required to bear the Private Placement Legend.

“Unrestricted Global Note” means a Global Note that does not bear and is not required to bear the Private Placement Legend.

“Unrestricted Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary of Express that is designated by the Board of Directors of Express as an Unrestricted Subsidiary pursuant to a resolution of the Board of Directors, but only to the extent that such Subsidiary:

(1) has no Indebtedness other than Non-Recourse Debt;

(2) except as permitted by Section 4.11 hereof, is not party to any agreement, contract, arrangement or understanding with Express or any Restricted Subsidiary of Express unless the terms of any such agreement, contract, arrangement or understanding are not materially less favorable to Express or such Restricted Subsidiary than those that might have been obtained at the time of any such agreement, contract, arrangement or understanding than those that could have been obtained from Persons who are not Affiliates of Express;

(3) is a Person with respect to which neither Express nor any of its Restricted Subsidiaries has any direct or indirect obligation (a) to subscribe for additional Equity Interests or (b) to maintain or preserve such Person’s financial condition or to cause such Person to achieve any specified levels of operating results; and

(4) has not guaranteed or otherwise directly or indirectly provided credit support for any Indebtedness of Express or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries.

“U.S. Person” means a U.S. Person as defined in Rule 902(k) promulgated under the Securities Act.

“Voting Stock” of any specified Person as of any date means the Capital Stock of such Person that is at the time entitled to vote in the election of the Board of Directors of such Person.

“Weighted Average Life to Maturity” means, when applied to any Indebtedness at any date, the number of years obtained by dividing:

(1) the sum of the products obtained by multiplying (a) the amount of each then remaining installment, sinking fund, serial maturity or other required payments of principal, including payment at final maturity, in respect of the Indebtedness, by (b) the number of years (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth) that will elapse between such date and the making of such payment; by

(2) the then outstanding principal amount of such Indebtedness.

“Wholly Owned Restricted Subsidiary” means any Wholly Owned Subsidiary that is a Restricted Subsidiary.

“Wholly Owned Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person, a Subsidiary of such Person, 100% of the outstanding Capital Stock or other ownership interest of which (other than directors’ qualifying shares or shares or interests required to be held by foreign nationals or other third parties to the extent required by applicable law) shall at the time be owned by such Person or by one or more Wholly Owned Subsidiaries of such Person.

Section 1.02 Other Definitions.


Term		Defined in Section
“Affiliate Transaction”		4.11
“Asset Sale Offer”		3.09
“Authentication Order”		2.02
“Change of Control Offer”		4.14
“Change of Control Payment”		4.14
“Change of Control Payment Date”		4.14


Term		Defined in Section
“Covenant Defeasance”		8.03
“DTC”		2.03
“Event of Default”		6.01
“Excess Proceeds”		4.10
“incur”		4.09
“Legal Defeasance”		8.02
“Offer Amount”		3.09
“Offer Period”		3.09
“Paying Agent”		2.03
“Permitted Debt”		4.09
“Payment Default”		6.01
“Purchase Date”		3.09
“Registrar”		2.03
“Restricted Payments”		4.07

Section 1.03 Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture Act.

Whenever this Indenture refers to a provision of the TIA, the provision is incorporated by reference in and made a part of this Indenture.

The following TIA terms used in this Indenture have the following meanings:

“indenture securities” means the Notes;

“indenture security Holder” means a Holder of a Note;

“indenture to be qualified” means this Indenture;

“indenture trustee” or “institutional trustee” means the Trustee; and

“obligor” on the Notes and the Note Guarantees means the Issuers and the Guarantors, respectively, and any successor obligor upon the Notes and the Note Guarantees, respectively.

All other terms used in this Indenture that are defined by the TIA, defined by TIA reference to another statute or defined by SEC rule under the TIA have the meanings so assigned to them.

Section 1.04 Rules of Construction.

Unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) a term has the meaning assigned to it;

(2) an accounting term not otherwise defined has the meaning assigned to it in accordance with GAAP;

(3) “or” is not exclusive;

(4) the term “including” is not limiting;

(5) words in the singular include the plural, and in the plural include the singular;

(6) “will” shall be interpreted to express a command;

(7) provisions apply to successive events and transactions; and

(8) references to sections of or rules under the Securities Act will be deemed to include substitute, replacement of successor sections or rules adopted by the SEC from time to time.

ARTICLE 2

THE NOTES

Section 2.01 Form and Dating.

(a) General. The Notes and the Trustee’s certificate of authentication will be substantially in the form of Exhibits A1 and A2 hereto. The Notes may have notations, legends or endorsements required by law, stock exchange rule or usage; provided that any such notations, legends or endorsements are in a form reasonably acceptable to the Issuers. Each Note will be dated the date of its authentication. The Notes shall be in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof.

The terms and provisions contained in the Notes will constitute, and are hereby expressly made, a part of this Indenture and the Issuers, the Guarantors and the Trustee, by their execution and delivery of this Indenture, expressly agree to such terms and provisions and to be bound thereby. However, to the extent any provision of any Note conflicts with the express provisions of this Indenture, the provisions of this Indenture shall govern and be controlling.

(b) Global Notes. Notes issued in global form will be substantially in the form of Exhibits A1 or A2 hereto (including the Global Note Legend thereon and the “Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note” attached thereto). Notes issued in definitive form will be substantially in the form of Exhibit A1 hereto (but without the Global Note Legend thereon and without the “Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note” attached thereto). Each Global Note will represent such of the outstanding Notes as will be specified therein and each shall provide that it represents the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Notes from time to time endorsed thereon and that the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Notes represented thereby may from time to time be reduced or increased, as appropriate, to reflect exchanges and redemptions. Any endorsement of a Global Note to reflect the amount of any increase or decrease in the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Notes represented thereby will be made by the Trustee or the Custodian, at the direction of the Trustee, in accordance with instructions given by the Holder thereof as required by Section 2.06 hereof.

(c) Temporary Global Notes. Notes offered and sold in reliance on Regulation S will be issued initially in the form of the Regulation S Temporary Global Note, which will be deposited on behalf of the purchasers of the Notes represented thereby with the Trustee, at its New York office, as custodian for the Depositary, and registered in the name of the Depositary or the nominee of the Depositary for the accounts of designated agents holding on behalf of Euroclear or Clearstream, duly executed by the Issuers and authenticated by the Trustee as hereinafter provided. The Restricted Period will be terminated upon the receipt by the Trustee of:

(1) a written certificate from the Depositary, together with copies of certificates from Euroclear and Clearstream certifying that they have received certification of non-United States beneficial ownership of 100% of the aggregate principal amount of the Regulation S Temporary

Global Note (except to the extent of any beneficial owners thereof who acquired an interest therein during the Restricted Period pursuant to another exemption from registration under the Securities Act and who will take delivery of a beneficial ownership interest in a 144A Global Note bearing a Private Placement Legend, all as contemplated by Section 2.06(b) hereof); and

(2) an Officers’ Certificate from the Issuers.

Following the termination of the Restricted Period, beneficial interests in the Regulation S Temporary Global Note will be exchanged for beneficial interests in the Regulation S Permanent Global Note pursuant to the Applicable Procedures. Simultaneously with the authentication of the Regulation S Permanent Global Note, the Trustee will cancel the Regulation S Temporary Global Note. The aggregate principal amount of the Regulation S Temporary Global Note and the Regulation S Permanent Global Note may from time to time be increased or decreased by adjustments made on the records of the Trustee and the Depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, in connection with transfers of interests as hereinafter provided.

(3) Euroclear and Clearstream Procedures Applicable. The provisions of the “Operating Procedures of the Euroclear System” and “Terms and Conditions Governing Use of Euroclear” and the “General Terms and Conditions of Clearstream Banking” and “Customer Handbook” of Clearstream will be applicable to transfers of beneficial interests in the Regulation S Temporary Global Note and the Regulation S Permanent Global Note that are held by Participants through Euroclear or Clearstream.

Section 2.02 Execution and Authentication.

At least one Officer must sign the Notes for each Issuer by manual or facsimile signature.

If an Officer whose signature is on a Note no longer holds that office at the time a Note is authenticated, the Note will nevertheless be valid.

A Note will not be valid until authenticated by the manual signature of the Trustee. The signature will be conclusive evidence that the Note has been authenticated under this Indenture.

The Trustee will, upon receipt of a written order of the Issuers signed by an Officer of each Issuer (an “Authentication Order”), authenticate Notes for original issue that may be validly issued under this Indenture, including any Additional Notes. The aggregate principal amount of Notes outstanding at any time may not exceed the aggregate principal amount of Notes authorized for issuance by the Issuers pursuant to one or more Authentication Orders, except as provided in Section 2.07 hereof.

The Trustee may appoint an authenticating agent acceptable to the Issuers to authenticate Notes. An authenticating agent may authenticate Notes whenever the Trustee may do so. Each reference in this Indenture to authentication by the Trustee includes authentication by such agent. An authenticating agent has the same rights as an Agent to deal with Holders or an Affiliate of the Issuers.

Section 2.03 Registrar and Paying Agent.

The Issuers will maintain an office or agency where Notes may be presented for registration of transfer or for exchange (“Registrar”) and an office or agency where Notes may be presented for payment (“Paying Agent”). The Registrar will keep a register of the Notes and of their transfer and exchange. The Issuers may appoint one or more co-registrars and one or more additional paying agents.

The term “Registrar” includes any co-registrar and the term “Paying Agent” includes any additional paying agent. The Issuers may change any Paying Agent or Registrar without notice to any Holder. The Issuers will notify the Trustee in writing of the name and address of any Agent not a party to this Indenture. If the Issuers fail to appoint or maintain another entity as Registrar or Paying Agent, the Trustee shall act as such. Express or any of its Subsidiaries may act as Paying Agent or Registrar.

The Issuers initially appoints The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) to act as Depositary with respect to the Global Notes.

The Issuers initially appoints the Trustee to act as the Registrar and Paying Agent and to act as Custodian with respect to the Global Notes.

Section 2.04 Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust.

The Issuers will require each Paying Agent other than the Trustee to agree in writing that the Paying Agent will hold in trust for the benefit of Holders or the Trustee all money held by the Paying Agent for the payment of principal of, premium on, if any, and interest or Special Interest, if any, on, the Notes, and will notify the Trustee of any default by the Issuers in making any such payment. While any such default continues, the Trustee may require a Paying Agent to pay all money held by it to the Trustee. The Issuers at any time may require a Paying Agent to pay all money held by it to the Trustee. Upon payment over to the Trustee, the Paying Agent (if other than an Issuer or a Subsidiary) will have no further liability for the money. If an Issuer or a Subsidiary acts as Paying Agent, it will segregate and hold in a separate trust fund for the benefit of the Holders all money held by it as Paying Agent. Upon any bankruptcy or reorganization proceedings relating to the Issuers, the Trustee will serve as Paying Agent for the Notes.

Section 2.05 Holder Lists.

The Trustee will preserve in as current a form as is reasonably practicable the most recent list available to it of the names and addresses of all Holders and shall otherwise comply with TIA §312(a). If the Trustee is not the Registrar, the Issuers will furnish to the Trustee at least seven Business Days before each interest payment date and at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing, a list in such form and as of such date as the Trustee may reasonably require of the names and addresses of the Holders of Notes and the Issuers shall otherwise comply with TIA §312(a).

Section 2.06 Transfer and Exchange.

(a) Transfer and Exchange of Global Notes. A Global Note may not be transferred except as a whole by the Depositary to a nominee of the Depositary, by a nominee of the Depositary to the Depositary or to another nominee of the Depositary, or by the Depositary or any such nominee to a successor Depositary or a nominee of such successor Depositary. All Global Notes will be exchanged by the Issuers for Definitive Notes if:

(1) the Issuers deliver to the Trustee notice from the Depositary that it is unwilling or unable to continue to act as Depositary or that it is no longer a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act and, in either case, a successor Depositary is not appointed by the Issuers within 120 days after the date of such notice from the Depositary;

(2 )the Issuers in their sole discretion determines that the Global Notes (in whole but not in part) should be exchanged for Definitive Notes and delivers a written notice to such effect to the Trustee; provided that in no event shall the Regulation S Temporary Global Note be exchanged by the Issuers for Definitive Notes prior to (A) the expiration of the Restricted Period and (B) the receipt by the Registrar of any certificates required pursuant to Rule 903(b)(3)(ii)(B) under the Securities Act; or

(3) there has occurred and is continuing a Default or Event of Default with respect to the Notes.

Upon the occurrence of either of the preceding events in (1) or (2) above, Definitive Notes shall be issued in such names as the Depositary shall instruct the Trustee. Global Notes also may be exchanged or replaced, in whole or in part, as provided in Sections 2.07 and 2.10 hereof. Every Note authenticated and delivered in exchange for, or in lieu of, a Global Note or any portion thereof, pursuant to this Section 2.06 or Section 2.07 or 2.10 hereof, shall be authenticated and delivered in the form of, and shall be, a Global Note. A Global Note may not be exchanged for another Note other than as provided in this Section 2.06(a), however, beneficial interests in a Global Note may be transferred and exchanged as provided in Section 2.06(b), (c) or (f) hereof.

(b) Transfer and Exchange of Beneficial Interests in the Global Notes. The transfer and exchange of beneficial interests in the Global Notes will be effected through the Depositary, in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture and the Applicable Procedures. None of the Issuers, Trustee, Paying Agent, nor any Agent of the Issuers shall have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payment made on account of beneficial ownership interests in a Global Note, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests. Beneficial interests in the Restricted Global Notes will be subject to restrictions on transfer comparable to those set forth herein to the extent required by the Securities Act. Transfers of beneficial interests in the Global Notes also will require compliance with either subparagraph (1) or (2) below, as applicable, as well as one or more of the other following subparagraphs, as applicable:

(1) Transfer of Beneficial Interests in the Same Global Note. Beneficial interests in any Restricted Global Note may be transferred to Persons who take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in the same Restricted Global Note in accordance with the transfer restrictions set forth in the Private Placement Legend; provided, however, that prior to the expiration of the Restricted Period, transfers of beneficial interests in the Regulation S Temporary Global Note may not be made to a U.S. Person or for the account or benefit of a U.S. Person (other than an Initial Purchaser). Beneficial interests in any Unrestricted Global Note may be transferred to Persons who take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note. No written orders or instructions shall be required to be delivered to the Registrar to effect the transfers described in this Section 2.06(b)(1).

(2) All Other Transfers and Exchanges of Beneficial Interests in Global Notes. In connection with all transfers and exchanges of beneficial interests that are not subject to Section 2.06(b)(1) above, the transferor of such beneficial interest must deliver to the Registrar either:

(A) both:

(i) a written order from a Participant or an Indirect Participant given to the Depositary in accordance with the Applicable Procedures directing the Depositary to credit or cause to be credited a beneficial interest in another Global Note in an amount equal to the beneficial interest to be transferred or exchanged; and

(ii) instructions given in accordance with the Applicable Procedures containing information regarding the Participant account to be credited with such increase; or

(B) both:

(i) a written order from a Participant or an Indirect Participant given to the Depositary in accordance with the Applicable Procedures directing the Depositary to cause to be issued a Definitive Note in an amount equal to the beneficial interest to be transferred or exchanged; and

(ii) instructions given by the Depositary to the Registrar containing information regarding the Person in whose name such Definitive Note shall be registered to effect the transfer or exchange referred to in (1) above;

; provided that in no event shall Definitive Notes be issued upon the transfer or exchange of beneficial interests in the Regulation S Temporary Global Note prior to (A) the expiration of the Restricted Period and (B) the receipt by the Registrar of any certificates required pursuant to Rule 903 under the Securities Act.

Upon consummation of an Exchange Offer by the Issuers in accordance with Section 2.06(f) hereof, the requirements of this Section 2.06(b)(2) shall be deemed to have been satisfied upon receipt by the Registrar of the instructions contained in the Letter of Transmittal delivered by the Holder of such beneficial interests in the Restricted Global Notes. Upon satisfaction of all of the requirements for transfer or exchange of beneficial interests in Global Notes contained in this Indenture and the Notes or otherwise applicable under the Securities Act, the Trustee shall adjust the principal amount of the relevant Global Note(s) pursuant to Section 2.06(h) hereof.

(3) Transfer of Beneficial Interests to Another Restricted Global Note. A beneficial interest in any Restricted Global Note may be transferred to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in another Restricted Global Note if the transfer complies with the requirements of Section 2.06(b)(2) above and the Registrar receives the following:

(A) if the transferee will take delivery in the form of a beneficial interest in the 144A Global Note, then the transferor must deliver a certificate in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (1) thereof; and

(B) if the transferee will take delivery in the form of a beneficial interest in the Regulation S Temporary Global Note or the Regulation S Permanent Global Note, then the transferor must deliver a certificate in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (2) thereof;

(4) Transfer and Exchange of Beneficial Interests in a Restricted Global Note for Beneficial Interests in an Unrestricted Global Note. A beneficial interest in any Restricted Global Note may be exchanged by any holder thereof for a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note or transferred to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note if the exchange or transfer complies with the requirements of Section 2.06(b)(2) above and:

(A) such exchange or transfer is effected pursuant to the Exchange Offer in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement and the holder of the beneficial

interest to be transferred, in the case of an exchange, or the transferee, in the case of a transfer, certifies in the applicable Letter of Transmittal that it is not (i) a Broker-Dealer, (ii) a Person participating in the distribution of the Exchange Notes or (iii) a Person who is an affiliate (as defined in Rule 144) of the Issuers;

(B) such transfer is effected pursuant to the Shelf Registration Statement in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement;

(C) such transfer is effected by a Broker-Dealer pursuant to the Exchange Offer Registration Statement in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement; or

(D) the Registrar receives the following:

(i) if the holder of such beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to exchange such beneficial interest for a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note, a certificate from such holder in the form of Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item (1)(a) thereof; or

(ii) if the holder of such beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to transfer such beneficial interest to a Person who shall take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note, a certificate from such holder in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (4) thereof;

and, in each such case set forth in this subparagraph (D), if the Registrar so requests or if the Applicable Procedures so require, an Opinion of Counsel in form reasonably acceptable to the Registrar to the effect that such exchange or transfer is in compliance with the Securities Act and that the restrictions on transfer contained herein and in the Private Placement Legend are no longer required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act.

If any such transfer is effected pursuant to subparagraph (B) or (D) above at a time when an Unrestricted Global Note has not yet been issued, the Issuers shall issue and, upon receipt of an Authentication Order in accordance with Section 2.02 hereof, the Trustee shall authenticate one or more Unrestricted Global Notes in an aggregate principal amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of beneficial interests transferred pursuant to subparagraph (B) or (D) above.

Beneficial interests in an Unrestricted Global Note cannot be exchanged for, or transferred to Persons who take delivery thereof in the form of, a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note.

(1) Beneficial Interests in Restricted Global Notes to Restricted Definitive Notes. If any holder of a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to exchange such beneficial interest for a Restricted Definitive Note or to transfer such beneficial interest to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a Restricted Definitive Note, then, upon receipt by the Registrar of the following documentation:

(A) if the holder of such beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to exchange such beneficial interest for a Restricted Definitive Note, a certificate from such holder in the form of Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item (2)(a) thereof;

(B) if such beneficial interest is being transferred to a QIB in accordance with Rule 144A, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (1) thereof;

(C) if such beneficial interest is being transferred to a Non-U.S. Person in an offshore transaction in accordance with Rule 903 or Rule 904, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (2) thereof;

(D) if such beneficial interest is being transferred pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act in accordance with Rule 144, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (3)(a) thereof;

(E) if such beneficial interest is being transferred to an Institutional Accredited Investor in reliance on an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act other than those listed in subparagraphs (B) through (D) above, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications, certificates and Opinion of Counsel required by item (3) thereof, if applicable;

(F) if such beneficial interest is being transferred to the Issuers or any of Express’ Subsidiaries, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (3)(b) thereof; or

(G) if such beneficial interest is being transferred pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (3)(c) thereof,

the Trustee shall cause the aggregate principal amount of the applicable Global Note to be reduced accordingly pursuant to Section 2.06(h) hereof, and the Issuers shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the Person designated in the instructions a Definitive Note in the appropriate principal amount. Any Definitive Note issued in exchange for a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note pursuant to this Section 2.06(c) shall be registered in such name or names and in such authorized denomination or denominations as the holder of such beneficial interest shall instruct the Registrar through instructions from the Depositary and the Participant or Indirect Participant. The Trustee shall deliver such Definitive Notes to the Persons in whose names such Notes are so registered. Any Definitive Note issued in exchange for a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note pursuant to this Section 2.06(c)(1) shall bear the Private Placement Legend and shall be subject to all restrictions on transfer contained therein.

(2) Beneficial Interests in Regulation S Temporary Global Note to Definitive Notes. Notwithstanding Sections 2.06(c)(1)(A) and (C) hereof, a beneficial interest in the Regulation S Temporary Global Note may not be exchanged for a Definitive Note or transferred to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a Definitive Note prior to (A) the expiration of the Restricted Period and (B) the receipt by the Registrar of any certificates required pursuant to Rule 903(b)(3)(ii)(B) under the Securities Act, except in the case of a transfer pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act other than Rule 903 or Rule 904.

(3) Beneficial Interests in Restricted Global Notes to Unrestricted Definitive Notes. A holder of a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note may exchange such beneficial interest for an Unrestricted Definitive Note or may transfer such beneficial interest to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of an Unrestricted Definitive Note only if:

(A) such exchange or transfer is effected pursuant to the Exchange Offer in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement and the holder of such beneficial interest, in the case of an exchange, or the transferee, in the case of a transfer, certifies in the applicable Letter of Transmittal that it is not (i) a Broker-Dealer, (ii) a Person participating in the distribution of the Exchange Notes or (iii) a Person who is an affiliate (as defined in Rule 144) of the Issuers;

(B) such transfer is effected pursuant to the Shelf Registration Statement in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement;

(C) such transfer is effected by a Broker-Dealer pursuant to the Exchange Offer Registration Statement in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement; or

(D) the Registrar receives the following:

(i) if the holder of such beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to exchange such beneficial interest for an Unrestricted Definitive Note, a certificate from such holder in the form of Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item (1)(b) thereof; or

(ii) if the holder of such beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to transfer such beneficial interest to a Person who shall take delivery thereof in the form of an Unrestricted Definitive Note, a certificate from such holder in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (4) thereof;

(4) Beneficial Interests in Unrestricted Global Notes to Unrestricted Definitive Notes. If any holder of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note proposes to exchange such beneficial interest for a Definitive Note or to transfer such beneficial interest to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a Definitive Note, then, upon satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 2.06(b)(2) hereof, the Trustee will cause the aggregate principal amount of the applicable Unrestricted Global Note to be reduced accordingly pursuant to Section 2.06(h) hereof, and the Issuers will execute and the Trustee will authenticate and deliver to the Person designated in the instructions a Definitive Note in the appropriate principal amount. Any Definitive Note issued in exchange for a beneficial interest pursuant to this Section 2.06(c)(4) will be registered in such name or names and in such authorized denomination or denominations as the holder of such beneficial interest requests through instructions to the Registrar from or through the Depositary and the Participant or Indirect Participant. The Trustee will deliver such Definitive Notes to the Persons in whose names such Notes are so registered. Any Definitive Note issued in exchange for a beneficial interest pursuant to this Section 2.06(c)(4) will not bear the Private Placement Legend.

(d) Transfer and Exchange of Definitive Notes for Beneficial Interests.

(1) Restricted Definitive Notes to Beneficial Interests in Restricted Global Notes. If any Holder of a Restricted Definitive Note proposes to exchange such Note for a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note or to transfer such Restricted Definitive Notes to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note, then, upon receipt by the Registrar of the following documentation:

(A) if the Holder of such Restricted Definitive Note proposes to exchange such Note for a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note, a certificate from such Holder in the form of Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item (2)(b) thereof;

(B) if such Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred to a QIB in accordance with Rule 144A, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (1) thereof;

(C) if such Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred to a Non-U.S. Person in an offshore transaction in accordance with Rule 903 or Rule 904, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (2) thereof;

(D) if such Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act in accordance with Rule 144, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (3)(a) thereof;

(E) if such Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred to an Institutional Accredited Investor in reliance on an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act other than those listed in subparagraphs (B) through (D) above, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications, certificates and Opinion of Counsel required by item (3) thereof, if applicable;

(F) if such Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred to the Issuers or any of Express’ Subsidiaries, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (3)(b) thereof; or

(G) if such Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, a certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (3)(c) thereof,

the Trustee will cancel the Restricted Definitive Note, increase or cause to be increased the aggregate principal amount of, in the case of clause (A) above, the appropriate Restricted Global Note, in the case of clause (B) above, the 144A Global Note, and in the case of clause (C) above, the Regulation S Global Note.

(2) Restricted Definitive Notes to Beneficial Interests in Unrestricted Global Notes. A Holder of a Restricted Definitive Note may exchange such Note for a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note or transfer such Restricted Definitive Note to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note only if:

(A) such exchange or transfer is effected pursuant to the Exchange Offer in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement and the Holder, in the case of an exchange, or the transferee, in the case of a transfer, certifies in the applicable Letter of Transmittal that it is not (i) a Broker-Dealer, (ii) a Person participating in the distribution of the Exchange Notes or (iii) a Person who is an affiliate (as defined in Rule 144) of the Issuers;

(B) such transfer is effected pursuant to the Shelf Registration Statement in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement;

(C) such transfer is effected by a Broker-Dealer pursuant to the Exchange Offer Registration Statement in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement; or

(D) the Registrar receives the following:

(i) if the Holder of such Definitive Notes proposes to exchange such Notes for a beneficial interest in the Unrestricted Global Note, a certificate from such Holder in the form of Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item (1)(c) thereof; or

(ii) if the Holder of such Definitive Notes proposes to transfer such Notes to a Person who shall take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in the Unrestricted Global Note, a certificate from such Holder in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (4) thereof;

Upon satisfaction of the conditions of any of the subparagraphs in this Section 2.06(d)(2), the Trustee will cancel the Definitive Notes and increase or cause to be increased the aggregate principal amount of the Unrestricted Global Note.

(3) Unrestricted Definitive Notes to Beneficial Interests in Unrestricted Global Notes. A Holder of an Unrestricted Definitive Note may exchange such Note for a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note or transfer such Definitive Notes to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note at any time. Upon receipt of a request for such an exchange or transfer, the Trustee will cancel the applicable Unrestricted Definitive Note and increase or cause to be increased the aggregate principal amount of one of the Unrestricted Global Notes.

If any such exchange or transfer from a Definitive Note to a beneficial interest is effected pursuant to subparagraphs (2)(B), (2)(D) or (3) above at a time when an Unrestricted Global Note has not yet been issued, the Issuers will issue and, upon receipt of an Authentication Order in accordance with Section 2.02 hereof, the Trustee will authenticate one or more Unrestricted Global Notes in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of Definitive Notes so transferred.

(e) Transfer and Exchange of Definitive Notes for Definitive Notes. Upon request by a Holder of Definitive Notes and such Holder’s compliance with the provisions of this Section 2.06(e), the Registrar will register the transfer or exchange of Definitive Notes. Prior to such registration of transfer or exchange, the requesting Holder must present or surrender to the Registrar the Definitive Notes duly endorsed or accompanied by a written instruction of transfer in form satisfactory to the Registrar duly executed by such Holder or by its attorney, duly authorized in writing. In addition, the requesting Holder must provide any additional certifications, documents and information, as applicable, required pursuant to the following provisions of this Section 2.06(e).

(1) Restricted Definitive Notes to Restricted Definitive Notes. Any Restricted Definitive Note may be transferred to and registered in the name of Persons who take delivery thereof in the form of a Restricted Definitive Note if the Registrar receives the following:

(A) if the transfer will be made pursuant to Rule 144A, then the transferor must deliver a certificate in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (1) thereof;

(B) if the transfer will be made pursuant to Rule 903 or Rule 904, then the transferor must deliver a certificate in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (2) thereof; and

(C) if the transfer will be made pursuant to any other exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act, then the transferor must deliver a certificate in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications, certificates and Opinion of Counsel required by item (3) thereof, if applicable.

(2) Restricted Definitive Notes to Unrestricted Definitive Notes. Any Restricted Definitive Note may be exchanged by the Holder thereof for an Unrestricted Definitive Note or transferred to a Person or Persons who take delivery thereof in the form of an Unrestricted Definitive Note if:

(B) any such transfer is effected pursuant to the Shelf Registration Statement in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement;

(C) any such transfer is effected by a Broker-Dealer pursuant to the Exchange Offer Registration Statement in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement; or

(D) the Registrar receives the following:

(i) if the Holder of such Restricted Definitive Notes proposes to exchange such Notes for an Unrestricted Definitive Note, a certificate from such Holder in the form of Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item (1)(d) thereof; or

(ii) if the Holder of such Restricted Definitive Notes proposes to transfer such Notes to a Person who shall take delivery thereof in the form of an Unrestricted Definitive Note, a certificate from such Holder in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item (4) thereof;

and, in each such case set forth in this subparagraph (D), if the Registrar so requests, an Opinion of Counsel in form reasonably acceptable to the Registrar to the effect that such exchange or transfer is in compliance with the Securities Act and that the restrictions on transfer contained herein and in the Private Placement Legend are no longer required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act.

(3) Unrestricted Definitive Notes to Unrestricted Definitive Notes. A Holder of Unrestricted Definitive Notes may transfer such Notes to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of an Unrestricted Definitive Note. Upon receipt of a request to register such a transfer, the Registrar shall register the Unrestricted Definitive Notes pursuant to the instructions from the Holder thereof.

(f) Exchange Offer. Upon the occurrence of the Exchange Offer in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement, the Issuers will issue and, upon receipt of an Authentication Order in accordance with Section 2.02 hereof, the Trustee will authenticate:

(1) one or more Unrestricted Global Notes in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the beneficial interests in the Restricted Global Notes accepted for exchange in the Exchange Offer by Persons that certify in the applicable Letters of Transmittal that (A) they are not Broker-Dealers, (B) they are not participating in a distribution of the Exchange Notes and (C) they are not affiliates (as defined in Rule 144) of the Issuers; and

(2) Unrestricted Definitive Notes in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of the Restricted Definitive Notes accepted for exchange in the Exchange Offer by Persons that certify in the applicable Letters of Transmittal that (A) they are not Broker-Dealers, (B) they are not participating in a distribution of the Exchange Notes and (C) they are not affiliates (as defined in Rule 144) of the Issuers.

Concurrently with the issuance of such Notes, the Trustee will cause the aggregate principal amount of the applicable Restricted Global Notes to be reduced accordingly, and the Issuers will execute and the Trustee will authenticate and deliver to the Persons designated by the Holders of Definitive Notes so accepted Unrestricted Definitive Notes in the appropriate principal amount.

(g) Legends. The following legends will appear on the face of all Global Notes and Definitive Notes issued under this Indenture unless specifically stated otherwise in the applicable provisions of this Indenture.

(1) Private Placement Legend.

(A) Except as permitted by subparagraph (B) below, each Global Note and each Definitive Note (and all Notes issued in exchange therefor or substitution thereof) shall bear the legend in substantially the following form:

“THIS SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE. BY ITS ACQUISITION HEREOF OR OF A BENEFICIAL INTEREST HEREIN, THE ACQUIRER:

(1)

REPRESENTS THAT IT, AND ANY ACCOUNT FOR WHICH IT IS ACTING, (A) IS A “QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER” (WITHIN THE MEANING OF RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT) OR (B) IS NOT A “U.S. PERSON” (WITHIN THE MEANING OF RULE 902 OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT), AND THAT IT EXERCISES SOLE INVESTMENT DISCRETION WITH RESPECT TO EACH SUCH ACCOUNT, AND

(2)	AGREES FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE ISSUERS THAT IT WILL NOT OFFER, SELL, PLEDGE OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER THIS SECURITY OR ANY BENEFICIAL INTEREST HEREIN PRIOR TO THE RESALE RESTRICTION TERMINATION DATE (AS DEFINED IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH), EXCEPT:

(A)

TO THE ISSUERS OR ANY SUBSIDIARY THEREOF, OR

(B)

PURSUANT TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT THAT HAS BECOME EFFECTIVE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, OR

(C)

TO A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER IN COMPLIANCE WITH RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, OR

(D)

IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION IN COMPLIANCE WITH RULE 903 OR RULE 904 OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT; OR

(E)

PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION PROVIDED BY RULE 144 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR ANY OTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT.

THE RESALE RESTRICTION TERMINATION DATE WILL BE THE DATE (1) THAT IS AT LEAST ONE YEAR AFTER THE LAST ORIGINAL ISSUE DATE HEREOF AND (2) ON WHICH THE ISSUERS INSTRUCT THE TRUSTEE THAT THIS LEGEND SHALL BE DEEMED REMOVED FROM THIS SECURITY, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROCEDURES DESCRIBED IN THE INDENTURE RELATING TO THIS SECURITY.

PRIOR TO THE REGISTRATION OF ANY TRANSFER IN ACCORDANCE WITH (2)(E) ABOVE, THE ISSUERS AND THE TRUSTEE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REQUIRE THE DELIVERY OF SUCH LEGAL OPINIONS, CERTIFICATIONS OR OTHER EVIDENCE AS MAY REASONABLY BE REQUIRED IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THAT THE PROPOSED TRANSFER IS BEING MADE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SECURITIES ACT AND APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. NO REPRESENTATION IS MADE AS TO THE AVAILABILITY OF ANY EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT.”

(B) Notwithstanding the foregoing, any Global Note or Definitive Note issued pursuant to subparagraphs (b)(4), (c)(3), (c)(4), (d)(2), (d)(3), (e)(2), (e)(3) or (f) of this Section 2.06 (and all Notes issued in exchange therefor or substitution thereof) will not bear the Private Placement Legend.

(2) Global Note Legend. Each Global Note will bear a legend in substantially the following form:

“THIS GLOBAL NOTE IS HELD BY THE DEPOSITARY (AS DEFINED IN THE INDENTURE GOVERNING THIS NOTE) OR ITS NOMINEE IN CUSTODY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE BENEFICIAL OWNERS HEREOF, AND IS NOT TRANSFERABLE TO ANY PERSON UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES EXCEPT THAT (1) THE TRUSTEE MAY MAKE SUCH NOTATIONS HEREON AS MAY BE REQUIRED PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.06 OF THE INDENTURE, (2) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE EXCHANGED IN WHOLE BUT NOT IN PART PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.06(a) OF THE INDENTURE, (3) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE DELIVERED TO THE TRUSTEE FOR CANCELLATION PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.11 OF THE INDENTURE AND (4) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE TRANSFERRED TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY WITH THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE ISSUERS.

UNLESS AND UNTIL IT IS EXCHANGED IN WHOLE OR IN PART FOR NOTES IN DEFINITIVE FORM, THIS NOTE MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT AS A WHOLE BY THE DEPOSITARY TO A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR BY A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE DEPOSITARY OR ANOTHER NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR BY THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY SUCH NOMINEE TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF SUCH SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY. UNLESS THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY (55 WATER STREET, NEW YORK, NEW YORK) (“DTC”), TO THE ISSUERS OR THEIR AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND ANY CERTIFICATE ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF CEDE & CO. OR SUCH OTHER NAME AS MAY BE REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC (AND ANY PAYMENT IS MADE TO CEDE & CO. OR SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS MAY BE REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL INASMUCH AS THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, CEDE & CO., HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.”

(3) Regulation S Temporary Global Note Legend. The Regulation S Temporary Global Note will bear a legend in substantially the following form:

“THE RIGHTS ATTACHING TO THIS REGULATION S TEMPORARY GLOBAL NOTE, AND THE CONDITIONS AND PROCEDURES GOVERNING ITS EXCHANGE FOR DEFINITIVE NOTES, ARE AS SPECIFIED IN THE INDENTURE (AS DEFINED HEREIN). NEITHER THE HOLDER NOR THE BENEFICIAL OWNERS OF THIS REGULATION S TEMPORARY GLOBAL NOTE SHALL BE ENTITLED TO RECEIVE PAYMENT OF INTEREST HEREON.”

(h) Cancellation and/or Adjustment of Global Notes. At such time as all beneficial interests in a particular Global Note have been exchanged for Definitive Notes or a particular Global Note has been redeemed, repurchased or canceled in whole and not in part, each such Global Note will be returned to or retained and canceled by the Trustee in accordance with Section 2.11 hereof. At any time prior to such cancellation, if any beneficial interest in a Global Note is exchanged for or transferred to a Person who will take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in another Global Note or for Definitive Notes, the principal amount of Notes represented by such Global Note will be reduced accordingly and an endorsement will be made on such Global Note by the Trustee or by the Depositary at the direction of the Trustee to reflect such reduction; and if the beneficial interest is being exchanged for or transferred to a Person who will take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in another Global Note, such other Global Note will be increased accordingly and an endorsement will be made on such Global Note by the Trustee or by the Depositary at the direction of the Trustee to reflect such increase.

(i) General Provisions Relating to Transfers and Exchanges.

(1) To permit registrations of transfers and exchanges, the Issuers will execute and the Trustee will authenticate Global Notes and Definitive Notes upon receipt of an Authentication Order in accordance with Section 2.02 hereof or at the Registrar’s request.

(2) No service charge will be made to a Holder of a beneficial interest in a Global Note or to a Holder of a Definitive Note for any registration of transfer or exchange, but the Issuers may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any transfer tax or similar governmental charge payable in connection therewith (other than any such transfer taxes or similar governmental charge payable upon exchange or transfer pursuant to Sections 2.10, 3.06, 3.09, 4.10, 4.14 and 9.05 hereof).

(3) The Registrar will not be required to register the transfer of or exchange of any Note selected for redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any Note being redeemed in part.

(4) All Global Notes and Definitive Notes issued upon any registration of transfer or exchange of Global Notes or Definitive Notes will be the valid obligations of the Issuers, evidencing the same debt, and entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture, as the Global Notes or Definitive Notes surrendered upon such registration of transfer or exchange.

(5) Neither the Registrar nor the Issuers will be required:

(A) to issue, to (i) register the transfer of, or to exchange any Notes during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of any selection of Notes for redemption under Section 3.02 hereof and ending at the close of business on the day of selection, (ii) to register the transfer of or to exchange any Note so selected for redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any Note being redeemed in part or (iii) to register the transfer of or to exchange a Note between a record date and the next succeeding interest payment date;

(B) to register the transfer of or to exchange any Note selected for redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any Note being redeemed in part; or

(C) to register the transfer of or to exchange a Note between a record date and the next succeeding interest payment date.

(6) Prior to due presentment for the registration of a transfer of any Note, the Trustee, any Agent and the Issuers may deem and treat the Person in whose name any Note is registered as the absolute owner of such Note for the purpose of receiving payment of principal of and interest on such Notes and for all other purposes, and none of the Trustee, any Agent or the Issuers shall be affected by notice to the contrary.

(7) The Trustee will authenticate Global Notes and Definitive Notes in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.02 hereof.

(8) All certifications, certificates and Opinions of Counsel required to be submitted to the Registrar pursuant to this Section 2.06 to effect a registration of transfer or exchange may be submitted by facsimile.

Section 2.07 Replacement Notes.

If any mutilated Note is surrendered to the Trustee or the Issuers and the Trustee receives evidence to its satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Note, the Issuers will issue and the Trustee, upon receipt of an Authentication Order, will authenticate a replacement Note if the Trustee’s requirements are met. If required by the Trustee or the Issuers, an indemnity bond must be supplied by the Holder that is sufficient in the judgment of the Trustee and the Issuers to protect the Issuers, the Trustee, any Agent and any authenticating agent from any loss that any of them may suffer if a Note is replaced. The Issuers may charge for their expenses in replacing a Note.

Every replacement Note is an additional obligation of the Issuers and will be entitled to all of the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with all other Notes duly issued hereunder.

Section 2.08 Outstanding Notes.

The Notes outstanding at any time are all the Notes authenticated by the Trustee except for those canceled by it, those delivered to it for cancellation, those reductions in the interest in a Global Note effected by the Trustee in accordance with the provisions hereof, and those described in this Section 2.08 as not outstanding. Except as set forth in Section 2.09 hereof, a Note does not cease to be outstanding because the Issuers or an Affiliate of the Issuers holds the Note.

If a Note is replaced pursuant to Section 2.07 hereof, it ceases to be outstanding unless the Trustee receives proof satisfactory to it that the replaced Note is held by a protected purchaser.

If the principal amount of any Note is considered paid under Section 4.01 hereof, it ceases to be outstanding and interest on it ceases to accrue.

If the Paying Agent (other than an Issuer, a Subsidiary or an Affiliate of any thereof) holds, on a redemption date or maturity date, money sufficient to pay Notes payable on that date, then on and after that date such Notes will be deemed to be no longer outstanding and will cease to accrue interest.

Section 2.09 Treasury Notes.

In determining whether the Holders of the required principal amount of Notes have concurred in any direction, waiver or consent, Notes owned by the Issuers or any Guarantor, or by any Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with an Issuer or any Guarantor, will be considered as though not outstanding, except that for the purposes of determining whether the Trustee will be protected in relying on any such direction, waiver or consent, only Notes that the Trustee knows are so owned will be so disregarded.

Section 2.10 Temporary Notes.

Until certificates representing Notes are ready for delivery, the Issuers may prepare and the Trustee, upon receipt of an Authentication Order, will authenticate temporary Notes. Temporary Notes will be substantially in the form of certificated Notes but may have variations that the Issuers consider appropriate for temporary Notes and as may be reasonably acceptable to the Trustee. Without unreasonable delay, the Issuers will prepare and the Trustee will authenticate definitive Notes in exchange for temporary Notes.

Holders of temporary Notes will be entitled to all of the benefits of this Indenture.

Section 2.11 Cancellation.

The Issuers at any time may deliver Notes to the Trustee for cancellation. The Registrar and Paying Agent will forward to the Trustee any Notes surrendered to them for registration of transfer, exchange or payment. The Trustee and no one else will cancel all Notes surrendered for registration of transfer, exchange, payment, replacement or cancellation and will destroy canceled Notes (subject to the record retention requirements of the Exchange Act). Certification of the destruction of all canceled Notes will be delivered to the Issuers. The Issuers may not issue new Notes to replace Notes that it has paid or that have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation.

Section 2.12 Defaulted Interest.

If the Issuers default in a payment of interest on the Notes, it will pay the defaulted interest in any lawful manner plus, to the extent lawful, interest payable on the defaulted interest, to the Persons who are Holders on a subsequent special record date, in each case at the rate provided in the Notes and in Section 4.01 hereof; provided that if the Issuers pay the defaulted interest prior to the date that is 30 days after the date of default in payment of interest, payment shall be to the recordholders of the Notes as of the original record date. The Issuers will notify the Trustee in writing of the amount of defaulted interest proposed to be paid on each Note and the date of the proposed payment. If such default in interest continues for 30 days, the Issuers will fix or cause to be fixed each such special record date and payment date; provided that no such special record date may be less than 10 days prior to the related payment date for such defaulted interest. At least 15 days before the special record date, the Issuers (or, upon the written request of the Issuers, the Trustee in the name and at the expense of the Issuers) will mail or cause to be mailed to Holders a notice that states the special record date, the related payment date and the amount of such interest to be paid.

ARTICLE 3

REDEMPTION AND PREPAYMENT

Section 3.01 Notices to Trustee.

If the Issuers elect to redeem Notes pursuant to the optional redemption provisions of Section 3.07 hereof, they must furnish to the Trustee, at least 30 days but not more than 60 days before a redemption date, an Officers’ Certificate setting forth:

(1) the clause of this Indenture pursuant to which the redemption shall occur;

(2) the redemption date;

(3) the principal amount of Notes to be redeemed; and

(4) the redemption price.

Section 3.02 Selection of Notes to Be Redeemed or Purchased.

If less than all of the Notes are to be redeemed or purchased in an offer to purchase at any time, the Trustee will select Notes for redemption or purchase on a pro rata basis (or, in the case of Notes issued in global form pursuant to Article 2 hereof, based on a method that most nearly approximates a pro rata selection as the Trustee deems fair and appropriate) unless otherwise required by law or applicable stock exchange or depositary requirements.

In the event of partial redemption or purchase by lot, the particular Notes to be redeemed or purchased will be selected, unless otherwise provided herein, not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the redemption or purchase date by the Trustee from the outstanding Notes not previously called for redemption or purchase.

The Trustee will promptly notify the Issuers in writing of the Notes selected for redemption or purchase and, in the case of any Note selected for partial redemption or purchase, the principal amount thereof to be redeemed or purchased. Notes and portions of Notes selected will be in amounts of $2,000 or whole multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof; except that if all of the Notes of a Holder are to be redeemed or purchased, the entire outstanding amount of Notes held by such Holder shall be redeemed or purchased. Except as provided in the preceding sentence, provisions of this Indenture that apply to Notes called for redemption or purchase also apply to portions of Notes called for redemption or purchase.

Section 3.03 Notice of Redemption.

Subject to the provisions of Section 3.09 hereof, at least 30 days but not more than 60 days before a redemption date, the Issuers will mail or cause to be mailed, by first class mail, a notice of redemption to each Holder whose Notes are to be redeemed at its registered address, except that redemption notices may be mailed more than 60 days prior to a redemption date if the notice is issued in connection with a defeasance of the Notes or a satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture pursuant to Articles 8 or 11 hereof.

The notice will identify the Notes to be redeemed and will state:

(1) the redemption date;

(2) the redemption price;

(3) if any Note is being redeemed in part, the portion of the principal amount of such Note to be redeemed and that, after the redemption date upon surrender of such Note, a new Note or Notes in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion will be issued upon cancellation of the original Note;

(4) the name and address of the Paying Agent;

(5) that Notes called for redemption must be surrendered to the Paying Agent to collect the redemption price;

(6) that, unless the Issuers default in making such redemption payment, interest on Notes called for redemption ceases to accrue on and after the redemption date;

(7) the paragraph of the Notes and/or Section of this Indenture pursuant to which the Notes called for redemption are being redeemed; and

(8) that no representation is made as to the correctness or accuracy of the CUSIP number, if any, listed in such notice or printed on the Notes.

At the Issuers’ request, the Trustee will give the notice of redemption in the Issuers’ names and at their expense; provided, however, that Express has delivered to the Trustee, at least 35 days prior to the redemption date (or such shorter period as is acceptable to the Trustee), an Officers’ Certificate requesting that the Trustee give such notice and setting forth the information to be stated in such notice as provided in the preceding paragraph.

Section 3.04 Effect of Notice of Redemption.

Once notice of redemption is mailed in accordance with Section 3.03 hereof, Notes called for redemption become irrevocably due and payable on the redemption date at the redemption price. Except as set forth in Section 3.07 hereof, a notice of redemption may not be conditional.

Section 3.05 Deposit of Redemption or Purchase Price.

Prior to 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on the redemption or purchase date, the Issuers will deposit with the Trustee or with the Paying Agent money sufficient to pay the redemption or purchase price of, and accrued interest and Special Interest, if any, on all Notes to be redeemed or purchased on that date. The Trustee or the Paying Agent will promptly return to the Issuers any money deposited with the Trustee or the Paying Agent by the Issuers in excess of the amounts necessary to pay the redemption or purchase price of, and accrued interest and Special Interest, if any, on all Notes to be redeemed or purchased.

If the Issuers comply with the provisions of the preceding paragraph, on and after the redemption or purchase date, interest will cease to accrue on the Notes or the portions of Notes called for redemption or purchase. If a Note is redeemed or purchased on or after an interest record date but on or prior to the related interest payment date, then any accrued and unpaid interest shall be paid to the Person in whose name such Note was registered at the close of business on such record date. If any Note called for redemption or purchase is not so paid upon surrender for redemption or purchase because of the failure of the Issuers to comply with the preceding paragraph, interest shall be paid on the unpaid principal, from the redemption or purchase date until such principal is paid, and to the extent lawful on any interest not paid on such unpaid principal, in each case at the rate provided in the Notes and in Section 4.01 hereof.

Section 3.06 Notes Redeemed or Purchased in Part.

Upon surrender of a Note that is redeemed or purchased in part, the Issuers will issue and, upon receipt of an Authentication Order, the Trustee will authenticate for the Holder at the expense of the Issuers a new Note equal in principal amount to the unredeemed or unpurchased portion of the Note surrendered.

Section 3.07 Optional Redemption.

(a) At any time prior to March 1, 2013, the Issuers may on any one or more occasions redeem up to 35% of the aggregate principal amount of Notes issued under this Indenture, upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ notice, at a redemption price equal to 108.750% of the principal amount of the Notes redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest and Special Interest, if any, to the date of redemption (subject to the rights of Holders of Notes on a relevant record date to receive interest on a relevant interest payment date) with the net cash proceeds of an Equity Offering by Express or a contribution to Express’ common equity capital made with the net cash proceeds of a concurrent Equity Offering by Express’ direct or indirect parent, including Parent; provided that:

(1) at least 50% of the aggregate principal amount of Notes originally issued under this Indenture (excluding Notes held by the Issuers, any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, and Express’ Subsidiaries) remain outstanding immediately after the occurrence of such redemption; and

(2) the redemption occurs within 180 days of the date of the closing of such Equity Offering.

(b) At any time prior to March 1, 2014, the Issuers may on any one or more occasions redeem all or a part of the Notes, upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ notice, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes redeemed, plus the Applicable Premium as of, and accrued and unpaid interest and Special Interest, if any, to the applicable date of redemption, subject to the rights of Holders on a relevant record date to receive interest due on a relevant interest payment date.

(c) Except pursuant to the preceding paragraphs, the Notes will not be redeemable at the Issuers’ option prior to March 1, 2014.

(d) On or after March 1, 2014, the Issuers may on any one or more occasions redeem all or a part of the Notes, upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ notice, at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount) set forth below, plus accrued and unpaid interest and Special Interest, if any, on the Notes redeemed, to the applicable date of redemption, if redeemed during the twelve-month period beginning on March 1 of the years indicated below, subject to the rights of Holders on a relevant record date to receive interest on a relevant interest payment date:


Year	Percentage
2014	104.375	%
2015	102.188	%
2016 and thereafter	100.000	%

Unless the Issuers default in the payment of the redemption price, interest will cease to accrue on the Notes or portions thereof called for redemption on the applicable redemption date.

(e) Any redemption pursuant to this Section 3.07 shall be made pursuant to the provisions of Sections 3.01 through 3.06 hereof. Notices of any redemption made pursuant to this Section 3.07 may specify one or more conditions precedent to such redemption.

Section 3.08 Mandatory Redemption.

The Issuers are not required to make mandatory redemption or sinking fund payments with respect to the Notes.

Section 3.09 Offer to Purchase by Application of Excess Proceeds.

In the event that, pursuant to Section 4.10 hereof, the Issuers are required to commence an offer to all Holders to purchase Notes (an “Asset Sale Offer”), it will follow the procedures specified below.

The Asset Sale Offer shall be made to all Holders and all holders of other Indebtedness that is pari passu with the Notes containing provisions similar to those set forth in this Indenture with respect to offers to purchase, prepay or redeem with the proceeds of sales of assets. The Asset Sale Offer will remain open for a period of at least 20 Business Days following its commencement and not more than 30 Business Days, except to the extent that a longer period is required by applicable law (the “Offer Period”). No later than three Business Days after the termination of the Offer Period (the “Purchase Date”), the Issuers will apply all Excess Proceeds (the “Offer Amount”) to the purchase of Notes and such other pari passu Indebtedness (on a pro rata basis based on the principal amount of Notes and such other pari passu Indebtedness surrendered, if applicable) or, if less than the Offer Amount has been tendered, all Notes and other Indebtedness tendered in response to the Asset Sale Offer. Payment for any Notes so purchased will be made in the same manner as interest payments are made.

If the Purchase Date is on or after an interest record date and on or before the related interest payment date, any accrued and unpaid interest and Special Interest, if any, will be paid to the Person in whose name a Note is registered at the close of business on such record date, and no additional interest will be payable to Holders who tender Notes pursuant to the Asset Sale Offer.

Upon the commencement of an Asset Sale Offer, the Issuers will send, by first class mail, a notice to the Trustee and each of the Holders, with a copy to the Trustee. The notice will contain all instructions and materials necessary to enable such Holders to tender Notes pursuant to the Asset Sale Offer. The notice, which will govern the terms of the Asset Sale Offer, will state:

(1) that the Asset Sale Offer is being made pursuant to this Section 3.09 and Section 4.10 hereof and the length of time the Asset Sale Offer will remain open;

(2) the Offer Amount, the purchase price and the Purchase Date;

(3) that any Note not tendered or accepted for payment will continue to accrue interest;

(4) that, unless the Issuers default in making such payment, any Note accepted for payment pursuant to the Asset Sale Offer will cease to accrue interest after the Purchase Date;

(5) that Holders electing to have a Note purchased pursuant to an Asset Sale Offer may elect to have Notes purchased in denominations of $2,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof;

(6) that Holders electing to have Notes purchased pursuant to any Asset Sale Offer will be required to surrender the Note, with the form entitled “Option of Holder to Elect Purchase” attached to the Notes completed, or transfer by book-entry transfer, to the Issuers, a Depositary, if appointed by the Issuers, or a Paying Agent at the address specified in the notice at least three days before the Purchase Date;

(7) that Holders will be entitled to withdraw their election if the Issuers, the Depositary or the Paying Agent, as the case may be, receives, not later than the expiration of the Offer Period, a telegram, telex, facsimile transmission or letter setting forth the name of the Holder, the principal amount of the Note the Holder delivered for purchase and a statement that such Holder is withdrawing his election to have such Note purchased;

(8) that, if the aggregate principal amount of Notes and other pari passu Indebtedness surrendered by holders thereof exceeds the Offer Amount, the Issuers will select the Notes and other pari passu Indebtedness to be purchased on a pro rata basis based on the principal amount of Notes and such other pari passu Indebtedness surrendered (with such adjustments as may be deemed appropriate by the Issuers so that only Notes in denominations of $2,000, or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof, will be purchased); and

(9) that Holders whose Notes were purchased only in part will be issued new Notes equal in principal amount to the unpurchased portion of the Notes surrendered (or transferred by book-entry transfer).

On or before the Purchase Date, the Issuers will, to the extent lawful, accept for payment, on a pro rata basis to the extent necessary, the Offer Amount of Notes or portions thereof tendered pursuant to the Asset Sale Offer, or if less than the Offer Amount has been tendered, all Notes tendered, and will deliver or cause to be delivered to the Trustee the Notes properly accepted together with an Officers’ Certificate stating that such Notes or portions thereof were accepted for payment by the Issuers in accordance with the terms of this Section 3.09. The Issuers, the Depositary or the Paying Agent, as the case may be, will promptly (but in any case not later than five days after the Purchase Date) mail or deliver to each tendering Holder an amount equal to the purchase price of the Notes tendered by such Holder and accepted by the Issuers for purchase, and the Issuers will promptly issue a new Note, and the Trustee, upon written request from the Issuers, will authenticate and mail or deliver (or cause to be transferred by book entry) such new Note to such Holder, in a principal amount equal to any unpurchased portion of the Note surrendered. Any Note not so accepted shall be promptly mailed or delivered by the Issuers to the Holder thereof. The Issuers will publicly announce the results of the Asset Sale Offer on the Purchase Date.

Other than as specifically provided in this Section 3.09, any purchase pursuant to this Section 3.09 shall be made pursuant to the provisions of Sections 3.01 through 3.06 hereof.

ARTICLE 4

COVENANTS

Section 4.01 Payment of Notes.

The Issuers will pay or cause to be paid the principal of, premium on, if any, and interest and Special Interest, if any, on, the Notes on the dates and in the manner provided in the Notes. Principal, premium, if any, and interest and Special Interest, if any, will be considered paid on the date due if the Paying Agent, if other than the Issuers or a Subsidiary thereof, holds as of 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on the due date money deposited by the Issuers in immediately available funds and designated for and sufficient to pay all principal, premium, if any, and interest, if any, then due. The Issuers will pay all Special Interest, if any, in the same manner on the dates and in the amounts set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement.

The Issuers will pay interest (including post-petition interest in any proceeding under any Bankruptcy Law) on overdue principal at a rate that is 1% higher than the then applicable interest rate on the Notes to the extent lawful; it will pay interest (including post-petition interest in any proceeding under any Bankruptcy Law) on overdue installments of interest and Special Interest, if any (without regard to any applicable grace period), at the same rate to the extent lawful.

Section 4.02 Maintenance of Office or Agency.

The Issuers will maintain in the Borough of Manhattan, the City of New York, an office or agency (which may be an office of the Trustee or an affiliate of the Trustee, Registrar or co-registrar) where Notes may be surrendered for registration of transfer or for exchange and where notices and demands to or upon the Issuers in respect of the Notes and this Indenture may be served. The Issuers will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the location, and any change in the location, of such office or agency. If at any time the Issuers fail to maintain any such required office or agency or fail to furnish the Trustee with the address thereof, such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands may be made or served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee.

The Issuers may also from time to time designate one or more other offices or agencies where the Notes may be presented or surrendered for any or all such purposes and may from time to time rescind

such designations; provided, however, that no such designation or rescission will in any manner relieve the Issuers of their obligation to maintain an office or agency in the Borough of Manhattan, the City of New York for such purposes. The Issuers will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of any such designation or rescission and of any change in the location of any such other office or agency.

The Issuers hereby designate the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee as one such office or agency of the Issuers in accordance with Section 2.03 hereof.

Section 4.03 Reports.

(a) Whether or not required by the rules and regulations of the SEC, so long as any Notes are outstanding, Express will furnish to the Trustee to furnish to the Holders of Notes (or file with the SEC for public availability), within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and regulations:

(1) all quarterly and annual reports that would be required to be filed with the SEC on Forms 10-Q and 10-K if Express were required to file such reports, including a “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and, with respect to the annual information only, a report thereon by Express’ certified independent accountants; and

(2) all current reports that would be required to be filed with the SEC on Form 8-K if Express were required to file such reports.

All such reports will be prepared in all material respects in accordance with all of the rules and regulations applicable to such reports. In addition, following the consummation of the Exchange Offer contemplated by the Registration Rights Agreement, Express will file a copy of each of the reports referred to in clauses (1) and (2) above with the SEC for public availability within the time periods specified in the rules and regulations applicable to such reports (unless the SEC will not accept such a filing) and will post the reports on its website within those time periods.

In addition, following the first full fiscal quarter after the date of this Indenture, so long as any Notes are outstanding the Issuers will use commercially reasonable efforts to (i) within 15 business days after furnishing the reports required by Section 4.03(a)(1) hereof, hold a conference call to discuss such reports, and (ii) issue a press release prior to the date of such conference call, announcing the time and date and either including information necessary to access the call or directing Holders, prospective investors, broker-dealers and securities analysts to contact the appropriate person at Express to obtain such information.

If, at any time after consummation of the Exchange Offer contemplated by the Registration Rights Agreement, Express is not subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act for any reason, Express will nevertheless continue filing the reports specified in the preceding paragraphs of this Section 4.03(a) with the SEC within the time periods specified above unless the SEC will not accept such a filing. Express will not take any action for the purpose of causing the SEC not to accept any such filings. If, notwithstanding the foregoing, the SEC will not accept Express’ filings for any reason, Express will post the reports referred to in the preceding paragraphs on its website within the time periods that would apply if Express were required to file those reports with the SEC.

(b) If Express has designated any of its Subsidiaries as Unrestricted Subsidiaries, then the quarterly and annual financial information required by paragraph (a) of this Section 4.03 will include a reasonably detailed presentation, either on the face of the financial statements or in the footnotes thereto, and in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, of the financial condition and results of operations of Express and its Restricted Subsidiaries separate from the financial condition and results of operations of the Unrestricted Subsidiaries of Express.

(c) For so long as any Notes remain outstanding, if at any time Express and the Guarantors are not required to file with the SEC the reports required by paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 4.03, Express and the Guarantors will furnish to the Holders and to securities analysts and prospective investors, upon their request, the information required to be delivered pursuant to Rule 144A(d)(4) under the Securities Act.

(d) For so long as any direct or indirect parent of the Issuers is a guarantor of the Notes, Express will be deemed to have satisfied its obligations under this Section 4.03 with respect to financial information relating to Express by furnishing financial information relating to such parent guarantor; provided that such financial information of such parent guarantor is accompanied by consolidating information that explains in reasonable detail the differences between the financial information relating to such parent guarantor, on the one hand, and the financial information relating to Express and its Restricted Subsidiaries on a standalone basis, on the other hand.

(e) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the requirements of this Section 4.03 shall be deemed satisfied prior to the commencement of the Exchange Offer or the effectiveness of the Shelf Registration Statement (1) by the filing with the SEC of the Exchange Offer Registration Statement or Shelf Registration Statement, and any amendments thereto, with such financial information that satisfies Regulation S-X of the Securities Act, or (2) by posting reports on Express’ website or providing reports to the Trustee to furnish to the Holders of Notes, in each case within 15 days of the date that Express would be required to file such information under this Section 4.03, containing only the financial information (including a “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” section) required to be included in the reports required by this Section 4.03, subject to the exceptions consistent with the presentation of such financial information in the Issuers’ Offering Memorandum dated March 2, 2010.

(f) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, at any time prior to the first anniversary of the date of this Indenture, Express will not be deemed to have failed to comply with any of its agreements set forth in this Section 4.03 for purposes of Section 6.01(3) hereof until 120 days after the date any report is required to be filed with the SEC (or provided to the Trustee) pursuant to this Section 4.03.

Section 4.04 Compliance Certificate.

(a) The Issuers and each Guarantor (to the extent that such Guarantor is so required under the TIA) shall deliver to the Trustee, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year, an Officers’ Certificate stating that in the course of the performance by the signers of their duties as Officers of the Issuers they would normally have knowledge of any Default or Event of Default and whether or not the signers knew of any Default or Event of Default that occurred during such period (and, if a Default or Event of Default has occurred, describing all such Defaults or Events of Default of which he or she may have knowledge and what action the Issuers are taking or propose to take with respect thereto) and that to his or her knowledge no event has occurred and remains in existence by reason of which payments on account of the principal of, premium on, if any, or interest or Special Interest, if any, on the Notes is prohibited or if such event has occurred, a description of the event and what action the Issuers are taking or propose to take with respect thereto.

(b) So long as any of the Notes are outstanding, the Issuers will deliver to the Trustee, forthwith upon any Officer becoming aware of any Default or Event of Default, an Officers’ Certificate specifying such Default or Event of Default and what action the Issuers are taking or propose to take with respect thereto.

Section 4.05 Taxes.

The Issuers will pay, and will cause Parent and each of its Subsidiaries to pay, prior to delinquency, all material taxes, assessments, and governmental levies except such as are contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings or where the failure to effect such payment is not adverse in any material respect to the Holders of the Notes.

Section 4.06 Stay, Extension and Usury Laws.

Each of the Issuers and each of the Guarantors covenants (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) that it will not at any time insist upon, plead, or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any stay, extension or usury law wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, that may affect the covenants or the performance of this Indenture; and each of the Issuers and each of the Guarantors (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) hereby expressly waives all benefit or advantage of any such law, and covenants that it will not, by resort to any such law, hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Trustee, but will suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law has been enacted.

Section 4.07 Restricted Payments.

(a) The Issuers will not, and will not permit any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly:

(1) declare or pay any dividend or make any other payment or distribution on account of the Issuers’ or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries’ Equity Interests (including, without limitation, any payment in connection with any merger or consolidation involving the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries) (other than dividends or distributions payable in Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Issuers and other than dividends or distributions payable to the Issuers or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express);

(2) purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire or retire for value (including, without limitation, in connection with any merger or consolidation involving the Issuers) any Equity Interests of the Issuers or any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent;

(3) make any payment on or with respect to, or purchase, redeem, defease or otherwise acquire or retire for value any Indebtedness of Express or any Subsidiary Guarantor that is contractually subordinated to the Notes or to any Note Guarantee (excluding any intercompany Indebtedness between or among Express and any of its Restricted Subsidiaries), except a payment of interest or principal at the Stated Maturity thereof or the purchase, redemption, defeasance, acquisition or retirement for value of any such Indebtedness within 365 days of the Stated Maturity thereof; or

(4) make any Restricted Investment

(all such payments and other actions set forth in these clauses (1) through (4) above being collectively referred to as “Restricted Payments”), unless, at the time of and after giving effect to such Restricted Payment:

(1) no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would occur as a consequence of such Restricted Payment;

(2) Express would, at the time of such Restricted Payment and after giving pro forma effect thereto as if such Restricted Payment had been made at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter period, have been permitted to incur at least $1.00 of additional Indebtedness pursuant to the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio test set forth in Section 4.09(a) hereof; and

(3) such Restricted Payment, together with the aggregate amount of all other Restricted Payments made by the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries since February 1, 2010 (including Restricted Payments permitted by clauses (1) and (17) of paragraph (b) of this Section 4.07 and excluding Restricted Payments permitted by clauses (2) through (16) and (18) through (22) of paragraph (b) of this Section 4.07), is less than the sum, without duplication, of:

(A) 50% of the Consolidated Net Income of Express for the period (taken as one accounting period) from February 1, 2010 to the end of Express’ most recently ended fiscal quarter for which internal financial statements are available at the time of such Restricted Payment (or, if such Consolidated Net Income for such period is a deficit, less 100% of such deficit); plus

(B) 100% of the aggregate net proceeds, including cash and Fair Market Value of property other than cash (as determined in accordance with Section 4.07(c) hereof), received by Express since the date of this Indenture as a contribution to its common equity capital or from the issue or sale of Qualifying Equity Interests of Express or any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent (excluding, without duplication, Designated Preferred Stock, the Cash Contribution Amount and Excluded Contributions), or from the issue or sale of Disqualified Stock of the Issuers or debt securities of the Issuers, in each case that have been converted into or exchanged for Qualifying Equity Interests of Express (other than Qualifying Equity Interests and convertible or exchangeable Disqualified Stock or debt securities sold to a Subsidiary of Express); plus

(C) 100% of the aggregate amount of cash and the Fair Market Value of property other than cash (as determined in accordance with Section 4.07(c) hereof) received by Express or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express from (A) the sale or disposition (other than to the Issuers or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express) of Restricted Investments and Permitted Investments made by the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries and from repurchases and redemptions of such Restricted Investments and Permitted Investments from the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries by any Person (other than the Issuers or Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries) and from repayments of loans or advances which constituted Restricted Investments (other than to the extent that such Restricted Investment was made pursuant to Section 4.07(b)(22) hereof); (B) the sale (other than to the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries) of the Capital Stock of an Unrestricted Subsidiary, and (C) a distribution or dividend from an Unrestricted Subsidiary, to the extent that such amounts were not otherwise included in the Consolidated Net Income of Express for such period; plus

(D) in the event that any Unrestricted Subsidiary of Express designated as such after the date of this Indenture is redesignated as a Restricted Subsidiary or has been merged or consolidated with or into, or transfers or conveys its assets to, or is liquidated into, the Issuers or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express, in each case after the date of this

Indenture, the Fair Market Value of Express’ Restricted Investment in such Subsidiary (as determined in accordance with Section 4.07(c) hereof) as of the date of such redesignation, combination or transfer (or of the assets transferred or conveyed, as applicable), after deducting any Indebtedness associated with the Unrestricted Subsidiary so designated or combined or any Indebtedness associated with the assets so transferred or conveyed (other than in each case to the extent that the designation of such Subsidiary as an Unrestricted Subsidiary was made pursuant to Section 4.07(b)(22) hereof or constituted a Permitted Investment).

(b) The provisions of Section 4.07(a) hereof will not prohibit:

(1) the payment of any dividend or the consummation of any irrevocable redemption within 60 days after the date of declaration of the dividend or giving of the redemption notice, as the case may be, if at the date of declaration or notice, the dividend or redemption payment would have complied with the provisions of this Indenture;

(2) the making of any Restricted Payment in exchange for, or out of or with the net cash proceeds of the substantially concurrent sale (other than to a Subsidiary of Express) of, Equity Interests of Express (other than Disqualified Stock) or from the substantially concurrent contribution of common equity capital to Express; provided that the amount of any such net cash proceeds that are utilized for any such Restricted Payment will not be considered to be net proceeds of Qualifying Equity Interests for purposes of Section 4.07(a)(3)(B) hereof;

(3) the payment of any dividend (or, in the case of any partnership or limited liability company, any similar distribution) by a Restricted Subsidiary of Express to the holders of its Equity Interests on a pro rata basis;

(4) the repurchase, redemption, defeasance or other acquisition or retirement for value of Indebtedness of the Issuers or any Subsidiary Guarantor that is contractually subordinated to the Notes or to any Note Guarantee with the net cash proceeds from a substantially concurrent incurrence of Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness;

(5) the repurchase, retirement or other acquisition (or dividends to any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, to finance any such repurchase, retirement or other acquisition) for value of Equity Interests of the Issuers, any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, or any Restricted Subsidiary of Express held by any future, present or former employee, director or consultant of the Issuers, any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, or any Subsidiary of Express (or any such Person’s estates or heirs) pursuant to any management equity plan or stock option plan or any other management or employee benefit plan or other agreement or arrangement; provided, that the aggregate amounts paid under this clause (5) do not exceed $5.0 million in any calendar year (with unused amounts in any calendar year being permitted to be carried over for the next two succeeding calendar years); provided, further, that such amount in any calendar year may be increased by an amount not to exceed:

(a)

the cash proceeds received by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries from the sale of Qualifying Equity Interests of Express or any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent (to the extent contributed to Express), to members of management, directors or consultants of the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries or any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, that occurs after the date of this Indenture (provided that the amount of such cash proceeds utilized for any such repurchase, retirement, other acquisition or dividend will not increase the amount available for Restricted Payments pursuant to Section 4.07(a)(3) hereof); plus

(b)

the cash proceeds of key man life insurance policies received by the Issuers or any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent (to the extent contributed to Express), and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries after the date of this Indenture,

(provided that the Issuers may elect to apply all or any portion of the aggregate increase contemplated by clauses (a) and (b) above in any calendar year);

(6) the repurchase of Equity Interests (i) deemed to occur upon the exercise of stock options, warrants or other similar stock based awards under equity plans of the Issuers, any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries or any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, to the extent such Equity Interests represent a portion of the exercise price of those stock options, warrants or other similar stock based awards under equity plans of the Issuers, any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries or any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, or (ii) in connection with a gross-up for tax withholding related to such Equity Interests;

(7) the declaration and payment of regularly scheduled or accrued dividends to holders of any class or series of Disqualified Stock of Express or any preferred stock of any Restricted Subsidiary of Express issued on or after the date of this Indenture in accordance with Section 4.09 hereof;

(8) payments of cash, dividends, distributions, advances or other Restricted Payments by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries to allow the payment of cash in lieu of the issuance of fractional shares upon (i) the exercise of options or warrants or (ii) the conversion or exchange of Capital Stock of any such Person;

(9) Permitted Payments to Parent;

(10) dividends or distributions (i) made on the date of this Indenture (a) to repay amounts outstanding under the Topco Credit Agreement, and (b) to the Principals and the other direct or indirect holders of equity interests of any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, in each case as described in the Issuers’ Offering Memorandum dated March 2, 2010 under the caption “Summary—Refinancing Transactions,” and (ii) required to make regularly scheduled interest payments, mandatory prepayments and payments of principal on the final maturity date (or within 365 days of such date) under the Topco Credit Agreement, as in effect on the date of this Indenture;

(11) purchases of receivables pursuant to a Securitization Repurchase Obligation in connection with a Qualified Securitization Transaction and distributions or payments of Securitization Fees;

(12) payments or distributions by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries to dissenting stockholders pursuant to applicable law in connection with any merger or acquisition consummated on or after the date of this Indenture and not prohibited by this Indenture;

(13) purchases, redemptions or acquisitions of fractional shares of Equity Interests arising out of stock dividends, splits or combinations or business combinations;

(14) prior to the consummation of the initial public offering of common stock of Express, or any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, payments or distributions by the Issuers or Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries to Holdings for fees, costs and expenses paid to (i) GGC Administration, LLC or any of its Affiliates in accordance with the Advisory Agreement (as in effect on the date of this Indenture) and (ii) Limited Brands, Inc. or any of its Subsidiaries in accordance with the Limited Liability Company Agreement (as in effect on the date of this Indenture);

(15) the payment of dividends on Express’ common stock (or the payment of dividends to Parent or any other direct or indirect parent of Express to fund the payment of dividends on its common stock) in an aggregate amount of up to 6.0% per annum of the net proceeds received by the Issuers (or by Parent or any other direct or indirect parent of Express and contributed to the Issuers) from any public offering of common stock of Express or any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent;

(16) so long as no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the declaration and payment of dividends or distributions to holders of any class or series of Designated Preferred Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) issued after the date of this Indenture and the declaration and payment of dividends to any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, the proceeds of which will be used to fund the payment of dividends to holders of any class or series of Designated Preferred Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) of any direct or indirect parent Express, including Parent, issued after the date of this Indenture; provided, however, that (a) the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio for Express’ most recently ended four full fiscal quarters for which internal financial statements are available immediately preceding the date on which such Designated Preferred Stock is issued, after giving effect to such issuance (and the payment of dividends or distributions) on a pro forma basis, would have been at least 2.00 to 1.00 and (b) the aggregate amount of dividends declared and paid pursuant to this clause (16) does not exceed the net cash proceeds actually received by Express from any such sale of Designated Preferred Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) issued after the date of this Indenture;

(17) Restricted Payments that are made with Excluded Contributions;

(18) the payment of dividends, other distributions and other amounts by the Issuers to, or the making of loans to, any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, in the amount required for such parent to, if applicable, pay amounts equal to amounts required for any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, if applicable, to pay interest and/or principal on Indebtedness the proceeds of which have been permanently contributed to the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries and that has been guaranteed by, or is otherwise considered Indebtedness of, the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries incurred in accordance with Section 4.09 hereof;

(19) so long as no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the payment, purchase, redemption, defeasance or other acquisition or retirement for value of Indebtedness that is contractually subordinated to the Notes, Disqualified Stock or preferred stock of the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries pursuant to provisions similar to those described in Section 3.09, Section 4.10 and Section 4.14 hereof; provided that, prior to such payment, purchase, redemption, defeasance or other acquisition or retirement for value, the Issuers (or a third party to the extent permitted by this Indenture) have made a Change of Control Offer or Asset Sale Offer, as the case may be, with respect to the Notes as a result of such Change of Control or Asset Sale, as the case may be, and have repurchased all Notes validly tendered and not withdrawn in connection with such Change of Control Offer or Asset Sale Offer, as the case may be;

(20) so long as no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the distribution, as a dividend or otherwise, of shares of Capital Stock of, or Indebtedness owed to the Issuers or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express by, Unrestricted Subsidiaries;

(21) on or after the date of the consummation of the initial public offering of common stock of Express, or any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, payments or distributions by the Issuers or Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries to the Principals in an aggregate amount not to exceed 1% of the net proceeds received by Express, or the direct or indirect parent of Express, as applicable, in such initial public offering; and

(22) so long as no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, other Restricted Payments in an aggregate amount not to exceed the greater of (x) $25.0 million and (y) 3.0% of Total Assets at the time of such Restricted Payment, at any one time outstanding.

(c) The amount of all Restricted Payments (other than cash) will be the Fair Market Value on the date of the Restricted Payment of the asset(s) or securities proposed to be transferred or issued by the Issuers or such Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, pursuant to the Restricted Payment. The Fair Market Value of any assets or securities that are required to be valued by this covenant will be determined by Express, and in the case of any assets or securities with a Fair Market Value in excess of $15.0 million, will be determined by the Board of Directors of Express whose resolution with respect thereto will be delivered to the Trustee.

(d) For purposes of determining compliance with this Section 4.07, in the event that a Restricted Payment meets the criteria of more than one of the categories of Restricted Payments described in clauses (1) through (22) of Section 4.07(b) hereof, or is entitled to be incurred pursuant to Section 4.07(a) hereof, the Issuers will be entitled to classify such Restricted Payment (or portion thereof) on the date of its payment or later reclassify such Restricted Payment (or portion thereof) in any manner that complies with this Section 4.07.

Section 4.08 Dividend and Other Payment Restrictions Affecting Restricted Subsidiaries.

(a) The Issuers will not, and will not permit any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create or permit to exist or become effective any consensual encumbrance or restriction on the ability of any Restricted Subsidiary to:

(1) pay dividends or make any other distributions on its Capital Stock to the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries, or with respect to any other interest or participation in, or measured by, its profits, or pay any Indebtedness owed to the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries;

(2) make loans or advances to the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries; or

(3) sell, lease or transfer any of its properties or assets to the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries.

(b) The restrictions in Section 4.08(a) hereof will not apply to encumbrances or restrictions existing under or by reason of:

(1) agreements governing Existing Indebtedness and Credit Facilities as in effect on the date of this Indenture and any amendments, restatements, modifications, renewals, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings of those agreements; provided that the amendments, restatements, modifications, renewals, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings are not materially more restrictive, taken as a whole, with respect to such dividend and other payment restrictions than those contained in those agreements on the date of this Indenture;

(2) this Indenture, the Notes, the Note Guarantees and any Exchange Notes and related Note Guarantees issued pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement;

(3) agreements governing other Indebtedness permitted to be incurred under Section 4.09 hereof and any amendments, restatements, modifications, renewals, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings of those agreements; provided that the restrictions therein are not (i) materially more restrictive than the agreements governing such Indebtedness as in effect on the date of this Indenture, or (ii) will not affect the Issuers’ ability to make principal or interest payments on the Notes (as determined by the Issuers in good faith);

(4) applicable law, rule, regulation or order;

(5) any instrument of a Person acquired by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries as in effect at the time of such acquisition (except to the extent such instrument was entered into in connection with or in contemplation of such acquisition), which encumbrance or restriction is not applicable to any Person, or the properties or assets of any Person, other than the Person, or the property or assets of the Person, so acquired; provided that, in the case of Indebtedness, such Indebtedness was permitted by the terms of this Indenture to be incurred;

(6) customary non-assignment provisions in contracts, leases, sub-leases and licenses entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(7) purchase money obligations for property acquired in the ordinary course of business and Capital Lease Obligations that impose restrictions on the property purchased or leased of the nature described in clause (3) of Section 4.08(a) hereof;

(8) any agreement for the sale or other disposition of a Restricted Subsidiary or all or substantially all of the assets of such Restricted Subsidiary in compliance with the terms of this Indenture that restricts distributions by that Restricted Subsidiary pending such sale or other disposition;

(9) Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness; provided that the restrictions contained in the agreements governing such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness are not materially more restrictive, taken as a whole, than those contained in the agreements governing the Indebtedness being refinanced;

(10) Liens permitted to be incurred under the provisions of Section 4.12 hereof that limit the right of the debtor to dispose of the assets subject to such Liens;

(11) provisions limiting the disposition or distribution of assets or property in joint venture agreements, asset sale agreements, sale-leaseback agreements, stock sale agreements and other similar agreements (including agreements entered into in connection with a Restricted Investment), which limitation is applicable only to the assets that are the subject of such agreements;

(12) restrictions on cash or other deposits or net worth imposed by customers under contracts entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(13) customary provisions in joint venture agreements and other similar agreements entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(14) any Restricted Investment not prohibited by Section 4.07 hereof and any Permitted Investment;

(15) any encumbrance or restriction of a Securitization Entity effected in connection with a Qualified Securitization Transaction; provided, however, that such restrictions apply only to such Securitization Entity; and

(16) any encumbrances or restrictions of the type referred to in Sections 4.08(a)(1), (2) and (3) hereof imposed by any amendments, modifications, restatements, renewals, increases, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings of the contracts, instruments or obligations referred to in clauses (1) through (15) above; provided that such amendments, modifications, restatements, renewals, increases, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings are, in the good faith judgment of the Issuers, no more restrictive as a whole with respect to such dividend and other payment restrictions than those contained in the dividend or other payment restrictions prior to such amendment, modification, restatement, renewal, increase, supplement, refunding, replacement or refinancing.

Section 4.09 Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock.

(a) The Issuers will not, and will not permit any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create, incur, issue, assume, guarantee or otherwise become directly or indirectly liable, contingently or otherwise, with respect to (collectively, “incur”) any Indebtedness (including Acquired Debt), and the Issuers will not issue any Disqualified Stock and will not permit any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries to issue any shares of preferred stock; provided, however, that the Issuers may incur Indebtedness (including Acquired Debt) or issue Disqualified Stock, and any Restricted Subsidiary of Express may incur Indebtedness (including Acquired Debt) or issue preferred stock, if the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio for Express’ most recently ended four full fiscal quarters for which internal financial statements are available immediately preceding the date on which such additional Indebtedness is incurred or such Disqualified Stock or such preferred stock is issued, as the case may be, would have been at least 2.0 to 1.0, determined on a pro forma basis (including a pro forma application of the net proceeds therefrom), as if the additional Indebtedness had been incurred or the Disqualified Stock or the preferred stock had been issued, as the case may be, at the beginning of such four-quarter period; provided, further, that Restricted Subsidiaries of Express that are not Guarantors may not incur Indebtedness or issue any shares of preferred stock if, after giving pro forma effect to such incurrence or issuance (including a pro forma application of the net proceeds therefrom), more than an aggregate of $25.0 million of Indebtedness or preferred stock of Restricted Subsidiaries of Express that are not Guarantors would be outstanding pursuant to this Section 4.09(a) and Sections 4.09(b)(13) and (20) hereof at such time.

(b) The provisions of Section 4.09(a) hereof will not prohibit the incurrence of any of the following items of Indebtedness (collectively, “Permitted Debt”):

(1) (a) the incurrence by the Issuers and any Restricted Subsidiary of Express of Indebtedness and letters of credit under Credit Facilities in an aggregate principal amount at any one time outstanding under this clause (1)(a) (with letters of credit being deemed to have a principal amount equal to the maximum potential liability of the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries thereunder) not to exceed $125.0 million and (b) the incurrence by the Issuers and any Restricted Subsidiary of Express of revolving credit Indebtedness and letters of credit under Credit Facilities in an aggregate principal amount at any one time outstanding under this clause (1)(b) (with letters of credit being deemed to have a principal amount equal to the maximum potential liability of the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries thereunder) not to exceed the greater of (x) $200.0 million or (y) the amount of the Borrowing Base as of the date of such incurrence;

(2) the incurrence by the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries of the Existing Indebtedness;

(3) the incurrence by the Issuers and the Subsidiary Guarantors of Indebtedness represented by the Notes and the related Note Guarantees to be issued on the date of this Indenture and any Exchange Notes and related Note Guarantees issued pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement;

(4) the incurrence by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness represented by Capital Lease Obligations, mortgage financings or purchase money obligations, in each case, incurred for the purpose of financing all or any part of the purchase price or cost of design, construction, installation or improvement of property, plant or equipment used in the business of the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries, in an aggregate principal amount, including all Indebtedness incurred to renew, refund, refinance, replace, defease or discharge any Indebtedness incurred pursuant to this clause (4), not to exceed (a) $25.0 million and (b) 3.0% of Total Assets at the time of incurrence, at any time outstanding;

(5) the incurrence by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries of Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness in exchange for, or the net proceeds of which are used to renew, refund, refinance, replace, defease or discharge any Indebtedness (other than intercompany Indebtedness) that was permitted by this Indenture to be incurred under Section 4.09(a) hereof or clauses (2), (3), (5) or (17) of this Section 4.09(b);

(6) the incurrence by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries of intercompany Indebtedness between or among the Issuers and any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries; provided, however, that:

(A) if the Issuers or any Subsidiary Guarantor is the obligor on such Indebtedness and the payee is not the Issuers or a Subsidiary Guarantor, such Indebtedness must be unsecured and expressly subordinated to the prior payment in full in cash of all Obligations then due with respect to the Notes, in the case of the Issuers, or the Note Guarantee, in the case of a Subsidiary Guarantor; and

(B) (1) any subsequent issuance or transfer of Equity Interests that results in any such Indebtedness being held by a Person other than the Issuers or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express and (2) any sale or other transfer of any such Indebtedness to a Person that is not either the Issuers or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express, will be deemed, in each case, to constitute an incurrence of such Indebtedness by the Issuers or such Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, that was not permitted by this clause (6);

(7) the issuance by any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries to the Issuers or to any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries of shares of preferred stock; provided, however, that:

(A) any subsequent issuance or transfer of Equity Interests that results in any such preferred stock being held by a Person other than the Issuers or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express; and

(B) any sale or other transfer of any such preferred stock to a Person that is not either the Issuers or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express,

will be deemed, in each case, to constitute an issuance of such preferred stock by such Restricted Subsidiary that was not permitted by this clause (7);

(8) the incurrence by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries of Hedging Obligations in the ordinary course of business or incurred to hedge interest rate risk on floating rate Indebtedness incurred in accordance with the terms of this Indenture;

(9) the guarantee by the Issuers or any Restricted Subsidiary of Express of Indebtedness of the Issuers or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express and the guarantee by any Foreign Subsidiary of Express of Indebtedness of another Foreign Subsidiary of Express, in each case, to the extent that the guaranteed Indebtedness was permitted to be incurred by another provision of this Section 4.09; provided that if the Indebtedness being guaranteed is subordinated to or pari passu with the Notes, then the Guarantee must be subordinated or pari passu, as applicable, to the same extent as the Indebtedness guaranteed;

(10) the incurrence by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness in respect of letters of credit, bank guarantees, workers’ compensation claims, self-insurance obligations, bankers’ acceptances, guarantees, performance, surety, statutory, appeal, completion, export or import, indemnities, customs, revenue bonds or similar instruments in the ordinary course of business, including guarantees or obligations with respect thereto (in each case other than for an obligation for money borrowed); provided, however that upon the drawing of such letters of credit, such obligations are reimbursed within 30 days following such drawing;

(11) the incurrence by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness arising from the honoring by a bank or other financial institution of a check, draft or similar instrument inadvertently drawn against insufficient funds, so long as such Indebtedness is covered within 10 business days;

(12) the incurrence by Foreign Subsidiaries of Indebtedness in an aggregate principal amount at any time outstanding pursuant to this clause (12), including all Indebtedness of Foreign Subsidiaries incurred to renew, refund, refinance, replace, defease or discharge any Indebtedness incurred pursuant to this clause (12), not to exceed the greater of (a) $10.0 million (or the equivalent thereof, measured at the time of each incurrence, in the applicable foreign currency) or (b) 1.5% of Total Assets of all Foreign Subsidiaries at the time of such incurrence, at any one time outstanding;

(13) Indebtedness of a Subsidiary outstanding on the date such Subsidiary was acquired by Express or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express (other than Indebtedness incurred in

contemplation of, or in connection with, the transaction or series of related transactions pursuant to which such Subsidiary became a Subsidiary of or was otherwise acquired by Express or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express); provided that, on the date that such Subsidiary is acquired by Express or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express and after giving effect to the incurrence of such Indebtedness and the acquisition of such Subsidiary pursuant to this clause (13), either (a) Express would have been able to incur $1.00 of additional Indebtedness pursuant to the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio test set forth in Section 4.09(a) hereof or (b) Express’ Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio would be greater than immediately prior to such acquisition;

(14) the incurrence by the Issuers or Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness arising from agreements providing for indemnification, adjustment of purchase price or similar obligations, incurred in connection with the disposition of any business, assets or Restricted Subsidiary of Express (other than Guarantees of Indebtedness incurred by any Person acquiring all or any portion of such business, assets or Restricted Subsidiary for the purpose of financing such acquisition), so long as the principal amount of such Indebtedness does not exceed the gross proceeds actually received by the Issuers or any Restricted Subsidiary of Express in connection with such transactions;

(15) the incurrence by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness arising in connection with endorsement of instruments for collection or deposit in the ordinary course of business;

(16) the incurrence by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness consisting of obligations to pay insurance premiums in an amount not to exceed the annual premiums in respect of such insurance premiums at any one time outstanding;

(17) Contribution Indebtedness;

(18) Indebtedness of the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries, the proceeds of which are applied to defease or discharge the Notes pursuant to Articles 8 or 11 hereof;

(19) take-or-pay obligations contained in supply arrangements entered into by Express or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express in the ordinary course of business; and

(20) the incurrence by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries of additional Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock of the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries or preferred stock of the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries in an aggregate principal amount (or accreted value, as applicable) at any time outstanding, including all Indebtedness incurred to renew, refund, refinance, replace, defease or discharge any Indebtedness incurred pursuant to this clause (20), not to exceed the greater of (a) $50.0 million and (b) 6.0% of Total Assets at the time of incurrence, at any one time outstanding.

The Issuers will not incur, and will not permit any Subsidiary Guarantor to incur, any Indebtedness (including Permitted Debt) that is contractually subordinated in right of payment to any other Indebtedness of the Issuers or such Subsidiary Guarantor unless such Indebtedness is also contractually subordinated in right of payment to the Notes and the applicable Note Guarantee on substantially identical terms; provided, however, that no Indebtedness will be deemed to be contractually subordinated in right of payment to any other Indebtedness of the Issuers solely by virtue of being unsecured or by virtue of being secured on a junior priority basis.

For purposes of determining compliance with this Section 4.09, in the event that an item of Indebtedness meets the criteria of more than one of the categories of Permitted Debt described in clauses (1) through (20) above, or is entitled to be incurred pursuant to Section 4.09(a) hereof, the Issuers will be permitted to classify such item of Indebtedness on the date of its incurrence, or later reclassify all or a portion of such item of Indebtedness, in any manner that complies with this Section 4.09; provided that Indebtedness under Credit Facilities outstanding on the date on which Notes are first issued and authenticated under this Indenture will be deemed to have been incurred in reliance on the exception provided by clause (1) of the definition of Permitted Debt. The accrual of interest or preferred stock dividends, the accretion or amortization of original issue discount, the payment of interest on any Indebtedness in the form of additional Indebtedness with the same terms, the reclassification of preferred stock as Indebtedness due to a change in accounting principles and the payment of dividends on preferred stock or Disqualified Stock in the form of additional shares of the same class of preferred stock or Disqualified Stock will not be deemed to be an incurrence of Indebtedness or an issuance of preferred stock or Disqualified Stock for purposes of this Section 4.09; provided, in each such case, that the amount thereof shall be included in Fixed Charges of Express as accrued. For purposes of determining compliance with any U.S. dollar-denominated restriction on the incurrence of Indebtedness, the U.S. dollar-equivalent principal amount of Indebtedness denominated in a foreign currency shall be utilized, calculated based on the relevant currency exchange rate in effect on the date such Indebtedness was incurred. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 4.09, the maximum amount of Indebtedness that the Issuers or any Restricted Subsidiary of Express may incur pursuant to this Section 4.09 shall not be deemed to be exceeded solely as a result of fluctuations in exchange rates or currency values.

The amount of any Indebtedness outstanding as of any date will be:

(1) the accreted value of the Indebtedness, in the case of any Indebtedness issued with original issue discount;

(2) the principal amount of the Indebtedness, in the case of any other Indebtedness; and

(3) in respect of Indebtedness of another Person secured by a Lien on the assets of the specified Person, the lesser of:

(A) the Fair Market Value of such assets at the date of determination; and

(B) the amount of the Indebtedness of the other Person.

Section 4.10 Asset Sales.

(a) The Issuers will not, and will not permit any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries to, consummate an Asset Sale unless:

(1) Express (or the Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be) receives consideration at the time of the Asset Sale at least equal to the Fair Market Value (measured as of the date of the definitive agreement with respect to such Asset Sale) of the assets or Equity Interests issued or sold or otherwise disposed of; and

(2) except in the case of a Permitted Asset Swap, at least 75% of the consideration received in the Asset Sale by Express or such Restricted Subsidiary is in the form of cash or Cash Equivalents. For purposes of this provision, each of the following will be deemed to be cash:

(A) any liabilities, as shown on Parent’s most recent consolidated balance sheet or notes thereto, of Express or any Restricted Subsidiary of Express (other than liabilities that are by their terms subordinated to the Notes or any Note Guarantee) that are assumed by the transferee of any such assets pursuant to a customary novation or indemnity agreement that releases Express or such Restricted Subsidiary from or indemnifies against further liability;

(B) any securities, notes or other obligations received by Express or any such Restricted Subsidiary of Express from such transferee that are, within 180 days, converted by Express or such Restricted Subsidiary into cash, to the extent of the cash received in that conversion;

(C) any Designated Non-cash Consideration received by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries in such Asset Sale having an aggregate Fair Market Value, taken together with all other Designated Non-cash Consideration received pursuant to this clause (C) that is at that time outstanding, not to exceed the greater of (x) $25.0 million and (y) 3.0% of Total Assets at the time of the receipt of such Designated Non-cash Consideration (with the Fair Market Value of each item of Designated Non-cash Consideration being measured at the time received and without giving effect to subsequent changes in value); and

(D) any stock or assets of the kind referred to in clauses (3) or (5) of Section 4.10(b) hereof.

(b) Within 365 days after the receipt of any Net Proceeds from an Asset Sale, Express (or the applicable Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be) may apply such Net Proceeds:

(1) to repay Indebtedness and other Obligations under a Credit Facility of Express, Express Topco LLC or any Guarantor that are secured by a Lien and, if the Indebtedness repaid is revolving credit Indebtedness, to correspondingly reduce commitments with respect thereto;

(2) to repay other Indebtedness of the Issuers or any Subsidiary Guarantor (other than any Disqualified Stock or any Indebtedness that is contractually subordinated to the Notes), other than Indebtedness owed to the Issuers or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express; provided that the Issuers shall equally and ratably redeem or repurchase the Notes pursuant to Section 3.07 hereof, through open market purchases at or above 100% of the principal amount thereof or by making an offer (in accordance with the procedures set forth below for an Asset Sale Offer) to all Holders to purchase the Notes at 100% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on the Notes that would otherwise be prepaid;

(3) to acquire all or substantially all of the assets of, or any Capital Stock of, another Permitted Business, if, after giving effect to any such acquisition of Capital Stock, the Permitted Business is or becomes a Restricted Subsidiary of Express;

(4) to make a capital expenditure; or

(5) to acquire other assets that are not classified as current assets under GAAP and that are used or useful in a Permitted Business.

The Issuers will be deemed to have complied with the provisions set forth in clauses (3), (4) and (5) of this Section 4.10(b) if, (i) within 365 days after the Asset Sale that generated the Net

Proceeds, Express (or the applicable Restricted Subsidiary) has entered into and not abandoned or rejected a binding agreement to acquire all or substantially all of the assets of, or any Capital Stock of, another Permitted Business or to make a capital expenditure or acquire other assets that are not classified as current assets under GAAP and that are used or useful in a Permitted Business and that acquisition or capital expenditure is thereafter completed within 180 days after the end of such 365 day period or (ii) in the event such binding agreement described in the preceding clause (i) is canceled or terminated for any reason before such Net Proceeds are applied, Express (or the applicable Restricted Subsidiary) enters into another such binding commitment within 180 days of such cancellation or termination of the prior binding commitment.

Pending the final application of any Net Proceeds, Express (or the applicable Restricted Subsidiary) may temporarily reduce revolving credit borrowings or otherwise invest the Net Proceeds in any manner that is not prohibited by this Indenture.

(c) Any Net Proceeds from Asset Sales that are not applied or invested as provided in Section 4.10(b) hereof will constitute “Excess Proceeds.” When the aggregate amount of Excess Proceeds exceeds $20.0 million, within 30 days thereof, the Issuers will make an Asset Sale Offer to all Holders of Notes and all holders of other senior unsecured Indebtedness of Express containing provisions similar to those set forth in this Indenture with respect to offers to purchase, prepay or redeem with the proceeds of sales of assets in accordance with Section 3.09 hereof to purchase, prepay or redeem the maximum principal amount (or accreted value, if applicable) of Notes and such other senior unsecured Indebtedness (plus all accrued interest on the Indebtedness and the amount of all fees and expenses, including premiums, incurred in connection therewith) that may be purchased, prepaid or redeemed out of the Excess Proceeds. The offer price in any Asset Sale Offer will be equal to 100% of the principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest and Special Interest, if any, to the date of purchase, prepayment or redemption, subject to the rights of Holders of Notes on a relevant record date to receive interest due on a relevant interest payment date, and will be payable in cash. If any Excess Proceeds remain after consummation of an Asset Sale Offer, the Issuers may use those Excess Proceeds for any purpose not otherwise prohibited by this Indenture. If the aggregate principal amount of Notes and other senior unsecured Indebtedness tendered in (or required to be prepaid or redeemed in connection with) such Asset Sale Offer exceeds the amount of Excess Proceeds, the Trustee will select the Notes and such other senior unsecured Indebtedness to be purchased on a pro rata basis, based on the amounts tendered or required to be prepaid or redeemed (with such adjustments as may be deemed appropriate by the Issuers so that only Notes in denominations of $2,000, or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof, will be purchased). Upon completion of each Asset Sale Offer, the amount of Excess Proceeds will be reset at zero.

(d) The Issuers will comply with the requirements of Rule 14e-1 under the Exchange Act and any other securities laws and regulations thereunder to the extent those laws and regulations are applicable in connection with each repurchase of Notes pursuant to an Asset Sale Offer. To the extent that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations conflict with the provisions of Section 3.09 hereof or this Section 4.10, the Issuers will comply with the applicable securities laws and regulations and will not be deemed to have breached their obligations under Section 3.09 hereof or this Section 4.10 by virtue of such compliance.

Section 4.11 Transactions with Affiliates.

(a) The Issuers will not, and will not permit any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries to, make any payment to or sell, lease, transfer or otherwise dispose of any of their properties or assets to, or purchase any property or assets from, or enter into or make or amend any transaction, contract, agreement, understanding, loan, advance or guarantee with, or for the benefit of, any Affiliate of the Issuers (each, an “Affiliate Transaction”) involving aggregate payments or consideration in excess of $2.5 million, unless:

(1) the Affiliate Transaction is on terms that are not materially less favorable to the Issuers, taken as a whole, or the relevant Restricted Subsidiary than those that would have been obtained in a comparable transaction by the Issuers or such Restricted Subsidiary with an unrelated Person; and

(2) with respect to any Affiliate Transaction or series of related Affiliate Transactions involving aggregate consideration in excess of $10.0 million, the Issuers deliver to the Trustee a resolution of the Board of Directors of Express or any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent set forth in an Officers’ Certificate certifying that such Affiliate Transaction complies with clause (1) of this Section 4.11(a).

(b) The following items will not be deemed to be Affiliate Transactions and, therefore, will not be subject to the provisions of Section 4.11(a) hereof:

(1) any employment agreement, consulting agreement, severance agreement, employee benefit plan, compensation arrangement, officer or director indemnification agreement or any similar arrangement entered into by, or policy of, the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business and payments pursuant thereto;

(2) (a) transactions between or among the Issuers and/or Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries and (b) transactions effected as part of a Qualified Securitization Transaction;

(3) transactions with a Person (other than an Unrestricted Subsidiary of Express) that is an Affiliate of the Issuers solely because Express owns, directly or through a Restricted Subsidiary, an Equity Interest in, or controls, such Person;

(4) payment of fees and reimbursements of expenses (pursuant to indemnity arrangements or otherwise) of officers, directors, employees or consultants of the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries;

(5) any issuance of Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Issuers to Affiliates of the Issuers;

(6) (a) Restricted Payments that do not violate Section 4.07 hereof and (b) Permitted Investments;

(7) the performance by Express of its obligations under the Advisory Agreement, any limited liability company, limited partnership or other constitutive document or security holders agreement (including any registration rights agreement or purchase agreement related thereto) or other agreements disclosed in the Issuers’ Offering Memorandum dated March 2, 2010 under the caption “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions,” each as in effect on the date of this Indenture, and the payment of fees and expenses not in excess of the amounts specified in, or determined pursuant to, such agreements, as in effect on the date of this Indenture; provided, however, that the existence of, or the performance by Express of its obligations under, any future amendment to any such existing agreement or under any similar agreement entered into after the date of this Indenture shall only be permitted by this clause (7) to the extent that the terms of any such existing agreement together with all amendments thereto, taken as a whole, or new agreement are not otherwise more disadvantageous to the Holders of the Notes in any material respect than the original agreement as in effect on the date of this Indenture;

(8) sales of Equity Interests of Express or any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, to Affiliates of the Issuers or Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries not otherwise prohibited by this Indenture and the granting of registration and other customary rights in connection therewith;

(9) transactions with an Affiliate where the only consideration paid is Qualifying Equity Interests of Express or Parent;

(10) transactions in which the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries, as the case may be, deliver to the Trustee a letter from an Independent Financial Advisor stating that such transaction is fair to the Issuers or such Restricted Subsidiary from a financial point of view or meets the requirements of Section 4.11(a)(1) hereof;

(11) payments or loans (or cancellation of loans) to employees or consultants in the ordinary course of business;

(12) any agreement (other than with the Principals) as in effect as of the date of this Indenture or any amendment thereto (so long as any such agreement together with all amendments thereto, taken as a whole, is not more disadvantageous to the Holders of the Notes in any material respect than the original agreement as in effect on the date of this Indenture) or any transaction contemplated thereby;

(13) transactions with joint ventures or Unrestricted Subsidiaries entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(14) the entering into of any agreement other than the Advisory Agreement or the Limited Liability Company Agreement (and any amendment or modification of any such agreement) to pay, and the payment of, annual management, consulting, monitoring and advisory fees to the Permitted Holders in an aggregate amount in any fiscal year not to exceed the greater of (x) $3.0 million and (y) 3.0% of Consolidated EBITDA, plus all out-of-pocket reasonable expenses incurred by the Principals or any of their Affiliates in connection with the performance of management, consulting, monitoring, advisory or other services with respect to the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries;

(15) any contributions to the common equity capital of the Issuers;

(16) transactions permitted by, and complying with, Section 5.01 hereof;

(17) pledges of Equity Interests of Unrestricted Subsidiaries;

(18) the issuances of securities or other payments, awards or grants in cash, securities or otherwise pursuant to, or the funding of, employment arrangements, stock option and stock ownership plans or similar employee benefit plans approved by the Board of Directors of Express or any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, or of a Restricted Subsidiary of Express, as appropriate, in good faith;

(19) the transactions described in the Issuers’ Offering Memorandum dated March 2, 2010 under the caption “Summary–Refinancing Transactions” and the payment of any reasonable fees or expenses incurred by the Issuers, any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, or Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries in connection therewith;

(20) the entry into any tax-sharing arrangements between the Issuers or Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries and any of their direct or indirect parents, including Parent; provided, however, that any payment made under such tax-sharing arrangements is, at the time made, otherwise permitted by Section 4.07 hereof;

(21) transactions with customers, clients, lessors, landlords, suppliers, contractors, or purchasers or sellers of good or services that are Affiliates, in each case in the ordinary course of business and otherwise in compliance with the terms of this Indenture which are fair to the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries, in the reasonable determination of the Board of Directors of Express;

(22) transactions between Express or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries and any Person, a director of which is also a director of Express or any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent; provided, however, that such director abstains from voting as a director of Express or such direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, as the case may be, on any matter involving such other Person; and

(23) payments by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries to the Principals for any financial advisory, financing, underwriting or placement services or in respect of other investment banking activities, including, without limitation, in connection with acquisitions or divestitures, which payments are approved by a majority of the Board of Directors of Express in good faith.

Section 4.12 Liens.

The Issuers will not, and will not permit any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien of any kind securing Indebtedness on any asset now owned or hereafter acquired, except Permitted Liens.

Section 4.13 Corporate Existence.

Subject to Article 5 hereof, the Issuers shall do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect:

(1) its limited liability company or corporate existence, as applicable, and the corporate, partnership or other existence of each of Express’ Subsidiaries, in accordance with the respective organizational documents (as the same may be amended from time to time) of the Issuers or any such Subsidiary; and

(2) the rights (charter and statutory), licenses and franchises of the Issuers and Express’ Subsidiaries; provided, however, that the Issuers shall not be required to preserve any such right, license or franchise, or the corporate, partnership or other existence of any of Express’ Subsidiaries, if the Board of Directors of Express shall determine that the preservation thereof is no longer desirable in the conduct of the business of the Issuers and Express’ Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and that the loss thereof is not adverse in any material respect to the Holders of the Notes.

Section 4.14 Offer to Repurchase Upon Change of Control.

(a) Upon the occurrence of a Change of Control, the Issuers will make an offer (a “Change of Control Offer”) to each Holder to repurchase all or any part (equal to $2,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof) of that Holder’s Notes at a purchase price in cash equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount of Notes repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest and Special Interest, if any, on the Notes repurchased to the date of purchase, subject to the rights of Holders of Notes on a relevant record date to receive interest due on a relevant interest payment date (the “Change of Control Payment”). Within 30 days following any Change of Control, except to the extent the Issuers have delivered notice to the Trustee of their intention to redeem Notes pursuant to Section 3.07 hereof, the Issuers will mail a notice to each Holder describing the transaction or transactions that constitute the Change of Control and stating:

(1) that the Change of Control Offer is being made pursuant to this Section 4.14 and that all Notes tendered will be accepted for payment;

(2) the purchase price and the purchase date, which shall be no earlier than 30 days and no later than 60 days from the date such notice is mailed (the “Change of Control Payment Date”);

(3) that any Note not tendered will continue to accrue interest;

(4) that, unless the Issuers default in the payment of the Change of Control Payment, all Notes accepted for payment pursuant to the Change of Control Offer will cease to accrue interest after the Change of Control Payment Date;

(5) that Holders electing to have any Notes purchased pursuant to a Change of Control Offer will be required to surrender the Notes, with the form entitled “Option of Holder to Elect Purchase” attached to the Notes completed, or transfer by book-entry transfer, to the Paying Agent at the address specified in the notice prior to the close of business on the third Business Day preceding the Change of Control Payment Date;

(6) that Holders will be entitled to withdraw their election if the Paying Agent receives, not later than the close of business on the second Business Day preceding the Change of Control Payment Date, a telegram, telex, facsimile transmission or letter setting forth the name of the Holder, the principal amount of Notes delivered for purchase, and a statement that such Holder is withdrawing his election to have the Notes purchased; and

(7) that Holders whose Notes are being purchased only in part will be issued new Notes equal in principal amount to the unpurchased portion of the Notes surrendered, which unpurchased portion must be equal to $2,000 in principal amount or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof.

The Issuers will comply with the requirements of Rule 14e-1 under the Exchange Act and any other securities laws and regulations thereunder to the extent those laws and regulations are applicable in connection with the repurchase of the Notes as a result of a Change in Control. To the extent that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations conflict with the provisions of this Section 4.14, the Issuers will comply with the applicable securities laws and regulations and will not be deemed to have breached their obligations under this Section 4.14 by virtue of such compliance.

(b) On the Change of Control Payment Date, the Issuers will, to the extent lawful:

(1) accept for payment all Notes or portions of Notes properly tendered pursuant to the Change of Control Offer;

(2) deposit with the Paying Agent an amount equal to the Change of Control Payment in respect of all Notes or portions of Notes properly tendered; and

(3) deliver or cause to be delivered to the Trustee the Notes properly accepted together with an Officers’ Certificate stating the aggregate principal amount of Notes or portions of Notes being purchased by the Issuers.

The Paying Agent will promptly mail (but in any case not later than five days after the Change of Control Payment Date) to each Holder of Notes properly tendered the Change of Control Payment for such Notes, and the Trustee will promptly authenticate and mail (or cause to be transferred by book entry) to each Holder a new Note equal in principal amount to any unpurchased portion of the Notes surrendered, if any. The Issuers will publicly announce the results of the Change of Control Offer on or as soon as practicable after the Change of Control Payment Date.

(c) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 4.14, the Issuers will not be required to make a Change of Control Offer upon a Change of Control if (1) a third party makes the Change of Control Offer in the manner, at the times and otherwise in compliance with the requirements set forth in this Section 4.14 and purchases all Notes properly tendered and not withdrawn under the Change of Control Offer, or (2) notice of redemption has been given pursuant to Section 3.07 hereof, unless and until there is a default in payment of the applicable redemption price.

(d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, a Change of Control Offer may be made in advance of a Change of Control, or conditioned upon the consummation of such Change of Control, if a definitive agreement is in place for the Change of Control at the time the Change of Control Offer is made.

Section 4.15 Payments for Consent.

The Issuers will not, and will not permit any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, pay or cause to be paid any consideration to or for the benefit of any Holder of Notes for or as an inducement to any consent, waiver or amendment of any of the terms or provisions of this Indenture or the Notes unless such consideration is offered to be paid and is paid to all Holders of the Notes that consent, waive or agree to amend in the time frame set forth in the solicitation documents relating to such consent, waiver or agreement.

Section 4.16 Additional Note Guarantees.

If the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries acquires or creates another Domestic Subsidiary after the date of this Indenture (other than an Immaterial Subsidiary), then the Issuers will cause that newly acquired or created Domestic Subsidiary to provide a Note Guarantee pursuant to a supplemental indenture in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee and deliver an Opinion of Counsel to the Trustee within 30 days of the date on which it was acquired or created; provided that any Domestic Subsidiary that constitutes an Immaterial Subsidiary need not become a Guarantor until such time as it ceases to be an Immaterial Subsidiary. The form of such supplemental indenture is attached as Exhibit F hereto.

In connection with the consummation of the initial public offering of common stock of any direct or indirect parent of Express (other than Parent), such direct or indirect parent of Express (other than

Parent) that is the issuer of common stock in such initial public offering will provide a Note Guarantee pursuant to a supplemental indenture in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee and will deliver an Opinion of Counsel to the Trustee within 30 days of the date of the consummation of such initial public offering.

Section 4.17 Designation of Restricted and Unrestricted Subsidiaries.

The Board of Directors of Express may designate any Restricted Subsidiary to be an Unrestricted Subsidiary if that designation would not cause a Default. If a Restricted Subsidiary is designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary, the aggregate Fair Market Value of all outstanding Investments owned by the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries in the Subsidiary designated as Unrestricted will be deemed to be an Investment made as of the time of the designation and will reduce the amount available for Restricted Payments under Section 4.07 hereof or under one or more clauses of the definition of Permitted Investments, as determined by the Issuers. That designation will only be permitted if the Investment would be permitted at that time and if the Restricted Subsidiary otherwise meets the definition of an Unrestricted Subsidiary. The Board of Directors of Express may redesignate any Unrestricted Subsidiary to be a Restricted Subsidiary if that redesignation would not cause a Default.

Any designation of a Subsidiary of Express as an Unrestricted Subsidiary will be evidenced to the Trustee by filing with the Trustee a certified copy of a resolution of the Board of Directors of Express giving effect to such designation and an Officers’ Certificate certifying that such designation complied with the preceding conditions and was permitted by Section 4.07 hereof. If, at any time, any Unrestricted Subsidiary would fail to meet the preceding requirements as an Unrestricted Subsidiary, it will thereafter cease to be an Unrestricted Subsidiary for purposes of this Indenture and any Indebtedness of such Subsidiary will be deemed to be incurred by a Restricted Subsidiary of Express as of such date and, if such Indebtedness is not permitted to be incurred as of such date under Section 4.09 hereof, the Issuers will be in default of such covenant. The Board of Directors of Express may at any time designate any Unrestricted Subsidiary to be a Restricted Subsidiary of Express; provided that such designation will be deemed to be an incurrence of Indebtedness by a Restricted Subsidiary of Express of any outstanding Indebtedness of such Unrestricted Subsidiary, and such designation will only be permitted if (1) such Indebtedness is permitted under Section 4.09 hereof, calculated on a pro forma basis as if such designation had occurred at the beginning of the applicable reference period; and (2) no Default or Event of Default would be in existence following such designation.

Section 4.18 Restrictions on Activities of Express Finance.

Express Finance may not hold any material assets, become liable for any material obligations or engage in any business activities or operations; provided that Express Finance may be a co-obligor with respect to Indebtedness (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the Notes) if Express is a primary obligor on such Indebtedness, the net proceeds of such Indebtedness are received by Express or one or more of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries and such Indebtedness is otherwise permitted to be incurred under this Indenture.

Section 4.19 Changes in Covenants when Notes Rated Investment Grade.

If on any date following the date of this Indenture:

(1) the Notes are rated Baa3 or better by Moody’s and BBB- or better by S&P (or, if either such entity ceases to rate the Notes for reasons outside of the control of the Issuers, the equivalent investment grade credit rating from any other “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” within the meaning of Rule 15c3-1(c)(2)(vi)(F) under the Exchange Act selected by the Issuers as a replacement agency); and

(2) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing,

then, beginning on that day and continuing at all times thereafter regardless of any subsequent changes in the rating of the Notes, then, beginning on that day and subject to the provisions of the following paragraph, Sections 4.07, 4.08, 4.09, 4.10, 4.11, 4.16 and 5.01(4) hereof (collectively, the “Suspended Covenants”) will be suspended.

During any period that the foregoing covenants have been suspended, Express’ Board of Directors may not designate any of its Subsidiaries as Unrestricted Subsidiaries pursuant to Section 4.17 hereof unless Express’ Board of Directors would have been able, under the terms of this Indenture, to designate such Subsidiaries as Unrestricted Subsidiaries if the Suspended Covenants were not suspended. Notwithstanding that the Suspended Covenants may be reinstated, no Default or Event of Default will be deemed to have occurred as a result of a failure to comply with the Suspended Covenants during the Suspension Period.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the rating assigned by either such rating agency should subsequently decline to below Baa3 or BBB-, respectively, the foregoing covenants will be reinstituted as of and from the date of such rating decline (any such date, a “Reversion Date”). The period of time between the suspension of covenants as set forth above and the Reversion Date is referred to as the “Suspension Period.” All Indebtedness incurred (including Acquired Debt) and Disqualified Stock or preferred stock issued during the Suspension Period will be deemed to have been incurred or issued in reliance on the exception provided by clause (2) of the definition of Permitted Debt. Calculations under the reinstated Section 4.07 hereof will be made as if Section 4.07 hereof had been in effect prior to, but not during, the period that Section 4.07 hereof was suspended as set forth above; provided, for the sake of clarity, that no default will be deemed to have occurred solely by reason of a Restricted Payment made while Section 4.07 hereof was suspended. For purposes of determining compliance with Section 4.10 hereof, the Excess Proceeds from all Asset Sales not applied in accordance with Section 4.10 hereof will be deemed to be reset to zero after the Reversion Date.

Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries may honor any contractual commitments to take actions following a Reversion Date without causing a Default or Event of Default; provided that such contractual commitments were entered into during the Suspension Period and not in contemplation of a reversion of the Suspended Covenants.

The issuers shall deliver promptly to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate notifying it of any event set forth in this Section 4.19.

ARTICLE 5

SUCCESSORS

Section 5.01 Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets.

The Issuers will not, directly or indirectly: (1) consolidate or merge with or into another Person (whether or not one of the Issuers is the surviving corporation); or (2) sell, assign, transfer, convey, lease or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole, in one or more related transactions, to another Person, unless:

(1) either:

(A) one of the Issuers is the surviving corporation; or

(B) the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than one of the Issuers) or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance, lease or other disposition has been made is an entity organized or existing under the laws of the United States, any state of the United States or the District of Columbia; and, if such entity is not a corporation, a co-obligor of the Notes is a corporation organized or existing under any such laws;

(2) the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than one of the Issuers) or the Person to which such sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance, lease or other disposition has been made assumes all the obligations of the Issuers under the Notes, this Indenture and the Registration Rights Agreement pursuant to agreements reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee;

(3) immediately after such transaction, no Default or Event of Default exists; and

(4) the Issuers or the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than one of the Issuers), or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance, lease or other disposition has been made would, on the date of such transaction after giving pro forma effect thereto and any related financing transactions as if the same had occurred at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter period (i) be permitted to incur at least $1.00 of additional Indebtedness pursuant to the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio test set forth in Section 4.09(a) hereof; or (ii) have had a Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio equal to or greater than the actual Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio for Express for such four-quarter period.

This Section 5.01 will not apply to any sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance, lease or other disposition of assets between or among the Issuers and Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries. Clauses (3) and (4) of this Section 5.01 will not apply to any merger or consolidation of Express (a) with or into one of its Restricted Subsidiaries for any purpose, (b) with or into an Affiliate solely for the purpose of reincorporating Express in another jurisdiction or (c) with or into an Affiliate solely for the purpose of converting Express into a corporation.

Section 5.02 Successor Corporation Substituted.

Upon any consolidation or merger, or any sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of the Issuers in a transaction that is subject to, and that complies with the provisions of, Section 5.01 hereof, the successor Person formed by such consolidation or into or with which the Issuer are merged or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition is made shall succeed to, and be substituted for (so that from and after the date of such consolidation, merger, sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition, the provisions of this Indenture referring to the “Issuers” or “Express” shall refer instead to the successor Person and not to the Issuers or Express), and may exercise every right and power of the Issuers under this Indenture with the same effect as if such successor Person had been named as the Issuers herein; provided, however, that the predecessor Issuers shall not be relieved from the obligation to pay the principal of, premium on, if any, and interest and Special Interest, if any, on, the Notes except in the case of a sale of all of the Issuers’ assets in a transaction that is subject to, and that complies with the provisions of, Section 5.01 hereof.

ARTICLE 6

DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES

Section 6.01 Events of Default.

Each of the following is an “Event of Default”:

(1) default for 30 days in the payment when due of interest and Special Interest, if any, on the Notes;

(2) default in the payment when due (at maturity, upon redemption or otherwise) of the principal of, or premium, if any, on the Notes;

(3) failure by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries for 60 days after notice by the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding voting as a single class to comply with any of the agreements in this Indenture (other than a default referred to in clause (1) or (2) of this Section 6.01);

(4) default under any mortgage, indenture or instrument under which there may be issued or by which there may be secured or evidenced any Indebtedness for money borrowed by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries that is a Significant Subsidiary (or the payment of which is guaranteed by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries that is a Significant Subsidiary), whether such Indebtedness or Guarantee now exists, or is created after the date of this Indenture, if that default:

(A) is caused by a failure to pay principal of, premium on, if any, or interest, if any, on such Indebtedness prior to the expiration of the grace period provided in such Indebtedness on the date of such default (a “Payment Default”); or

(B) results in the acceleration of such Indebtedness prior to its express maturity,

and, in each case, the principal amount of any such Indebtedness, together with the principal amount of any other such Indebtedness under which there has been a Payment Default or the maturity of which has been so accelerated, aggregates $20.0 million or more;

(5) failure by the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries that is a Significant Subsidiary to pay final non-appealable judgments entered by a court or courts of competent jurisdiction aggregating in excess of $20.0 million, which judgments are not paid, discharged or stayed, for a period of 60 days;

(6) the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries that is a Significant Subsidiary or any group of Restricted Subsidiaries of Express that, taken together, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary pursuant to or within the meaning of Bankruptcy Law:

(A) commences a voluntary case,

(B) consents to the entry of an order for relief against it in an involuntary case,

(D) makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors, or

(E) admits in writing its inability to pay its debts as they become due;

(7) a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order or decree under any Bankruptcy Law that:

(A) is for relief against either of the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries that is a Significant Subsidiary or any group of Restricted Subsidiaries of Express that, taken together, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary in an involuntary case;

(B) appoints a custodian of either of the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries that is a Significant Subsidiary or any group of Restricted Subsidiaries of Express that, taken together, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary or for all or substantially all of the property of either of the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries that is a Significant Subsidiary or any group of Restricted Subsidiaries of Express that, taken together, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary; or

(C) orders the liquidation of either of the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries that is a Significant Subsidiary or any group of Restricted Subsidiaries of Express that, taken together, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary; and the order or decree remains unstayed and in effect for 60 consecutive days; or

(8) except as permitted by this Indenture, any Note Guarantee of a Significant Subsidiary is held in any judicial proceeding to be unenforceable or invalid or ceases for any reason to be in full force and effect, or any Guarantor, or any Person acting on behalf of any Guarantor, denies or disaffirms its obligations under its Note Guarantee and any such Default continues for 10 days.

Section 6.02 Acceleration.

In the case of an Event of Default specified in clause (6) or (7) of Section 6.01 hereof, with respect to either of the Issuers, any Restricted Subsidiary of Express that is a Significant Subsidiary or any group of Restricted Subsidiaries of Express that, taken together, would constitute a Significant Subsidiary, all outstanding Notes will become due and payable immediately without further action or notice. If any other Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may declare all the Notes to be due and payable immediately.

Upon any such declaration, the Notes shall become due and payable immediately.

The Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes by written notice to the Trustee may, on behalf of all of the Holders of all the Notes, rescind an acceleration and its consequences hereunder, if the rescission would not conflict with any judgment or decree and if all existing Events of Default (except nonpayment of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest or Special Interest, if any, on, the Notes that has become due solely because of the acceleration) have been cured or waived.

In the event of any Event of Default specified in Section 6.01(4) hereof, such Event of Default and all consequences thereof (excluding any resulting Payment Default) will be annulled, waived and rescinded, automatically and without any action by the Trustee or the Holders of the Notes, if within 20 days after such Event of Default arose Express delivers an Officers’ Certificate to the Trustee stating that (x) the Indebtedness or guarantee that is the basis for such Event of Default has been discharged, (y) the Holders of such Indebtedness have rescinded or waived the acceleration, notice or action giving rise to such Event of Default or (z) the default that is the basis for such Event of Default has been cured, it being understood that in no event shall any acceleration of the principal amount of the Notes as described above be annulled, waived or rescinded upon the happening of any such events.

Section 6.03 Other Remedies.

If an Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Trustee may pursue any available remedy to collect the payment of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest or Special Interest, if any, on, the Notes or to enforce the performance of any provision of the Notes or this Indenture.

The Trustee may maintain a proceeding even if it does not possess any of the Notes or does not produce any of them in the proceeding. A delay or omission by the Trustee or any Holder of a Note in exercising any right or remedy accruing upon an Event of Default shall not impair the right or remedy or constitute a waiver of or acquiescence in the Event of Default. All remedies are cumulative to the extent permitted by law.

Section 6.04 Waiver of Past Defaults.

The Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes by written notice to the Trustee may, on behalf of the Holders of all of the Notes waive any existing Default or Event of Default and its consequences hereunder, except a continuing Default or Event of Default in the payment of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest or Special Interest, if any, on, the Notes (including in connection with an offer to purchase); provided, however, that the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from such acceleration. Upon any such waiver, such Default shall cease to exist, and any Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured for every purpose of this Indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other Default or impair any right consequent thereon.

If a Default is deemed to occur solely as a consequence of the existence of another Default (the “Initial Default”), then, at the time such Initial Default is cured, the Default that resulted solely because of that Initial Default will also be cured without any further action.

Section 6.05 Control by Majority.

Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for exercising any remedy available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on it. However, the Trustee may refuse to follow any direction that conflicts with law or this Indenture that the Trustee determines may be unduly prejudicial to the rights of other Holders of Notes or that may involve the Trustee in personal liability.

Section 6.06 Limitation on Suits.

No Holder of a Note may pursue any remedy with respect to this Indenture or the Notes unless:

(1) such Holder has previously given the Trustee written notice that an Event of Default is continuing;

(2) Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes make a written request to the Trustee to pursue the remedy;

(3) such Holder or Holders offer and, if requested, provide to the Trustee security or indemnity reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee against any loss, liability or expense;

(4) the Trustee does not comply with such request within 60 days after receipt of the request and the offer of security or indemnity; and

(5) during such 60-day period, Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes do not give the Trustee a direction inconsistent with such request.

A Holder of a Note may not use this Indenture to prejudice the rights of another Holder of a Note or to obtain a preference or priority over another Holder of a Note.

Section 6.07 Rights of Holders of Notes to Receive Payment.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture, the right of any Holder of a Note to receive payment of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest or Special Interest, if any, on, the Note, on or after the respective due dates expressed in the Note (including in connection with an offer to purchase), or to bring suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after such respective dates, shall not be impaired or affected without the consent of such Holder.

Section 6.08 Collection Suit by Trustee.

If an Event of Default specified in Section 6.01(1) or (2) hereof occurs and is continuing, the Trustee is authorized to recover judgment in its own name and as trustee of an express trust against the Issuers for the whole amount of principal of, premium on, if any, and interest and Special Interest, if any, remaining unpaid on, the Notes and interest on overdue principal and, to the extent lawful, interest and such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, including the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel.

Section 6.09 Trustee May File Proofs of Claim.

The Trustee is authorized to file such proofs of claim and other papers or documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel) and the Holders of the Notes allowed in any judicial proceedings relative to the Issuers (or any other obligor upon the Notes), its creditors or its property and shall be entitled and empowered to collect, receive and distribute any money or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and any custodian in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Holder to make such payments to the Trustee, and in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Holders, to pay to the Trustee any amount due to it for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Trustee under Section 7.07

hereof. To the extent that the payment of any such compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Trustee under Section 7.07 hereof out of the estate in any such proceeding, shall be denied for any reason, payment of the same shall be secured by a Lien on, and shall be paid out of, any and all distributions, dividends, money, securities and other properties that the Holders may be entitled to receive in such proceeding whether in liquidation or under any plan of reorganization or arrangement or otherwise. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Holder any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Notes or the rights of any Holder, or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Holder in any such proceeding.

Section 6.10 Priorities.

If the Trustee collects any money pursuant to this Article 6, it shall pay out the money in the following order:

First: to the Trustee, its agents and attorneys for amounts due under Section 7.07 hereof, including payment of all compensation, expenses and liabilities incurred, and all advances made, by the Trustee and the costs and expenses of collection;

Second: to Holders of Notes for amounts due and unpaid on the Notes for principal, premium, if any, and interest and Special Interest, if any, ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the amounts due and payable on the Notes for principal, premium, if any, and interest and Special Interest, if any, respectively; and

Third: to the Issuers or to such party as a court of competent jurisdiction shall direct.

The Trustee, upon written notice to the Issuers, may fix a record date and payment date for any payment to Holders of Notes pursuant to this Section 6.10.

Section 6.11 Undertaking for Costs.

In any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it as a Trustee, a court in its discretion may require the filing by any party litigant in the suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of the suit, and the court in its discretion may assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, against any party litigant in the suit, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by the party litigant. This Section 6.11 does not apply to a suit by the Trustee, a suit by a Holder of a Note pursuant to Section 6.07 hereof, or a suit by Holders of more than 10% in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes.

ARTICLE 7

TRUSTEE

Section 7.01 Duties of Trustee.

(a) If an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Trustee will exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and use the same degree of care and skill in its exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs.

(b) Except during the continuance of an Event of Default:

(1) the duties of the Trustee will be determined solely by the express provisions of this Indenture and the Trustee need perform only those duties that are specifically set forth in this Indenture and no others, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee; and

(2) in the absence of bad faith on its part, the Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon certificates or opinions furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture. However, the Trustee will examine the certificates and opinions to determine whether or not they conform to the requirements of this Indenture (however the Trustee shall have no obligation to verify the mathematical calculations contained therein).

(c) The Trustee may not be relieved from liabilities for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that:

(1) this paragraph does not limit the effect of paragraph (b) of this Section 7.01;

(2) the Trustee will not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer, unless it is proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts; and

(3) the Trustee will not be liable with respect to any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in accordance with a direction received by it pursuant to Section 6.05 hereof.

(d) Whether or not therein expressly so provided, every provision of this Indenture that in any way relates to the Trustee is subject to paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this Section 7.01.

(e) No provision of this Indenture will require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or incur any liability. The Trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under this Indenture at the request of any Holders, unless such Holder has offered to the Trustee reasonable indemnity or security satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense.

(f) The Trustee will not be liable for interest on any money received by it except as the Trustee may agree in writing with the Issuers. Money held in trust by the Trustee need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law. The Trustee shall have no obligation to invest funds received by it pursuant to this Indenture.

Section 7.02 Rights of Trustee.

(a) The Trustee may conclusively rely upon any document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper Person. The Trustee need not investigate any fact or matter stated in the document.

(b) Before the Trustee acts or refrains from acting, it may require an Officers’ Certificate or an Opinion of Counsel or both. The Trustee will not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in reliance on such Officers’ Certificate or Opinion of Counsel. The Trustee may consult with counsel and the written advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel will be full and complete authorization and protection from liability in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon.

(c) The Trustee may act through its attorneys and agents and will not be responsible for the misconduct or negligence of any agent appointed with due care.

(d) The Trustee will not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith that it believes to be authorized or within the rights or powers conferred upon it by this Indenture.

(e) Unless otherwise specifically provided in this Indenture, any demand, request, direction or notice from the Issuers will be sufficient if signed by an Officer of each Issuer.

(f) The Trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request or direction of any of the Holders unless such Holders have offered to the Trustee reasonable indemnity or security satisfactory to the Trustee against the losses, liabilities and expenses that might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.

(g) The Trustee shall not be required to give any note, bond or surety in respect of the trusts and powers under this Indenture.

(h) The Trustee may request that Express deliver an Officers’ Certificate setting forth the names of individuals and / or titles of officers authorized at such time to take specified actions pursuant to the Indenture, which Officers’ Certificate may be signed by any person authorized to sign an Officer’s Certificate, including any person specified as so authorized in such certificate previously delivered and not superseded.

(i) Except with respect to receipt of payments of principal and interest on the Notes payable by the Issuer pursuant to Section 4.01 of this Indenture and any Default or Event of Default information contained in the Officers’ Certificate delivered to it pursuant to Section 4.04 of this Indenture, the Trustee shall have no duty to monitor the Issuers’ compliance with or the breach of any representation, warranty or covenant made in this Indenture.

(j) Delivery of reports, information and documents to the Trustee described in Section 4.03 of this Indenture is for informational purposes only and the Trustee’s receipt of such shall not constitute constructive notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Issuers’ compliance with any of its covenants hereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely conclusively on Officer’s Certificates). The Trustee is under no duty to examine such reports, information or documents to ensure compliance with the provision of this Indenture or to ascertain the correctness or otherwise of the information or the statements contained therein.

(k) In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for special, indirect, or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including, but not limited to, loss of profit) irrespective of whether the Trustee has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action.

(l) The Trustee shall not be deemed to have notice of any Default or Event of Default unless a Responsible Officer of the Trustee has knowledge thereof or unless written notice of any event which is in fact such a default is received by a Responsible Officer of the Trustee at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and such notice references the Notes and this Indenture.

(m) The rights, privileges, protections, immunities and benefits given to the Trustee, including, without limitation, its right to be indemnified, are extended to, and shall be enforceable by, the Trustee in each of its capacities hereunder, and each agent, custodian and other Person employed to act hereunder.

Section 7.03 Individual Rights of Trustee.

The Trustee in its individual or any other capacity may become the owner or pledgee of Notes and may otherwise deal with the Issuers or any Affiliate of the Issuers with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee. However, in the event that the Trustee acquires any conflicting interest it must eliminate such conflict within 90 days, apply to the SEC for permission to continue as trustee (if this Indenture has been qualified under the TIA) or resign. Any Agent may do the same with like rights and duties. The Trustee is also subject to Sections 7.10 and 7.11 hereof.

Section 7.04 Trustee’s Disclaimer.

The Trustee will not be responsible for and makes no representation as to the validity or adequacy of this Indenture or the Notes, it shall not be accountable for the Issuers’ use of the proceeds from the Notes or any money paid to the Issuers or upon the Issuers’ direction under any provision of this Indenture, it will not be responsible for the use or application of any money received by any Paying Agent other than the Trustee, and it will not be responsible for any statement or recital herein or any statement in the Notes or any other document in connection with the sale of the Notes or pursuant to this Indenture other than its certificate of authentication.

Section 7.05 Notice of Defaults.

If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing and if it is known to the Trustee, the Trustee will mail to Holders of Notes a notice of the Default or Event of Default within 90 days after the Trustee obtains knowledge thereof. Except in the case of a Default or Event of Default in payment of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest or Special Interest, if any, on, any Note, the Trustee may withhold the notice if and so long as a committee of its Responsible Officers in good faith determines that withholding the notice is in the interests of the Holders of the Notes.

Section 7.06 Reports by Trustee to Holders of the Notes.

(a) Within 60 days after each May 15 beginning with the May 15 following the date of this Indenture, and for so long as Notes remain outstanding, the Trustee will mail to the Holders of the Notes a brief report dated as of such reporting date that complies with TIA §313(a) (but if no event described in TIA §313(a) has occurred within the twelve months preceding the reporting date, no report need be transmitted). The Trustee also will comply with TIA §313(b)(2). The Trustee will also transmit by mail all reports as required by TIA §313(c).

(b) A copy of each report at the time of its mailing to the Holders of Notes will be mailed by the Trustee to the Issuers and filed by the Trustee with the SEC and each stock exchange on which the Notes are listed in accordance with TIA §313(d). The Issuers will promptly notify the Trustee when the Notes are listed on any stock exchange.

Section 7.07 Compensation and Indemnity.

(a) The Issuers will pay to the Trustee from time to time reasonable compensation as is agreed to from time to time by the Issuers and the Trustee for its acceptance of this Indenture and services hereunder. The Trustee’s compensation will not be limited by any law on compensation of a trustee of an express trust. The Issuers will reimburse the Trustee promptly upon request for all reasonable out-of-pocket disbursements, advances and expenses incurred or made by it in addition to the compensation for its services except for any such disbursements, advance or expense as shall have been caused by the Trustees’s negligence or willful misconduct. Such expenses will include the reasonable out-of-pocket compensation, disbursements and expenses of the Trustee’s agents and counsel.

(b) The Issuers and the Guarantors will indemnify the Trustee (including its officers, directors, employees and agents) against any and all losses, liabilities or expenses incurred by it arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of its duties under this Indenture, including the reasonable costs and expenses of enforcing this Indenture against the Issuers and the Guarantors (including this Section 7.07) and defending itself against any claim (whether asserted by the Issuers, the Guarantors, any Holder or any other Person) or liability in connection with the exercise or performance of any of its powers or duties hereunder, except to the extent any such loss, liability or expense may be attributable to its negligence or bad faith. The Trustee will notify the Issuers promptly of any claim for which it may seek indemnity. Failure by the Trustee to so notify the Issuers will not relieve the Issuers or any of the Guarantors of their obligations hereunder. The Issuers or such Guarantor will defend the claim and the Trustee will cooperate in the defense. The Trustee may have separate counsel and the Issuers will pay the reasonable out-of-pocket fees and expenses of such counsel. Neither the Issuers nor any Guarantor need pay for any settlement made without its consent, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld.

(c) The obligations of the Issuers and the Guarantors under this Section 7.07 will survive the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture and the resignation or removal of the Trustee.

(d) To secure the Issuers’ and the Guarantors’ payment obligations in this Section 7.07, the Trustee will have a Lien prior to the Notes on all money or property held or collected by the Trustee, except that held in trust to pay principal of, premium on, if any, or interest or Special Interest, if any, on, particular Notes. Such Lien will survive the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture and the resignation or removal of the Trustee.

(e) When the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services after an Event of Default specified in clauses (6) and (7) of Section 6.01 hereof occurs, the expenses and the compensation for the services (including the fees and expenses of its agents and counsel) are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any Bankruptcy Law.

(f) The Trustee will comply with the provisions of TIA §313(b)(2) to the extent applicable.

Section 7.08 Replacement of Trustee.

(a) A resignation or removal of the Trustee and appointment of a successor Trustee will become effective only upon the successor Trustee’s acceptance of appointment as provided in this Section 7.08.

(b) The Trustee may resign at any time upon 30 days’ written notice to the Issuers and be discharged from the trust hereby created by so notifying the Issuers. The Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may remove the Trustee by so notifying the Trustee and the Issuers in writing. The Issuers may remove the Trustee if:

(1) the Trustee fails to comply with Section 7.10 hereof;

(2) the Trustee is adjudged a bankrupt or an insolvent or an order for relief is entered with respect to the Trustee under any Bankruptcy Law;

(3) a custodian or public officer takes charge of the Trustee or its property; or

(4) the Trustee becomes incapable of acting.

(c) If the Trustee resigns or is removed or if a vacancy exists in the office of Trustee for any reason, the Issuers will promptly appoint a successor Trustee. Within one year after the successor Trustee takes office, the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may appoint a successor Trustee to replace the successor Trustee appointed by the Issuers.

(d) If a successor Trustee does not take office within 60 days after the retiring Trustee resigns or is removed, the retiring Trustee, the Issuers, or the Holders of at least 10% in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee.

(e) If the Trustee, after written request by any Holder who has been a Holder for at least six months, fails to comply with Section 7.10 hereof, such Holder may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee and the appointment of a successor Trustee.

(f) A successor Trustee will deliver a written acceptance of its appointment to the retiring Trustee and to the Issuers. Thereupon, the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee will become effective, and the successor Trustee will have all the rights, powers and duties of the Trustee under this Indenture. The successor Trustee will mail a notice of its succession to Holders. The retiring Trustee will promptly transfer all property held by it as Trustee to the successor Trustee; provided all sums owing to the Trustee hereunder have been paid and subject to the Lien provided for in Section 7.07 hereof. Notwithstanding replacement of the Trustee pursuant to this Section 7.08, the Issuers’ obligations under Section 7.07 hereof will continue for the benefit of the retiring Trustee.

Section 7.09 Successor Trustee by Merger, etc.

If the Trustee consolidates, merges or converts into, or transfers all or substantially all of its corporate trust business to, another corporation, the successor corporation without any further act will be the successor Trustee.

Section 7.10 Eligibility; Disqualification.

There will at all times be a Trustee hereunder that is a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of America or of any state thereof that is authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trustee power, that is subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authorities and that has a combined capital and surplus of at least $100.0 million as set forth in its most recent published annual report of condition.

This Indenture will always have a Trustee who satisfies the requirements of TIA §310(a)(1), (2) and (5). The Trustee is subject to TIA §310(b).

Section 7.11 Preferential Collection of Claims Against the Issuers.

The Trustee is subject to TIA §311(a), excluding any creditor relationship listed in TIA §311(b). A Trustee who has resigned or been removed shall be subject to TIA §311(a) to the extent indicated therein.

ARTICLE 8

LEGAL DEFEASANCE AND COVENANT DEFEASANCE

Section 8.01 Option to Effect Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance.

The Issuers may at any time, at the option of Express’ Board of Directors evidenced by resolutions set forth in an Officers’ Certificate, elect to have either Section 8.02 or 8.03 hereof be applied to all outstanding Notes upon compliance with the conditions set forth below in this Article 8.

Section 8.02 Legal Defeasance and Discharge.

Upon the Issuers’ exercise under Section 8.01 hereof of the option applicable to this Section 8.02, the Issuers and each of the Guarantors will, subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 8.04 hereof, be deemed to have been discharged from their obligations with respect to all outstanding Notes (including the Note Guarantees) on the date the conditions set forth below are satisfied (hereinafter, “Legal Defeasance”). For this purpose, Legal Defeasance means that the Issuers and the Guarantors will be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire Indebtedness represented by the outstanding Notes (including the Note Guarantees), which will thereafter be deemed to be “outstanding” only for the purposes of Section 8.05 hereof and the other Sections of this Indenture referred to in clauses (1) and (2) below, and to have satisfied all their other obligations under such Notes, the Note Guarantees and this Indenture (and the Trustee, on demand of and at the expense of the Issuers, shall execute proper instruments acknowledging the same), except for the following provisions which will survive until otherwise terminated or discharged hereunder:

(1) the rights of Holders of outstanding Notes to receive payments in respect of the principal of, premium on, if any, and interest or Special Interest, if any, on, such Notes when such payments are due from the trust referred to in Section 8.04 hereof;

(2) the Issuers’ obligations with respect to such Notes under Article 2 and Section 4.02 hereof;

(3) the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the Trustee hereunder and the Issuers’ and the Guarantors’ obligations in connection therewith (including, without limitation, those contained in Article 7 hereof); and

(4) this Article 8.

Subject to compliance with this Article 8, the Issuers may exercise its option under this Section 8.02 notwithstanding the prior exercise of their option under Section 8.03 hereof.

Section 8.03 Covenant Defeasance.

Upon the Issuers’ exercise under Section 8.01 hereof of the option applicable to this Section 8.03, the Issuers and each of the Guarantors will, subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 8.04 hereof, be released from each of their obligations under the covenants contained in Sections 4.03, 4.07, 4.08, 4.09, 4.10, 4.11, 4.12, 4.14, 4.15, 4.16, 4.17, 4.18 hereof and clause (4) of Section 5.01 hereof with respect to the outstanding Notes on and after the date the conditions set forth in Section 8.04 hereof are satisfied (hereinafter, “Covenant Defeasance”), and the Notes will thereafter be deemed not “outstanding” for the purposes of any direction, waiver, consent or declaration or act of Holders (and the consequences of any thereof) in connection with such covenants, but will continue to be deemed “outstanding” for all other purposes hereunder (it being understood that such Notes will not be deemed

outstanding for accounting purposes). For this purpose, Covenant Defeasance means that, with respect to the outstanding Notes and Note Guarantees, the Issuers and the Guarantors may omit to comply with and will have no liability in respect of any term, condition or limitation set forth in any such covenant, whether directly or indirectly, by reason of any reference elsewhere herein to any such covenant or by reason of any reference in any such covenant to any other provision herein or in any other document and such omission to comply will not constitute a Default or an Event of Default under Section 6.01 hereof, but, except as specified above, the remainder of this Indenture and such Notes and Note Guarantees will be unaffected thereby. In addition, upon the Issuers’ exercise under Section 8.01 hereof of the option applicable to this Section 8.03, subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 8.04 hereof, Sections 6.01(3), (4), (5) and (8) hereof will not constitute Events of Default.

Section 8.04 Conditions to Legal or Covenant Defeasance.

In order to exercise either Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance under either Section 8.02 or 8.03 hereof:

(1) the Issuers must irrevocably deposit with the Trustee, in trust, for the benefit of the Holders, cash in U.S. dollars, non-callable Government Securities, or a combination thereof, in amounts as will be sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized investment bank, appraisal firm, or firm of independent public accountants, to pay the principal of, premium on, if any, and interest and Special Interest, if any, on, the outstanding Notes on the stated date for payment thereof or on the applicable redemption date, as the case may be, and the Issuers must specify whether the Notes are being defeased to such stated date for payment or to a particular redemption date;

(2) in the case of an election under Section 8.02 hereof, the Issuers must deliver to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel reasonably acceptable to the Trustee confirming that:

(A) the Issuers have received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling; or

(B) since the date of this Indenture, there has been a change in the applicable federal income tax law,

in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such Opinion of Counsel will confirm that, the Holders of the outstanding Notes will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such Legal Defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Legal Defeasance had not occurred;

(3) in the case of an election under Section 8.03 hereof, the Issuers must deliver to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel reasonably acceptable to the Trustee confirming that the Holders of the outstanding Notes will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such Covenant Defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Covenant Defeasance had not occurred;

(4) no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing on the date of such deposit (other than a Default or Event of Default resulting from the borrowing of funds to be applied to such deposit (and any similar concurrent deposit relating to other Indebtedness), and the granting of Liens to secure such borrowings);

(5) such Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, any material agreement or instrument (other than this Indenture and the agreements governing any other Indebtedness being defeased, discharged or replaced) to which the Issuers or any of the Guarantors is a party or by which the Issuers or any of the Guarantors is bound;

(6) Express must deliver to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate stating that the deposit was not made by the Issuers with the intent of preferring the Holders of Notes over the other creditors of the Issuers with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding any creditors of the Issuers or others; and

(7) Express must deliver to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent relating to the Legal Defeasance or the Covenant Defeasance have been complied with.

Section 8.05 Deposited Money and Government Securities to be Held in Trust; Other Miscellaneous Provisions.

Subject to Section 8.06 hereof, all money and non-callable Government Securities (including the proceeds thereof) deposited with the Trustee (or other qualifying trustee, collectively for purposes of this Section 8.05, the “Trustee”) pursuant to Section 8.04 hereof in respect of the outstanding Notes will be held in trust and applied by the Trustee, in accordance with the provisions of such Notes and this Indenture, to the payment, either directly or through any Paying Agent (including Express acting as Paying Agent) as the Trustee may determine, to the Holders of such Notes of all sums due and to become due thereon in respect of principal, premium, if any, and interest and Special Interest, if any, but such money need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.

The Issuers will pay and indemnify the Trustee against any tax, fee or other charge imposed on or assessed against the cash or non-callable Government Securities deposited pursuant to Section 8.04 hereof or the principal and interest received in respect thereof other than any such tax, fee or other charge which by law is for the account of the Holders of the outstanding Notes.

Notwithstanding anything in this Article 8 to the contrary, the Trustee will deliver or pay to the Issuers from time to time upon the request of the Issuers any money or non-callable Government Securities held by it as provided in Section 8.04 hereof which, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee (which may be the opinion delivered under Section 8.04(1) hereof), are in excess of the amount thereof that would then be required to be deposited to effect an equivalent Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance.

Section 8.06 Repayment to Issuers.

Any money deposited with the Trustee or any Paying Agent, or then held by the Issuers, in trust for the payment of the principal of, premium on, if any, or interest or Special Interest, if any, on, any Note and remaining unclaimed for two years after such principal, premium, if any, or interest or Special Interest, if any, has become due and payable shall be paid to the Issuers on their request or (if then held by the Issuers) will be discharged from such trust; and the Holder of such Note will thereafter be permitted to look only to the Issuers for payment thereof, and all liability of the Trustee or such Paying Agent with respect to such trust money, and all liability of the Issuers as trustee thereof, will thereupon cease; provided, however, that the Trustee or such Paying Agent, before being required to make any such repayment, may at the expense of the Issuers cause to be published once, in the New York Times and The

Wall Street Journal (national edition), notice that such money remains unclaimed and that, after a date specified therein, which will not be less than 30 days from the date of such notification or publication, any unclaimed balance of such money then remaining will be repaid to the Issuers.

Section 8.07 Reinstatement.

If the Trustee or Paying Agent is unable to apply any U.S. dollars or non-callable Government Securities in accordance with Section 8.02 or 8.03 hereof, as the case may be, by reason of any order or judgment of any court or governmental authority enjoining, restraining or otherwise prohibiting such application, then the Issuers’ and the Guarantors’ obligations under this Indenture and the Notes and the Note Guarantees will be revived and reinstated as though no deposit had occurred pursuant to Section 8.02 or 8.03 hereof until such time as the Trustee or Paying Agent is permitted to apply all such money in accordance with Section 8.02 or 8.03 hereof, as the case may be; provided, however, that, if the Issuers make any payment of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest or Special Interest, if any, on, any Note following the reinstatement of its obligations, the Issuers will be subrogated to the rights of the Holders of such Notes to receive such payment from the money held by the Trustee or Paying Agent.

ARTICLE 9

AMENDMENT, SUPPLEMENT AND WAIVER

Section 9.01 Without Consent of Holders of Notes.

Notwithstanding Section 9.02 of this Indenture, without the consent of any Holder of Notes, the Issuers, the Guarantors and the Trustee may amend or supplement this Indenture, the Notes or the Note Guarantees:

(1) to cure any ambiguity, mistake, defect or inconsistency;

(2) to provide for uncertificated Notes in addition to or in place of certificated Notes;

(3) to provide for the assumption of the Issuers’ or a Guarantor’s obligations to the Holders of the Notes and Note Guarantees by a successor to the Issuers or such Guarantor pursuant to Article 5 or Article 10 hereof;

(4) to make any change that would provide any additional rights or benefits to the Holders of the Notes or that does not adversely affect the legal rights hereunder of any Holder;

(5) to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of this Indenture under the TIA;

(6) to conform the text of this Indenture, the Notes or the Note Guarantees to any provision of the “Description of Notes” section of the Issuers’ Offering Memorandum dated March 2, 2010, relating to the initial offering of the Notes, to the extent that such provision in that “Description of Notes” was intended to be a verbatim recitation of a provision of this Indenture, the Notes or the Note Guarantees, which intent may be evidenced by an Officers’ Certificate to that effect;

(7) to provide for the issuance of Additional Notes in accordance with the limitations set forth in this Indenture as of the date hereof; or

(8) to allow any Guarantor to execute a supplemental indenture and/or a Note Guarantee with respect to the Notes.

Upon the request of the Issuers accompanied by a resolution of Express’ Board of Directors authorizing the execution of any such amended or supplemental indenture, and upon receipt by the Trustee of the documents described in Section 7.02 hereof, the Trustee will join with the Issuers and the Guarantors in the execution of any amended or supplemental indenture authorized or permitted by the terms of this Indenture and to make any further appropriate agreements and stipulations that may be therein contained, but the Trustee will not be obligated to enter into such amended or supplemental indenture that affects its own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise.

Section 9.02 With Consent of Holders of Notes.

Except as provided below in this Section 9.02, the Issuers and the Trustee may amend or supplement this Indenture (including, without limitation, Sections 3.09, 4.10 and 4.14 hereof), the Notes and the Note Guarantees with the consent of the Holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes (including, without limitation, Additional Notes, if any) voting as a single class (including, without limitation, consents obtained in connection with a tender offer or exchange offer for, or purchase of, the Notes), and, subject to Sections 6.04 and 6.07 hereof, any existing Default or Event of Default (other than a Default or Event of Default in the payment of the principal of, premium on, if any, or interest or Special Interest, if any, on, the Notes, except a payment default resulting from an acceleration that has been rescinded) or compliance with any provision of this Indenture or the Notes or the Note Guarantees may be waived with the consent of the Holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes (including, without limitation, Additional Notes, if any) voting as a single class (including, without limitation, consents obtained in connection with a purchase of, or tender offer or exchange offer for, the Notes). Sections 2.08 and 2.09 hereof shall determine which Notes are considered to be “outstanding” for purposes of this Section 9.02.

Upon the request of the Issuers accompanied by a resolution of Express’ Board of Directors authorizing the execution of any such amended or supplemental indenture, and upon the filing with the Trustee of evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee of the consent of the Holders of Notes as aforesaid, and upon receipt by the Trustee of the documents described in Section 7.02 hereof, the Trustee will join with the Issuers and the Guarantors in the execution of such amended or supplemental indenture unless such amended or supplemental indenture directly affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise, in which case the Trustee may in its discretion, but will not be obligated to, enter into such amended or supplemental Indenture.

It is not necessary for the consent of the Holders of Notes under this Section 9.02 to approve the particular form of any proposed amendment, supplement or waiver, but it is sufficient if such consent approves the substance thereof.

After an amendment, supplement or waiver under this Section 9.02 becomes effective, the Issuers will mail to the Holders of Notes affected thereby a notice briefly describing the amendment, supplement or waiver. Any failure of the Issuers to mail such notice, or any defect therein, will not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any such amended or supplemental indenture or waiver. Subject to Sections 6.04 and 6.07 hereof, the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding voting as a single class may waive compliance in a particular instance by the Issuers or Guarantors with any provision of this Indenture, the Notes or the Note Guarantees. However, without the consent of each Holder affected, an amendment, supplement or waiver under this Section 9.02 may not (with respect to any Notes held by a non-consenting Holder):

(1) reduce the principal amount of Notes whose Holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;

(2) reduce the principal of or change the fixed maturity of any Note or alter or waive any of the provisions relating to the dates on which the Notes may be redeemed or the redemption price thereof with respect to the redemption of the Notes (except as provided above with respect to Sections 3.09, 4.10 and 4.14 hereof);

(3) reduce the rate of or change the time for payment of interest, including default interest, on any Note;

(4) waive a Default or Event of Default in the payment of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest or Special Interest, if any, on, the Notes (except a rescission of acceleration of the Notes by the Holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);

(5) make any Note payable in money other than that stated in the Notes;

(6) make any change in the provisions of this Indenture relating to waivers of past Defaults or the rights of Holders of Notes to receive payments of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest or Special Interest, if any, on, the Notes;

(7) after the date of an event giving rise to a redemption, waive a redemption payment with respect to any Note (other than a payment required by Section 3.09, 4.10 or 4.14 hereof);

(8) release any Guarantor from any of its obligations under its Note Guarantee or this Indenture, except in accordance with the terms of this Indenture; or

(9) make any change in the preceding amendment and waiver provisions.

Section 9.03 Compliance with Trust Indenture Act.

Every amendment or supplement to this Indenture or the Notes will be set forth in an amended or supplemental indenture that complies with the TIA as then in effect.

Section 9.04 Revocation and Effect of Consents.

Until an amendment, supplement or waiver becomes effective, a consent to it by a Holder of a Note is a continuing consent by the Holder of a Note and every subsequent Holder of a Note or portion of a Note that evidences the same debt as the consenting Holder’s Note, even if notation of the consent is not made on any Note. However, any such Holder of a Note or subsequent Holder of a Note may revoke the consent as to its Note if the Trustee receives written notice of revocation before the date the amendment, supplement or waiver becomes effective. An amendment, supplement or waiver becomes effective in accordance with its terms and thereafter binds every Holder.

Section 9.05 Notation on or Exchange of Notes.

The Trustee may place an appropriate notation about an amendment, supplement or waiver on any Note thereafter authenticated. The Issuers in exchange for all Notes may issue and the Trustee shall, upon receipt of an Authentication Order, authenticate new Notes that reflect the amendment, supplement or waiver.

Failure to make the appropriate notation or issue a new Note will not affect the validity and effect of such amendment, supplement or waiver.

Section 9.06 Trustee to Sign Amendments, etc.

The Trustee will sign any amended or supplemental indenture authorized pursuant to this Article 9 if the amendment or supplement does not adversely affect the rights, duties, liabilities or immunities of the Trustee. The Issuers may not sign an amended or supplemental indenture until the Board of Directors of Express approves it. In executing any amended or supplemental indenture, the Trustee will be entitled to receive and (subject to Section 7.01 hereof) will be fully protected in relying upon, in addition to the documents required by Section 12.04 hereof, an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel stating that the execution of such amended or supplemental indenture is authorized or permitted by this Indenture.

ARTICLE 10.

NOTE GUARANTEES

Section 10.01. Guarantee.

(a) Subject to this Article 10, each of the Guarantors hereby, jointly and severally, unconditionally guarantees to each Holder of a Note authenticated and delivered by the Trustee and to the Trustee and its successors and assigns, irrespective of the validity and enforceability of this Indenture, the Notes or the obligations of the Issuers hereunder or thereunder, that:

(1) the principal of, premium on, if any, and interest and Special Interest, if any, on, the Notes will be promptly paid in full when due, whether at maturity, by acceleration, redemption or otherwise, and interest on the overdue principal of, premium on, if any, and interest and Special Interest, if any, on, the Notes, if lawful, and all other obligations of the Issuers to the Holders or the Trustee hereunder or thereunder will be promptly paid in full or performed, all in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof; and

(2) in case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of any Notes or any of such other obligations, that same will be promptly paid in full when due or performed in accordance with the terms of the extension or renewal, whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise.

Failing payment when due of any amount so guaranteed or any performance so guaranteed for whatever reason, the Guarantors will be jointly and severally obligated to pay the same immediately. Each Guarantor agrees that this is a guarantee of payment and not a guarantee of collection.

(b) The Guarantors hereby agree that their obligations hereunder are unconditional, irrespective of the validity, regularity or enforceability of the Notes or this Indenture, the absence of any action to enforce the same, any waiver or consent by any Holder of the Notes with respect to any provisions hereof or thereof, the recovery of any judgment against the Issuers, any action to enforce the same or any other circumstance which might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of a guarantor. Each Guarantor hereby waives (to the fullest extent permitted by law) diligence, presentment, demand of payment, filing of claims with a court in the event of insolvency or bankruptcy of either of the Issuers, any right to require a proceeding first against either of the Issuers, protest, notice and all demands whatsoever and covenant that this Note Guarantee will not be discharged except by complete performance of the obligations contained in the Notes and this Indenture.

(c) If any Holder or the Trustee is required by any court or otherwise to return to the Issuers, the Guarantors or any custodian, trustee, liquidator or other similar official acting in relation to either the Issuers or the Guarantors, any amount paid by either to the Trustee or such Holder, this Note Guarantee, to the extent theretofore discharged, will be reinstated in full force and effect.

(d) Each Guarantor agrees that it will not be entitled to any right of subrogation in relation to the Holders in respect of any obligations guaranteed hereby until payment in full of all obligations guaranteed hereby. Each Guarantor further agrees that, as between the Guarantors, on the one hand, and the Holders and the Trustee, on the other hand, (1) the maturity of the obligations guaranteed hereby may be accelerated as provided in Article 6 hereof for the purposes of this Note Guarantee, notwithstanding any stay, injunction or other prohibition preventing such acceleration in respect of the obligations guaranteed hereby, and (2) in the event of any declaration of acceleration of such obligations as provided in Article 6 hereof, such obligations (whether or not due and payable) will forthwith become due and payable by the Guarantors for the purpose of this Note Guarantee. The Guarantors will have the right to seek contribution from any non-paying Guarantor so long as the exercise of such right does not impair the rights of the Holders under the Note Guarantee.

Section 10.02. Limitation on Guarantor Liability.

Each Guarantor, and by its acceptance of Notes, each Holder, hereby confirms that it is the intention of all such parties that the Note Guarantee of such Guarantor not constitute a fraudulent transfer or conveyance for purposes of Bankruptcy Law, the Uniform Fraudulent Conveyance Act, the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act or any similar federal or state law to the extent applicable to any Note Guarantee. To effectuate the foregoing intention, the Trustee, the Holders and the Guarantors hereby irrevocably agree that the obligations of such Guarantor will be limited to the maximum amount that will, after giving effect to such maximum amount and all other contingent and fixed liabilities of such Guarantor that are relevant under such laws, and after giving effect to any collections from, rights to receive contribution from or payments made by or on behalf of any other Guarantor in respect of the obligations of such other Guarantor under this Article 10, result in the obligations of such Guarantor under its Note Guarantee not constituting a fraudulent transfer or conveyance.

Section 10.03. Execution and Delivery of Note Guarantee.

To evidence its Note Guarantee set forth in Section 10.01 hereof, each Guarantor hereby agrees that a notation of such Note Guarantee substantially in the form attached as Exhibit E hereto will be endorsed by an Officer of such Guarantor on each Note authenticated and delivered by the Trustee and that this Indenture will be executed on behalf of such Guarantor by one of its Officers.

Each Guarantor hereby agrees that its Note Guarantee set forth in Section 10.01 hereof will remain in full force and effect notwithstanding any failure to endorse on each Note a notation of such Note Guarantee.

If an Officer whose signature is on this Indenture or on the Note Guarantee no longer holds that office at the time the Trustee authenticates the Note on which a Note Guarantee is endorsed, the Note Guarantee will be valid nevertheless.

The delivery of any Note by the Trustee, after the authentication thereof hereunder, will constitute due delivery of the Note Guarantee set forth in this Indenture on behalf of the Guarantors.

In the event that the Issuers or any of Express’ Restricted Subsidiaries creates or acquires any Domestic Subsidiary after the date of this Indenture, if required by Section 4.16 hereof, the Issuers will cause such Domestic Subsidiary to comply with the provisions of Section 4.16 hereof and this Article 10, to the extent applicable.

Neither the Issuers nor any Guarantor shall be required to make a notation on the Notes to reflect a Note Guarantee or any release, termination or discharge thereof.

Section 10.04. Guarantors May Consolidate, etc., on Certain Terms.

Except as otherwise provided in Section 10.05 hereof, no Guarantor may sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its assets to, or consolidate with or merge with or into (whether or not such Guarantor is the surviving Person) another Person, other than Express or another Subsidiary Guarantor, unless:

(1) immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no Default or Event of Default exists; and

(2) either:

(a) subject to Section 10.05 hereof, the Person acquiring the property in any such sale or disposition or the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger unconditionally assumes all the obligations of that Guarantor under its Note Guarantee and this Indenture, on the terms set forth therein or herein, pursuant to a supplemental indenture; or

(b) the Net Proceeds of such sale or other disposition are applied in accordance with the applicable provisions of this Indenture, including without limitation, Section 4.10 hereof.

In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale or conveyance and upon the assumption by the successor Person, by supplemental indenture, executed and delivered to the Trustee and satisfactory in form to the Trustee, of the Note Guarantee endorsed upon the Notes and the due and punctual performance of all of the covenants and conditions of this Indenture to be performed by the Guarantor, such successor Person will succeed to and be substituted for the Guarantor with the same effect as if it had been named herein as a Guarantor. Such successor Person thereupon may cause to be signed any or all of the Note Guarantees to be endorsed upon all of the Notes issuable hereunder which theretofore shall not have been signed by the Issuers and delivered to the Trustee. All the Note Guarantees so issued will in all respects have the same legal rank and benefit under this Indenture as the Note Guarantees theretofore and thereafter issued in accordance with the terms of this Indenture as though all of such Note Guarantees had been issued at the date of the execution hereof.

Except as set forth in Articles 4 and 5 hereof, and notwithstanding clauses 2(a) and (b) above, nothing contained in this Indenture or in any of the Notes will prevent any consolidation or merger of a Subsidiary Guarantor with or into Express or another Subsidiary Guarantor, or will prevent any sale or conveyance of the property of a Subsidiary Guarantor as an entirety or substantially as an entirety to Express or another Subsidiary Guarantor.

Section 10.05. Releases.

(a) In the event of any sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of any Subsidiary Guarantor, by way of merger, consolidation or otherwise, to a Person that is not (either before or after giving effect to such transaction) Express or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express, then the Person acquiring the property will be released and relieved of any obligations under the Note Guarantee;

(b) In the event of any sale or other disposition of Capital Stock of any Subsidiary Guarantor to a Person that is not (either before or after giving effect to such transaction) Express or a Restricted Subsidiary of Express and such Subsidiary Guarantor ceases to be a Restricted Subsidiary of Express as a result of the sale or other disposition, then such Subsidiary Guarantor will be released and relieved of any obligations under its Note Guarantee;

provided, in both cases, that the Net Proceeds of such sale or other disposition are applied in accordance with the applicable provisions of this Indenture, including without limitation Section 4.10 hereof. Upon delivery by the Issuers to the Trustee of an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that such sale or other disposition was made by the Issuers in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture, including without limitation Section 4.10 hereof, the Trustee will execute any documents reasonably required in order to evidence the release of any Subsidiary Guarantor from its obligations under its Note Guarantee.

(c) Upon designation of any Restricted Subsidiary that is a Subsidiary Guarantor as an Unrestricted Subsidiary in accordance with the terms of this Indenture, such Subsidiary Guarantor will be released and relieved of any obligations under its Note Guarantee.

(d) Upon Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance in accordance with Article 8 hereof or satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture in accordance with Article 11 hereof, each Subsidiary Guarantor will be released and relieved of any obligations under its Note Guarantee.

Any Guarantor not released from its obligations under its Note Guarantee as provided in this Section 10.05 will remain liable for the full amount of principal of, premium on, if any, and interest and Special Interest, if any, on, the Notes and for the other obligations of any Guarantor under this Indenture as provided in this Article 10.

ARTICLE 11

SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE

Section 11.01 Satisfaction and Discharge.

This Indenture will be discharged and will cease to be of further effect as to all Notes issued hereunder, when:

(1) either:

(a) all Notes that have been authenticated, except lost, stolen or destroyed Notes that have been replaced or paid and Notes for whose payment money has been deposited in trust and thereafter repaid to the Issuers, have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation; or

(b) all Notes that have not been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation have become due and payable by reason of the mailing of a notice of redemption or otherwise or will become due and payable within one year and the Issuers or any Guarantor has irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee as trust funds in trust solely for the benefit of the Holders, cash in U.S. dollars, non-callable Government Securities, or a combination thereof, in amounts as will be sufficient, without consideration of any reinvestment of interest, to pay and discharge the entire Indebtedness on the Notes not delivered to the Trustee for cancellation for principal of, premium on, if any, and interest and Special Interest, if any, on, the Notes to the date of maturity or redemption;

(2) in respect of subclause (b) of clause (1) of this Section 11.01, no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing on the date of the deposit (other than a Default or Event of Default resulting from the borrowing of funds to be applied to such deposit and any similar deposit relating to other Indebtedness and, in each case, the granting of Liens to secure such borrowings) and the deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, any other instrument to which the Issuers or any Guarantor is a party or by which the Issuers or any Guarantor is bound (other than with respect to the borrowing of funds to be applied concurrently to make the deposit required to effect such satisfaction and discharge and any similar concurrent deposit relating to other Indebtedness, and in each case the granting of Liens to secure such borrowings);

(3) the Issuers or any Guarantor has paid or caused to be paid all sums payable by it under this Indenture; and

(4) the Issuers have delivered irrevocable instructions to the Trustee under this Indenture to apply the deposited money toward the payment of the Notes at maturity or on the redemption date, as the case may be.

In addition, Express must deliver an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel to the Trustee stating that all conditions precedent to satisfaction and discharge have been satisfied.

Notwithstanding the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, if money has been deposited with the Trustee pursuant to subclause (b) of clause (1) of this Section 11.01, the provisions of Sections 11.02 and 8.06 hereof will survive. In addition, nothing in this Section 11.01 will be deemed to discharge those provisions of Section 7.07 hereof, that, by their terms, survive the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture.

Section 11.02 Application of Trust Money.

Subject to the provisions of Section 8.06 hereof, all money deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 11.01 hereof shall be held in trust and applied by it, in accordance with the provisions of the Notes and this Indenture, to the payment, either directly or through any Paying Agent (including Express acting as its own Paying Agent) as the Trustee may determine, to the Persons entitled thereto, of the principal, premium, if any, and interest and Special Interest, if any, for whose payment such money has been deposited with the Trustee; but such money need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.

If the Trustee or Paying Agent is unable to apply any money or Government Securities in accordance with Section 11.01 hereof by reason of any legal proceeding or by reason of any order or judgment of any court or governmental authority enjoining, restraining or otherwise prohibiting such application, the Issuers’ and any Guarantor’s obligations under this Indenture and the Notes shall be revived and reinstated as though no deposit had occurred pursuant to Section 11.01 hereof; provided that if the Issuers have made any payment of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest or Special Interest, if any, on, any Notes because of the reinstatement of its obligations, the Issuers shall be subrogated to the rights of the Holders of such Notes to receive such payment from the money or Government Securities held by the Trustee or Paying Agent.

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ARTICLE 12

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 12.01 Trust Indenture Act Controls.

If any provision of this Indenture limits, qualifies or conflicts with the duties imposed by TIA §318(c), the imposed duties will control.

Section 12.02 Notices.

Any notice or communication by the Issuers, any Guarantor or the Trustee to the others is duly given if in writing and delivered in Person or by first class mail (registered or certified, return receipt requested), facsimile transmission or overnight air courier guaranteeing next day delivery, to the others’ address:

If to the Issuers and/or any Guarantor:

Express, LLC

Express Finance Corp.

One Limited Parkway

Columbus, Ohio 43230

Facsimile No.: (614) 415-4858

Attention: Chief Financial Officer

With a copy to:

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

300 North La Salle Street

Chicago, IL 60654

Facsimile No.: (312) ###-###-####

Attention: Robert M. Hayward

William R. Burke

If to the Trustee:

U.S. Bank National Association

60 Livingston Avenue

EP-MN-WS3C

St. Paul, MN 55107-2292

Facsimile No.: (651) ###-###-####

Attention: Express Administrator

The Issuers, any Guarantor or the Trustee, by notice to the others, may designate additional or different addresses for subsequent notices or communications.

All notices and communications (other than those sent to Holders) will be deemed to have been duly given: at the time delivered by hand, if personally delivered; five Business Days after being deposited in the mail, postage prepaid, if mailed; when receipt acknowledged, if transmitted by facsimile or e-mail; and the next Business Day after timely delivery to the courier, if sent by overnight air courier guaranteeing next day delivery.

Any notice or communication to a Holder will be mailed by first class mail, certified or registered, return receipt requested, or by overnight air courier guaranteeing next day delivery to its

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address shown on the register kept by the Registrar. Any notice or communication will also be so mailed to any Person described in TIA §313(c), to the extent required by the TIA. Failure to mail a notice or communication to a Holder or any defect in it will not affect its sufficiency with respect to other Holders.

If a notice or communication is mailed in the manner provided above within the time prescribed, it is duly given, whether or not the addressee receives it.

If the Issuers mail a notice or communication to Holders, it will mail a copy to the Trustee and each Agent at the same time.

Section 12.03 Communication by Holders of Notes with Other Holders of Notes.

Holders may communicate pursuant to TIA §312(b) with other Holders with respect to their rights under this Indenture or the Notes. The Issuers, the Trustee, the Registrar and anyone else shall have the protection of TIA §312(c).

Section 12.04 Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions Precedent.

Upon any request or application by the Issuers to the Trustee to take any action under this Indenture, the Issuers shall furnish to the Trustee:

(1) an Officers’ Certificate in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee (which must include the statements set forth in Section 12.05 hereof) stating that, in the opinion of the signers, all conditions precedent and covenants, if any, provided for in this Indenture relating to the proposed action have been satisfied; and

(2) an Opinion of Counsel in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee (which must include the statements set forth in Section 12.05 hereof) stating that, in the opinion of such counsel, all such conditions precedent and covenants have been satisfied; provided that no such opinion of counsel shall be required in connection with the order of the Issuers to authenticate and deliver the Notes in the aggregate principal amount of $250,000,000 on the date hereof pursuant to Section 2.02 hereof.

Section 12.05 Statements Required in Certificate or Opinion.

Each certificate or opinion with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture (other than a certificate provided pursuant to TIA §314(a)(4)) must comply with the provisions of TIA §314(e) and must include:

(1) a statement that the Person making such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition;

(2) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based;

(3) a statement that, in the opinion of such Person, he or she has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable him or her to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been satisfied; and

(4) a statement as to whether or not, in the opinion of such Person, such condition or covenant has been satisfied.

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provided that an issuer of an Opinion of Counsel may rely as to matter of fact or an Officer’s Certificate or a certificate of public official

Section 12.06 Rules by Trustee and Agents.

The Trustee may make reasonable rules for action by or at a meeting of Holders. The Registrar or Paying Agent may make reasonable rules and set reasonable requirements for its functions.

Section 12.07 No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees and Stockholders.

No director, officer, employee, incorporator or stockholder of the Issuers or any Guarantor, as such, will have any liability for any obligations of the Issuers or the Guarantors under the Notes, this Indenture, the Note Guarantees or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Each Holder of Notes by accepting a Note waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the Notes. The waiver may not be effective to waive liabilities under the federal securities laws.

Section 12.08 Governing Law.

THE INTERNAL LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WILL GOVERN AND BE USED TO CONSTRUE THIS INDENTURE, THE NOTES AND THE NOTE GUARANTEES WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO APPLICABLE PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAW TO THE EXTENT THAT THE APPLICATION OF THE LAWS OF ANOTHER JURISDICTION WOULD BE REQUIRED THEREBY.

Section 12.09 No Adverse Interpretation of Other Agreements.

This Indenture may not be used to interpret any other indenture, loan or debt agreement of Parent or its Subsidiaries or of any other Person. Any such indenture, loan or debt agreement may not be used to interpret this Indenture.

Section 12.10 Successors.

All agreements of the Issuers in this Indenture and the Notes will bind its successors. All agreements of the Trustee in this Indenture will bind its successors. All agreements of each Guarantor in this Indenture will bind its successors, except as otherwise provided in Section 10.05 hereof.

Section 12.11 Severability.

In case any provision in this Indenture or in the Notes is invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions will not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.

Section 12.12 Counterpart Originals.

The parties may sign any number of copies of this Indenture. Each signed copy will be an original, but all of them together represent the same agreement.

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Section 12.13 Table of Contents, Headings, etc.

The Table of Contents, Cross-Reference Table and Headings of the Articles and Sections of this Indenture have been inserted for convenience of reference only, are not to be considered a part of this Indenture and will in no way modify or restrict any of the terms or provisions hereof.

Section 12.14 Force Majeure

In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations hereunder arising out of or caused by, directly or indirectly, forces beyond its control, including, without limitation, strikes, work stoppages, accidents, acts of war or terrorism, civil or military disturbances, nuclear or natural catastrophes or acts of God, and interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software and hardware) services; it being understood that the Trustee shall use reasonable efforts which are consistent with accepted practices in the banking industry to resume performance as soon as practicable under the circumstances.

Section 12.15 Waiver of Jury Trial

EACH OF THE ISSUERS AND THE TRUSTEE HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS INDENTURE, THE NOTES OR THE TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.

[Signatures on following page]

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SIGNATURES

Dated as of March 5, 2010


EXPRESS, LLC

By:		/s/ Matthew C. Moellering
		Name: Matthew C. Moellering
		Title: Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary

EXPRESS FINANCE CORP.

By:		/s/ Matthew C. Moellering
		Name: Matthew C. Moellering
		Title: Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary

EXPRESS PARENT LLC

By:		/s/ Matthew C. Moellering
		Name: Matthew C. Moellering
		Title: Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary

EXPRESS GC, LLC

By:		/s/ Matthew C. Moellering
		Name: Matthew C. Moellering
		Title: Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary

[Signature Page to Indenture]


US BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as trustee

By:		/s/ Richard Prokosch
		Name: Richard Prokosch
		Title: Vice President

[Signature Page to Indenture]

[Insert the Global Note Legend, if applicable pursuant to the provisions of the Indenture]

[Insert the Private Placement Legend, if applicable pursuant to the provisions of the Indenture]

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CUSIP/CINS

ISIN

8.750% Senior Notes due 2018


No.		$ *

EXPRESS, LLC

and

EXPRESS FINANCE CORP.

promise to pay to or registered assigns,

the principal sum of DOLLARS on March 1, 2018.

Interest Payment Dates: March 1 and September 1

Record Dates: February 15 and August 15

Dated: , 20[ ]


EXPRESS, LLC

By:
		Name:
		Title:


EXPRESS FINANCE CORP.

By:
		Name:
		Title:

This is one of the Notes referred to

in the within-mentioned Indenture:

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,

as Trustee


By:
		Authorized Signatory

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Back of Note

8.750% Senior Notes due 2018

Capitalized terms used herein have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture referred to below unless otherwise indicated.

(1) INTEREST. Express, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Express”), and Express Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (“Express Finance” and, together with Express, the “Issuers”), promise to pay or cause to be paid interest on the principal amount of this Note at 8.750% per annum from , until maturity and shall pay the Special Interest, if any, payable pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement referred to below. The Issuers will pay interest and Special Interest, if any, semi-annually in arrears on March 1 and September 1 of each year, or if any such day is not a Business Day, on the next succeeding Business Day (each, an “Interest Payment Date”). Interest on the Notes will accrue from the most recent date to which interest has been paid or, if no interest has been paid, from the date of issuance; provided that, if this Note is authenticated between a record date referred to on the face hereof and the next succeeding Interest Payment Date, interest shall accrue from such next succeeding Interest Payment Date; provided further that the first Interest Payment Date shall be , . The Issuers will pay interest (including post-petition interest in any proceeding under any Bankruptcy Law) on overdue principal at a rate that is 1% higher than the then applicable interest rate on the Notes to the extent lawful; they will pay interest (including post-petition interest in any proceeding under any Bankruptcy Law) on overdue installments of interest and Special Interest, if any (without regard to any applicable grace period), at the same rate to the extent lawful.

Interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year comprised of twelve 30-day months.

(2) METHOD OF PAYMENT. The Issuers will pay interest on the Notes (except defaulted interest) and Special Interest, if any, to the Persons who are registered Holders of Notes at the close of business on the February 15 or August 15 immediately preceding the Interest Payment Date, even if such Notes are canceled after such record date and on or before such Interest Payment Date, except as provided in Section 2.12 of the Indenture with respect to defaulted interest. The Notes will be payable as to principal, premium, if any, and interest and Special Interest, if any, at the office or agency of the Paying Agent and Registrar within the City and State of New York, or, at the option of the Issuers, payment of interest and Special Interest, if any, may be made by check mailed to the Holders at their addresses set forth in the register of Holders; provided that payment by wire transfer of immediately available funds will be required with respect to principal of, premium on, if any, and interest and Special Interest, if any, on, all Global Notes and all other Notes the Holders of which will have provided wire transfer instructions to the Issuers or the Paying Agent. Such payment will be in such coin or currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and private debts.

(3) PAYING AGENT AND REGISTRAR. Initially, U.S. Bank National Association, the Trustee under the Indenture, will act as Paying Agent and Registrar. The Issuers may change the Paying Agent or Registrar without prior notice to the Holders of the Notes. Express or any of its Subsidiaries may act as Paying Agent or Registrar.

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(4) INDENTURE. The Issuers issued the Notes under an Indenture dated as of March 5, 2010 (the “Indenture”) among the Issuers, the Guarantors and the Trustee. The terms of the Notes include those stated in the Indenture and those made part of the Indenture by reference to the TIA. The Notes are subject to all such terms, and Holders are referred to the Indenture and the TIA for a statement of such terms. To the extent any provision of this Note conflicts with the express provisions of the Indenture, the provisions of the Indenture shall govern and be controlling. The Notes are unsecured obligations of the Issuers. The Indenture does not limit the aggregate principal amount of Notes that may be issued thereunder.

(5) OPTIONAL REDEMPTION.

(a) At any time prior to March 1, 2013, the Issuers may on any one or more occasions redeem up to 35% of the aggregate principal amount of Notes issued under the Indenture, upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ notice, at a redemption price equal to 108.750% of the principal amount of the Notes redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest and Special Interest, if any, to the date of redemption (subject to the rights of Holders of Notes on a relevant record date to receive interest on a relevant Interest Payment Date) with the net cash proceeds of an Equity Offering by Express or a capital contribution to Express’ common equity capital made with the net cash proceeds of a concurrent Equity Offering by Express’ direct or indirect parent, including Parent; provided that:

(A) at least 50% of the aggregate principal amount of Notes originally issued under the Indenture (excluding Notes held by the Issuers, any direct or indirect parent of Express, including Parent, and Express’ Subsidiaries) remains outstanding immediately after the occurrence of such redemption; and

(B) the redemption occurs within 180 days of the date of the closing of such Equity Offering.

(c) Except pursuant to the preceding paragraphs, the Notes will not be redeemable at the Issuers’ option prior to March 1, 2014.

(d) On or after March 1, 2014, the Issuers may on any one or more occasions redeem all or a part of the Notes, upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ notice, at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount) set forth below, plus accrued and unpaid interest and Special Interest, if any, on the Notes redeemed, to the applicable redemption date, if redeemed during the twelve-month period beginning on March 1 of the years indicated below, subject to the rights of Holders on a relevant record date to receive interest on a relevant Interest Payment Date:


Year	Percentage
2014	104.375	%
2015	102.188	%
2016 and thereafter	100.000	%

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Unless the Issuers default in the payment of the redemption price, interest will cease to accrue on the Notes or portions thereof called for redemption on the applicable redemption date.

(6) MANDATORY REDEMPTION. The Issuers are not required to make mandatory redemption or sinking fund payments with respect to the Notes.

(7) REPURCHASE AT THE OPTION OF HOLDER.

(a) If there is a Change of Control, the Issuers will be required to make an offer (a “Change of Control Offer”) to each Holder to repurchase all or any part (equal to $2,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof) of each Holder’s Notes at a purchase price in cash equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest and Special Interest, if any, thereon to the date of purchase, subject to the rights of Holders on a relevant record date to receive interest due on a relevant Interest Payment Date (the “Change of Control Payment”). Within 30 days following any Change of Control, the Issuers will mail a notice to each Holder setting forth the procedures governing the Change of Control Offer as required by the Indenture.

(b) Following the occurrence of certain Asset Sales, the Issuers may be required to offer to repurchase the Notes as required by the Indenture.

(8) NOTICE OF REDEMPTION. At least 30 days but not more than 60 days before a redemption date, the Issuers will mail or cause to be mailed, by first class mail, a notice of redemption to each Holder whose Notes are to be redeemed at its registered address, except that redemption notices may be mailed more than 60 days prior to a redemption date if the notice is issued in connection with a defeasance of the Notes or a satisfaction and discharge of the Indenture pursuant to Articles 8 or 11 thereof. Notes and portions of Notes selected will be in amounts of $2,000 or whole multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof; except that if all of the Notes of a Holder are to be redeemed or purchased, the entire outstanding amount of Notes held by such Holder shall be redeemed or purchased.

(9) DENOMINATIONS, TRANSFER, EXCHANGE. The Notes are in registered form in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof. The transfer of Notes may be registered and Notes may be exchanged as provided in the Indenture. The Registrar and the Trustee may require a Holder, among other things, to furnish appropriate endorsements and transfer documents and the Issuers may require a Holder to pay any taxes and fees required by law or permitted by the Indenture. The Issuers need not exchange or register the transfer of any Note or portion of a Note selected for redemption, except for the unredeemed portion of any Note being redeemed in part. Also, the Issuers need not exchange or register the transfer of any Notes for a period of 15 days before a selection of Notes to be redeemed or during the period between a record date and the next succeeding Interest Payment Date.

(10) PERSONS DEEMED OWNERS. The registered Holder of a Note may be treated as the owner of it for all purposes. Only registered Holders have rights under the Indenture.

(11) AMENDMENT, SUPPLEMENT AND WAIVER. Subject to certain exceptions, the Indenture, the Notes or the Note Guarantees may be amended or supplemented with the consent of the Holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes including Additional Notes, if any, voting as a single class, and any existing Default or Event of Default or compliance with any provision of the Indenture or the Notes or the Note Guarantees

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may be waived with the consent of the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes including Additional Notes, if any, voting as a single class. Without the consent of any Holder of Notes, the Indenture, the Notes or the Note Guarantees may be amended or supplemented to cure any ambiguity, mistake, defect or inconsistency, to provide for uncertificated Notes in addition to or in place of certificated Notes, to provide for the assumption of the Issuers’ or a Guarantor’s obligations to Holders of the Notes and Note Guarantees by a successor to the Issuers or such Guarantor pursuant to the Indenture, to make any change that would provide any additional rights or benefits to the Holders of the Notes or that does not adversely affect the legal rights under the Indenture of any Holder, to comply with the requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the Indenture under the TIA, to conform the text of the Indenture, the Notes or the Note Guarantees to any provision of the “Description of Notes” section of the Issuers’ Offering Memorandum dated March 2, 2010, relating to the initial offering of the Notes, to the extent that such provision in that “Description of Notes” was intended to be a verbatim recitation of a provision of the Indenture, the Notes or the Note Guarantees, which intent may be evidenced by an Officers’ Certificate to that effect, to provide for the issuance of Additional Notes in accordance with the limitations set forth in the Indenture, or to allow any Guarantor to execute a supplemental indenture to the Indenture and/or a Note Guarantee with respect to the Notes.

(12) DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES. The Notes are subject to the Defaults and Events of Default set forth in Section 6.01 of the Indenture The Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes by written notice to the Trustee may, on behalf of the Holders of all the Notes, rescind an acceleration or waive an existing Default or Event of Default and its respective consequences under the Indenture except a continuing Default or Event of Default in the payment of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest or Special Interest, if any, on, the Notes (including in connection with an offer to purchase). The Issuers are required to deliver to the Trustee annually a statement regarding compliance with the Indenture, and the Issuers are required, upon becoming aware of any Default or Event of Default, to deliver to the Trustee a statement specifying such Default or Event of Default.

(13) TRUSTEE DEALINGS WITH ISSUERS. The Trustee, in its individual or any other capacity, may make loans to, accept deposits from, and perform services for the Issuers or their Affiliates, and may otherwise deal with the Issuers or their Affiliates, as if it were not the Trustee.

(14) NO RECOURSE AGAINST OTHERS. No director, officer, employee, incorporator or stockholder of the Issuers or any Guarantor, as such, will have any liability for any obligations of the Issuers or the Guarantors under the Notes, the Indenture, the Note Guarantees or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Each Holder of Notes by accepting a Note waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the Notes. The waiver may not be effective to waive liabilities under the federal securities laws.

(15) AUTHENTICATION. This Note will not be valid until authenticated by the manual signature of the Trustee or an authenticating agent.

(16) ABBREVIATIONS. Customary abbreviations may be used in the name of a Holder or an assignee, such as: TEN COM (= tenants in common), TEN ENT (= tenants by the entireties), JT TEN (= joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common), CUST (= Custodian), and U/G/M/A (= Uniform Gifts to Minors Act).

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(17) ADDITIONAL RIGHTS OF HOLDERS OF RESTRICTED GLOBAL NOTES AND RESTRICTED DEFINITIVE NOTES. In addition to the rights provided to Holders of Notes under the Indenture, Holders of Restricted Global Notes and Restricted Definitive Notes will have all the rights set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement dated as of March 5, 2010, among the Issuers, the Guarantors and the other parties named on the signature pages thereof or, in the case of Additional Notes, Holders of Restricted Global Notes and Restricted Definitive Notes will have the rights set forth in one or more registration rights agreements, if any, among the Issuers, the Guarantors and the other parties thereto, relating to rights given by the Issuers and the Guarantors to the purchasers of any Additional Notes (collectively, the “Registration Rights Agreement”).

(18) CUSIP NUMBERS. Pursuant to a recommendation promulgated by the Committee on Uniform Security Identification Procedures, the Issuers have caused CUSIP numbers to be printed on the Notes, and the Trustee may use CUSIP numbers in notices of redemption as a convenience to Holders. No representation is made as to the accuracy of such numbers either as printed on the Notes or as contained in any notice of redemption, and reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers placed thereon.

(19) GOVERNING LAW. THE INTERNAL LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WILL GOVERN AND BE USED TO CONSTRUE THE INDENTURE, THIS NOTE AND THE NOTE GUARANTEES WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO APPLICABLE PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAW TO THE EXTENT THAT THE APPLICATION OF THE LAWS OF ANOTHER JURISDICTION WOULD BE REQUIRED THEREBY.

The Issuers will furnish to any Holder upon written request and without charge a copy of the Indenture and/or the Registration Rights Agreement. Requests may be made to:

Express, LLC

Express Finance Corp.

One Limited Parkway

Columbus, Ohio 43230

Attention: Chief Financial Officer

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ASSIGNMENT FORM

To assign this Note, fill in the form below:


(I) or (we) assign and transfer this Note to:
		(Insert assignee’s legal name)

(Insert assignee’s soc. sec. or tax I.D. no.)

(Print or type assignee’s name, address and zip code)


and irrevocably appoint

to transfer this Note on the books of the Issuers. The agent may substitute another to act for him.

Date:


		Your Signature:
		(Sign exactly as your name appears on the face of this Note)


Signature Guarantee*:

*	Participant in a recognized Signature Guarantee Medallion Program (or other signature guarantor acceptable to the Trustee).

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OPTION OF HOLDER TO ELECT PURCHASE

If you want to elect to have this Note purchased by the Issuers pursuant to Section 4.10 or Section 4.14 of the Indenture, check the appropriate box below:

¨ Section 4.10 ¨ Section 4.14

If you want to elect to have only part of the Note purchased by the Issuers pursuant to Section 4.10 or Section 4.14 of the Indenture, state the amount you elect to have purchased:

Date:


		Your Signature:
		(Sign exactly as your name appears on the face of this Note)

		Tax Identification No.:

Signature Guarantee*:

*	Participant in a recognized Signature Guarantee Medallion Program (or other signature guarantor acceptable to the Trustee).

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SCHEDULE OF EXCHANGES OF INTERESTS IN THE GLOBAL NOTE *

The following exchanges of a part of this Global Note for an interest in another Global Note or for a Definitive Note, or exchanges of a part of another Global Note or Definitive Note for an interest in this Global Note, have been made:

Date of Exchange

Amount of decrease in

Principal Amount of

this Global Note

Amount of increase in

Principal Amount of

this Global Note

Principal Amount

of this Global Note

following such decrease

(or increase)

Signature of authorized

officer of Trustee or

Custodian

*	This schedule should be included only if the Note is issued in global form.

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THE RIGHTS ATTACHING TO THIS REGULATION S TEMPORARY GLOBAL NOTE, AND THE CONDITIONS AND PROCEDURES GOVERNING ITS EXCHANGE FOR DEFINITIVE NOTES, ARE AS SPECIFIED IN THE INDENTURE (AS DEFINED HEREIN). NEITHER THE HOLDER NOR THE BENEFICIAL OWNERS OF THIS REGULATION S TEMPORARY GLOBAL NOTE SHALL BE ENTITLED TO RECEIVE PAYMENT OF INTEREST HEREON.

THIS GLOBAL NOTE IS HELD BY THE DEPOSITARY (AS DEFINED IN THE INDENTURE GOVERNING THIS NOTE) OR ITS NOMINEE IN CUSTODY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE BENEFICIAL OWNERS HEREOF, AND IS NOT TRANSFERABLE TO ANY PERSON UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES EXCEPT THAT (1) THE TRUSTEE MAY MAKE SUCH NOTATIONS HEREON AS MAY BE REQUIRED PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.06 OF THE INDENTURE, (2) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE EXCHANGED IN WHOLE BUT NOT IN PART PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.06(a) OF THE INDENTURE, (3) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE DELIVERED TO THE TRUSTEE FOR CANCELLATION PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.11 OF THE INDENTURE AND (4) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE TRANSFERRED TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY WITH THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE ISSUERS.

THIS SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE. BY ITS ACQUISITION HEREOF OR OF A BENEFICIAL INTEREST HEREIN, THE ACQUIRER:

(1)

(2)	AGREES FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE ISSUERS THAT IT WILL NOT OFFER, SELL, PLEDGE OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER THIS SECURITY OR ANY BENEFICIAL INTEREST HEREIN PRIOR TO THE RESALE RESTRICTION TERMINATION DATE (AS DEFINED IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH), EXCEPT:

(A)

TO THE ISSUERS OR ANY SUBSIDIARY THEREOF, OR

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(B)

PURSUANT TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT THAT HAS BECOME EFFECTIVE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, OR

(C)

TO A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER IN COMPLIANCE WITH RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, OR

(D)

IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION IN COMPLIANCE WITH RULE 903 OR RULE 904 OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT; OR

(E)

PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION PROVIDED BY RULE 144 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR ANY OTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT.

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CUSIP/CINS

ISIN

8.750% Senior Notes due 2018


No.		$

EXPRESS, LLC

and

EXPRESS FINANCE CORP.

promise to pay to or registered assigns,

the principal sum of DOLLARS on March 1, 2018.

Interest Payment Dates: March 1 and September 1

Record Dates: February 15 and August 15

Dated: , 20[ ]


EXPRESS, LLC

By:
		Name:
		Title:


EXPRESS FINANCE CORP.

By:
		Name:
		Title:

This is one of the Notes referred to

in the within-mentioned Indenture:

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,

as Trustee


By:
		Authorized Signatory

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Back of Regulation S Temporary Global Note

8.750% Senior Notes due 2018

Capitalized terms used herein have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture referred to below unless otherwise indicated.

(1) INTEREST. Express, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Express”), and Express Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (“Express Finance” and, together with Express, the “Issuers”), promise to pay or cause to be paid interest on the principal amount of this Note at 8.750% per annum from , until maturity and shall pay the Special Interest, if any, payable pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement referred to below. The Issuers will pay interest and Special Interest, if any, semi-annually in arrears on March 1 and September 1 of each year, or if any such day is not a Business Day, on the next succeeding Business Day (each, an “Interest Payment Date”). Interest on the Notes will accrue from the most recent date to which interest has been paid or, if no interest has been paid, from the date of issuance; provided that, if this Note is authenticated between a record date referred to on the face hereof and the next succeeding Interest Payment Date, interest shall accrue from such next succeeding Interest Payment Date; provided further that the first Interest Payment Date shall be , . The Issuers will pay interest (including post-petition interest in any proceeding under any Bankruptcy Law) on overdue principal at a rate that is 1% higher than the then applicable interest rate on the Notes to the extent lawful; they will pay interest (including post-petition interest in any proceeding under any Bankruptcy Law) on overdue installments of interest and Special Interest, if any (without regard to any applicable grace period), at the same rate to the extent lawful.

Interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year comprised of twelve 30-day months.

Until this Regulation S Temporary Global Note is exchanged for one or more Regulation S Permanent Global Notes, the Holder hereof shall not be entitled to receive payments of interest hereon; until so exchanged in full, this Regulation S Temporary Global Note shall in all other respects be entitled to the same benefits as other Notes under the Indenture.

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(4) INDENTURE. The Issuers issued the Notes under an Indenture dated as of March 5, 2010 (the “Indenture”) among the Issuers, the Guarantors and the Trustee. The terms of the Notes include those stated in the Indenture and those made part of the Indenture by reference to the TIA. The Notes are subject to all such terms, and Holders are referred to the Indenture and the TIA for a statement of such terms. To the extent any provision of this Note conflicts with the express provisions of the Indenture, the provisions of the Indenture shall govern and be controlling. The Notes are unsecured obligations of the Issuers. The Indenture does not limit the aggregate principal amount of Notes that may be issued thereunder.

(5) OPTIONAL REDEMPTION.

(B) the redemption occurs within 180 days of the date of the closing of such Equity Offering.

(c) Except pursuant to the preceding paragraphs, the Notes will not be redeemable at the Issuers’ option prior to March 1, 2014.

(d) On or after March 1, 2014, the Issuers may on any one or more occasions redeem all or a part of the Notes, upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ notice, at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount) set forth below, plus accrued and unpaid interest and Special Interest, if any, on the Notes redeemed, to the applicable redemption date, if redeemed during the twelve-month period beginning on March 1 of the years indicated below, subject to the rights of Holders on a relevant record date to receive interest on a relevant Interest Payment Date:


Year	Percentage
2014	104.375	%
2015	102.188	%
2016 and thereafter	100.000	%

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Unless the Issuers default in the payment of the redemption price, interest will cease to accrue on the Notes or portions thereof called for redemption on the applicable redemption date.

(6) MANDATORY REDEMPTION. The Issuers are not required to make mandatory redemption or sinking fund payments with respect to the Notes.

(7) REPURCHASE AT OPTION OF HOLDER.

(b) Following the occurrence of certain Asset Sales, the Issuers may be required to offer to repurchase the Notes as required by the Indenture.

(8) NOTICE OF REDEMPTION. At least 30 days but not more than 60 days before a redemption date, the Issuers will mail or cause to be mailed, by first class mail, a notice of redemption to each Holder whose Notes are to be redeemed at its registered address, except that redemption notices may be mailed more than 60 days prior to a redemption date if the notice is issued in connection with a defeasance of the Notes or a satisfaction and discharge of the Indenture pursuant to Articles 8 or 11 thereof. Notes and portions of Notes selected will be in amounts of $2,000 or whole multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof; except that if all of the Notes of a Holder are to be redeemed or purchased, the entire outstanding amount of Notes held by such Holder shall be redeemed or purchased.

(9) DENOMINATIONS, TRANSFER, EXCHANGE. The Notes are in registered form in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof. The transfer of Notes may be registered and Notes may be exchanged as provided in the Indenture. The Registrar and the Trustee may require a Holder, among other things, to furnish appropriate endorsements and transfer documents and the Issuers may require a Holder to pay any taxes and fees required by law or permitted by the Indenture. The Issuers need not exchange or register the transfer of any Note or portion of a Note selected for redemption, except for the unredeemed portion of any Note being redeemed in part. Also, the Issuers need not exchange or register the transfer of any Notes for a period of 15 days before a selection of Notes to be redeemed or during the period between a record date and the next succeeding Interest Payment Date.

This Regulation S Temporary Global Note is exchangeable in whole or in part for one or more Global Notes only (i) on or after the termination of the 40-day distribution compliance

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period (as defined in Regulation S) and (ii) upon presentation of certificates (accompanied by an Opinion of Counsel, if applicable) required by Article 2 of the Indenture. Upon exchange of this Regulation S Temporary Global Note for one or more Global Notes, the Trustee shall cancel this Regulation S Temporary Global Note.

(10) PERSONS DEEMED OWNERS. The registered Holder of a Note may be treated as its owner for all purposes. Only registered Holders have rights under the Indenture.

(11) AMENDMENT, SUPPLEMENT AND WAIVER. Subject to certain exceptions, the Indenture, the Notes or the Note Guarantees may be amended or supplemented with the consent of the Holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes including Additional Notes, if any, voting as a single class, and any existing Default or Event of Default or compliance with any provision of the Indenture or the Notes or the Note Guarantees may be waived with the consent of the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes including Additional Notes, if any, voting as a single class. Without the consent of any Holder of Notes, the Indenture, the Notes or the Note Guarantees may be amended or supplemented to cure any ambiguity, mistake, defect or inconsistency, to provide for uncertificated Notes in addition to or in place of certificated Notes, to provide for the assumption of the Issuers’ or a Guarantor’s obligations to Holders of the Notes and Note Guarantees by a successor to the Issuers or such Guarantor pursuant to the Indenture, to make any change that would provide any additional rights or benefits to the Holders of the Notes or that does not adversely affect the legal rights under the Indenture of any Holder, to comply with the requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the Indenture under the TIA, to conform the text of the Indenture, the Notes or the Note Guarantees to any provision of the “Description of Notes” section of the Issuers’ Offering Memorandum dated March 2, 2010, relating to the initial offering of the Notes, to the extent that such provision in that “Description of Notes” was intended to be a verbatim recitation of a provision of the Indenture, the Notes or the Note Guarantees, which intent may be evidenced by an Officers’ Certificate to that effect, to provide for the issuance of Additional Notes in accordance with the limitations set forth in the Indenture, or to allow any Guarantor to execute a supplemental indenture to the Indenture and/or a Note Guarantee with respect to the Notes.

(12) DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES. The Notes are subject to the Defaults and Events of Default set forth in Section 6.01 of the Indenture The Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Notes by written notice to the Trustee may, on behalf of the Holders of all the Notes, rescind an acceleration or waive an existing Default or Event of Default and its respective consequences under the Indenture except a continuing Default or Event of Default in the payment of principal of, premium on, if any, or interest or Special Interest, if any, on, the Notes (including in connection with an offer to purchase). The Issuers are required to deliver to the Trustee annually a statement regarding compliance with the Indenture, and the Issuers are required, upon becoming aware of any Default or Event of Default, to deliver to the Trustee a statement specifying such Default or Event of Default.

(13) TRUSTEE DEALINGS WITH ISSUERS. The Trustee, in its individual or any other capacity, may make loans to, accept deposits from, and perform services for the Issuers or their Affiliates, and may otherwise deal with the Issuers or their Affiliates, as if it were not the Trustee.

(14) NO RECOURSE AGAINST OTHERS. No director, officer, employee, incorporator or stockholder of the Issuers or any Guarantor, as such, will have any liability for any obligations of the Issuers or the Guarantors under the Notes, the Indenture, the Note Guarantees or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Each Holder of Notes

A2-7

by accepting a Note waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the Notes. The waiver may not be effective to waive liabilities under the federal securities laws.

(15) AUTHENTICATION. This Note will not be valid until authenticated by the manual signature of the Trustee or an authenticating agent.

(16) ABBREVIATIONS. Customary abbreviations may be used in the name of a Holder or an assignee, such as: TEN COM (= tenants in common), TEN ENT (= tenants by the entireties), JT TEN (= joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common), CUST (= Custodian), and U/G/M/A (= Uniform Gifts to Minors Act).

(17) ADDITIONAL RIGHTS OF HOLDERS. In addition to the rights provided to Holders of Notes under the Indenture, Holders of this Regulation S Temporary Global Note will have all the rights set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement dated as of March 5, 2010, among the Issuers, the Guarantors and the other parties named on the signature pages thereof or, in the case of Additional Notes, Holders thereof will have the rights set forth in one or more registration rights agreements, if any, among the Issuers, the Guarantors and the other parties thereto, relating to rights given by the Issuers and the Guarantors to the purchasers of any Additional Notes (collectively, the “Registration Rights Agreement”).

(18) CUSIP NUMBERS. Pursuant to a recommendation promulgated by the Committee on Uniform Security Identification Procedures, the Issuers have caused CUSIP numbers to be printed on the Notes, and the Trustee may use CUSIP numbers in notices of redemption as a convenience to Holders. No representation is made as to the accuracy of such numbers either as printed on the Notes or as contained in any notice of redemption, and reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers placed thereon.

(19) GOVERNING LAW. THE INTERNAL LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WILL GOVERN AND BE USED TO CONSTRUE THE INDENTURE, THIS NOTE AND THE NOTE GUARANTEES WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO APPLICABLE PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAW TO THE EXTENT THAT THE APPLICATION OF THE LAWS OF ANOTHER JURISDICTION WOULD BE REQUIRED THEREBY.

The Issuers will furnish to any Holder upon written request and without charge a copy of the Indenture and/or the Registration Rights Agreement. Requests may be made to:

Express, LLC

Express Finance Corp.

One Limited Parkway

Columbus, Ohio 43230

Attention: Chief Financial Officer

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ASSIGNMENT FORM

To assign this Note, fill in the form below:


(I) or (we) assign and transfer this Note to:
		(Insert assignee’s legal name)

(Insert assignee’s soc. sec. or tax I.D. no.)

(Print or type assignee’s name, address and zip code)


and irrevocably appoint

to transfer this Note on the books of the Issuers. The agent may substitute another to act for him.

Date:


		Your Signature:
		(Sign exactly as your name appears on the face of this Note)


Signature Guarantee*:

*	Participant in a recognized Signature Guarantee Medallion Program (or other signature guarantor acceptable to the Trustee).

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OPTION OF HOLDER TO ELECT PURCHASE

If you want to elect to have this Note purchased by the Issuers pursuant to Section 4.10 or Section 4.14 of the Indenture, check the appropriate box below:

¨ Section 4.10 ¨ Section 4.14

If you want to elect to have only part of the Note purchased by the Issuers pursuant to Section 4.10 or Section 4.14 of the Indenture, state the amount you elect to have purchased:

Date:


Signature Guarantee*:

*	Participant in a recognized Signature Guarantee Medallion Program (or other signature guarantor acceptable to the Trustee).

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SCHEDULE OF EXCHANGES OF INTERESTS IN THE REGULATION S TEMPORARY GLOBAL NOTE

The following exchanges of a part of this Regulation S Temporary Global Note for an interest in another Global Note, or exchanges of a part of another other Restricted Global Note for an interest in this Regulation S Temporary Global Note, have been made:

Date of Exchange

Amount of decrease in
Principal Amount of

this Global Note

Amount of increase in
Principal Amount of

this Global Note

Principal Amount

of this Global Note

following such

decrease

(or increase)

Signature of authorized
officer of Trustee or
Custodian

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EXHIBIT B

FORM OF CERTIFICATE OF TRANSFER

Express, LLC

Express Finance Corp.

One Limited Parkway

Columbus, Ohio 43230

U.S. Bank National Association

60 Livingston Avenue

EP-MN-WS3C

St. Paul, MN 55107-2292

Re: 8.750% Senior Notes due 2018

Reference is hereby made to the Indenture, dated as of March 5, 2010 (the “Indenture”), among Express, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Express”), and Express Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (“Express Finance” and, together with Express, the “Issuers”), as issuers, the Guarantors party thereto and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Indenture.

, (the “Transferor”) owns and proposes to transfer the Note[s] or interest in such Note[s] specified in Annex A hereto, in the principal amount of $ in such Note[s] or interests (the “Transfer”), to (the “Transferee”), as further specified in Annex A hereto. In connection with the Transfer, the Transferor hereby certifies that:

[CHECK ALL THAT APPLY]

1. ¨ Check if Transferee will take delivery of a beneficial interest in the 144A Global Note or a Restricted Definitive Note pursuant to Rule 144A. The Transfer is being effected pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and, accordingly, the Transferor hereby further certifies that the beneficial interest or Definitive Note is being transferred to a Person that the Transferor reasonably believes is purchasing the beneficial interest or Definitive Note for its own account, or for one or more accounts with respect to which such Person exercises sole investment discretion, and such Person and each such account is a “qualified institutional buyer” within the meaning of Rule 144A in a transaction meeting the requirements of Rule 144A, and such Transfer is in compliance with any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States. Upon consummation of the proposed Transfer in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the transferred beneficial interest or Definitive Note will be subject to the restrictions on transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the 144A Global Note and/or the Restricted Definitive Note and in the Indenture and the Securities Act.

2. ¨ Check if Transferee will take delivery of a beneficial interest in the Regulation S Temporary Global Note, the Regulation S Permanent Global Note or a Restricted Definitive Note pursuant to Regulation S. The Transfer is being effected pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 903 or Rule 904 under the Securities Act and, accordingly, the Transferor hereby further certifies that (i) the Transfer is not being made to a Person in the United States and (x) at the time the buy order was originated, the Transferee was outside the United States or such Transferor and any Person acting on its behalf reasonably believed and believes that the Transferee was outside the United States or (y) the transaction was executed in, on or through the facilities of a designated offshore securities market and neither such Transferor nor any Person acting on its behalf knows that the transaction was prearranged

B-1

with a buyer in the United States, (ii) no directed selling efforts have been made in contravention of the requirements of Rule 903(b) or Rule 904(b) of Regulation S under the Securities Act, (iii) the transaction is not part of a plan or scheme to evade the registration requirements of the Securities Act and (iv) if the proposed transfer is being made prior to the expiration of the Restricted Period, the transfer is not being made to a U.S. Person or for the account or benefit of a U.S. Person (other than an Initial Purchaser). Upon consummation of the proposed transfer in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the transferred beneficial interest or Definitive Note will be subject to the restrictions on Transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the Regulation S Permanent Global Note, the Regulation S Temporary Global Note and/or the Restricted Definitive Note and in the Indenture and the Securities Act.

3. ¨ Check and complete if Transferee will take delivery of a beneficial interest in a Restricted Definitive Note pursuant to any provision of the Securities Act other than Rule 144A or Regulation S. The Transfer is being effected in compliance with the transfer restrictions applicable to beneficial interests in Restricted Global Notes and Restricted Definitive Notes and pursuant to and in accordance with the Securities Act and any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States, and accordingly the Transferor hereby further certifies that (check one):

(a) ¨ such Transfer is being effected pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 144 under the Securities Act;

(b) ¨ such Transfer is being effected to the Issuers or a subsidiary thereof;

(c) ¨ such Transfer is being effected pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act and in compliance with the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act;

(d) ¨ such Transfer is being effected to an Institutional Accredited Investor and pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act other than Rule 144A, Rule 144, Rule 903 or Rule 904, and the Transferor hereby further certifies that it has not engaged in any general solicitation within the meaning of Regulation D under the Securities Act and the Transfer complies with the transfer restrictions applicable to beneficial interests in a Restricted Global Note or Restricted Definitive Notes and the requirements of the exemption claimed, which certification is supported by (1) a certificate executed by the Transferee in the form of Exhibit D to the Indenture and (2) an Opinion of Counsel provided by the Transferor or the Transferee (a copy of which the Transferor has attached to this certification), to the effect that such Transfer is in compliance with the Securities Act. Upon consummation of the proposed transfer in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the transferred beneficial interest or Definitive Note will be subject to the restrictions on transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the Restricted Definitive Notes and in the Indenture and the Securities Act.

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4. ¨ Check if Transferee will take delivery of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note or of an Unrestricted Definitive Note.

(a) ¨ Check if Transfer is pursuant to Rule 144. (i) The Transfer is being effected pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 144 under the Securities Act and in compliance with the transfer restrictions contained in the Indenture and any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States and (ii) the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act. Upon consummation of the proposed Transfer in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the transferred beneficial interest or Definitive Note will no longer be subject to the restrictions on transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the Restricted Global Notes, on Restricted Definitive Notes and in the Indenture.

(b) ¨ Check if Transfer is Pursuant to Regulation S. (i) The Transfer is being effected pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 903 or Rule 904 under the Securities Act and in compliance with the transfer restrictions contained in the Indenture and any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States and (ii) the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act. Upon consummation of the proposed Transfer in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the transferred beneficial interest or Definitive Note will no longer be subject to the restrictions on transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the Restricted Global Notes, on Restricted Definitive Notes and in the Indenture.

(c) ¨ Check if Transfer is Pursuant to Other Exemption. (i) The Transfer is being effected pursuant to and in compliance with an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act other than Rule 144, Rule 903 or Rule 904 and in compliance with the transfer restrictions contained in the Indenture and any applicable blue sky securities laws of any State of the United States and (ii) the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act. Upon consummation of the proposed Transfer in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the transferred beneficial interest or Definitive Note will not be subject to the restrictions on transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the Restricted Global Notes or Restricted Definitive Notes and in the Indenture.

This certificate and the statements contained herein are made for your benefit and the benefit of the Issuers.



		[Insert Name of Transferor]

By:
		Name:
		Title:

Dated:

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ANNEX A TO CERTIFICATE OF TRANSFER



1.	The Transferor owns and proposes to transfer the following:
[CHECK ONE OF (a) OR (b)]
		(a)	¨ a beneficial interest in the:

			(i)	¨ 144A Global Note (CUSIP ), or

			(ii)	¨ Regulation S Global Note (CUSIP ), or

		(b)	¨ a Restricted Definitive Note.

2.	After the Transfer the Transferee will hold:
[CHECK ONE]
		(a)	¨ a beneficial interest in the:

			(i)	¨ 144A Global Note (CUSIP ), or

			(ii)	¨ Regulation S Global Note (CUSIP ), or

			(iii)	¨ Unrestricted Global Note (CUSIP ); or

		(b)	¨ a Restricted Definitive Note; or

		(c)	¨ an Unrestricted Definitive Note,

		in accordance with the terms of the Indenture.

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EXHIBIT C

FORM OF CERTIFICATE OF EXCHANGE

Express, LLC

Express Finance Corp.

One Limited Parkway

Columbus, Ohio 43230

U.S. Bank National Association

60 Livingston Avenue

EP-MN-WS3C

St. Paul, MN 55107-2292

Re:

8.750% Senior Notes due 2018

(CUSIP [ ])

Reference is hereby made to the Indenture, dated as of March 5, 2010 (the “Indenture”), among Express, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Express”), and Express Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (“Express Finance” and, together with Express, the “Issuers”), as issuers, the Guarantors party thereto and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Indenture.

, (the “Owner”) owns and proposes to exchange the Note[s] or interest in such Note[s] specified herein, in the principal amount of $ in such Note[s] or interests (the “Exchange”). In connection with the Exchange, the Owner hereby certifies that:

1. Exchange of Restricted Definitive Notes or Beneficial Interests in a Restricted Global Note for Unrestricted Definitive Notes or Beneficial Interests in an Unrestricted Global Note

(a) ¨ Check if Exchange is from beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note to beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note. In connection with the Exchange of the Owner’s beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note for a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note in an equal principal amount, the Owner hereby certifies (i) the beneficial interest is being acquired for the Owner’s own account without transfer, (ii) such Exchange has been effected in compliance with the transfer restrictions applicable to the Global Notes and pursuant to and in accordance with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), (iii) the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act and (iv) the beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note is being acquired in compliance with any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States.

(b) ¨ Check if Exchange is from beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note to Unrestricted Definitive Note. In connection with the Exchange of the Owner’s beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note for an Unrestricted Definitive Note, the Owner hereby certifies (i) the Definitive Note is being acquired for the Owner’s own account without transfer, (ii) such Exchange has been effected in compliance with the transfer restrictions applicable to the Restricted Global Notes and pursuant to and in accordance with the Securities Act, (iii) the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act and (iv) the Definitive Note is being acquired in compliance with any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States.

C-1

(c) ¨ Check if Exchange is from Restricted Definitive Note to beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note. In connection with the Owner’s Exchange of a Restricted Definitive Note for a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note, the Owner hereby certifies (i) the beneficial interest is being acquired for the Owner’s own account without transfer, (ii) such Exchange has been effected in compliance with the transfer restrictions applicable to Restricted Definitive Notes and pursuant to and in accordance with the Securities Act, (iii) the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act and (iv) the beneficial interest is being acquired in compliance with any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States.

(d) ¨ Check if Exchange is from Restricted Definitive Note to Unrestricted Definitive Note. In connection with the Owner’s Exchange of a Restricted Definitive Note for an Unrestricted Definitive Note, the Owner hereby certifies (i) the Unrestricted Definitive Note is being acquired for the Owner’s own account without transfer, (ii) such Exchange has been effected in compliance with the transfer restrictions applicable to Restricted Definitive Notes and pursuant to and in accordance with the Securities Act, (iii) the restrictions on transfer contained in the Indenture and the Private Placement Legend are not required in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act and (iv) the Unrestricted Definitive Note is being acquired in compliance with any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States.

2. Exchange of Restricted Definitive Notes or Beneficial Interests in Restricted Global Notes for Restricted Definitive Notes or Beneficial Interests in Restricted Global Notes

(a) ¨ Check if Exchange is from beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note to Restricted Definitive Note. In connection with the Exchange of the Owner’s beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note for a Restricted Definitive Note with an equal principal amount, the Owner hereby certifies that the Restricted Definitive Note is being acquired for the Owner’s own account without transfer. Upon consummation of the proposed Exchange in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the Restricted Definitive Note issued will continue to be subject to the restrictions on transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the Restricted Definitive Note and in the Indenture and the Securities Act.

(b) ¨ Check if Exchange is from Restricted Definitive Note to beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note. In connection with the Exchange of the Owner’s Restricted Definitive Note for a beneficial interest in the [CHECK ONE] ¨ 144A Global Note, ¨ Regulation S Global Note with an equal principal amount, the Owner hereby certifies (i) the beneficial interest is being acquired for the Owner’s own account without transfer and (ii) such Exchange has been effected in compliance with the transfer restrictions applicable to the Restricted Global Notes and pursuant to and in accordance with the Securities Act, and in compliance with any applicable blue sky securities laws of any state of the United States. Upon consummation of the proposed Exchange in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, the beneficial interest issued will be subject to the restrictions on transfer enumerated in the Private Placement Legend printed on the relevant Restricted Global Note and in the Indenture and the Securities Act.

This certificate and the statements contained herein are made for your benefit and the benefit of the Issuers.

[Insert Name of Transferor]

C-2


By:
		Name:
		Title:

Dated:

C-3

EXHIBIT D

FORM OF CERTIFICATE FROM

ACQUIRING INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR

Express, LLC

Express Finance Corp.

One Limited Parkway

Columbus, Ohio 43230

U.S. Bank National Association

60 Livingston Avenue

EP-MN-WS3C

St. Paul, MN 55107-2292

Re:

8.750% Senior Notes due 2018

Reference is hereby made to the Indenture, dated as of March 5, 2010 (the “Indenture”), among Express, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Express”), and Express Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (“Express Finance” and, together with Express, the “Issuers”), as issuers, the Guarantors party thereto and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Indenture.

In connection with our proposed purchase of $ aggregate principal amount of:

(a) ¨ a beneficial interest in a Global Note, or

(b) ¨ a Definitive Note,

we confirm that:

1. We understand that any subsequent transfer of the Notes or any interest therein is subject to certain restrictions and conditions set forth in the Indenture and the undersigned agrees to be bound by, and not to resell, pledge or otherwise transfer the Notes or any interest therein except in compliance with, such restrictions and conditions and the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

2. We understand that the offer and sale of the Notes have not been registered under the Securities Act, and that the Notes and any interest therein may not be offered or sold except as permitted in the following sentence. We agree, on our own behalf and on behalf of any accounts for which we are acting as hereinafter stated, that if we should sell the Notes or any interest therein, we will do so only (A) to the Issuers or any subsidiary thereof, (B) in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act to a “qualified institutional buyer” (as defined therein), (C) to an institutional “accredited investor” (as defined below) that, prior to such transfer, furnishes (or has furnished on its behalf by a U.S. broker-dealer) to you and to the Issuers a signed letter substantially in the form of this letter and an Opinion of Counsel in form reasonably acceptable to the Issuers to the effect that such transfer is in compliance with the Securities Act, (D) outside the United States in accordance with Rule 904 of Regulation S under the Securities Act, (E) pursuant to the provisions of Rule 144 under the Securities Act or (F) pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, and we further agree to provide to any Person purchasing the Definitive Note or beneficial interest in a Global Note from us in a transaction meeting the requirements of clauses (A) through (E) of this paragraph a notice advising such purchaser that resales thereof are restricted as stated herein.

D-1

3. We understand that, on any proposed resale of the Notes or beneficial interest therein, we will be required to furnish to you and the Issuers such certifications, legal opinions and other information as you and the Issuers may reasonably require to confirm that the proposed sale complies with the foregoing restrictions. We further understand that the Notes purchased by us will bear a legend to the foregoing effect.

4. We are an institutional “accredited investor” (as defined in Rule 501(a)(1), (2), (3) or (7) of Regulation D under the Securities Act) and have such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters as to be capable of evaluating the merits and risks of our investment in the Notes, and we and any accounts for which we are acting are each able to bear the economic risk of our or its investment.

5. We are acquiring the Notes or beneficial interest therein purchased by us for our own account or for one or more accounts (each of which is an institutional “accredited investor”) as to each of which we exercise sole investment discretion.

You and the Issuers are entitled to rely upon this letter and are irrevocably authorized to produce this letter or a copy hereof to any interested party in any administrative or legal proceedings or official inquiry with respect to the matters covered hereby.



		[Insert Name of Accredited Investor]

By:
		Name:
		Title:

Dated:

D-2

EXHIBIT E

[FORM OF NOTATION OF GUARANTEE]

For value received, each Guarantor (which term includes any successor Person under the Indenture) has, jointly and severally, unconditionally guaranteed, to the extent set forth in the Indenture and subject to the provisions in the Indenture dated as of March 5, 2010 (the “Indenture”) among Express, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Express”), and Express Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (“Express Finance” and, together with Express, the “Issuers”), the Guarantors party thereto and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee (the “Trustee”), (a) the due and punctual payment of the principal of, premium on, if any, and interest and Special Interest, if any, on, the Notes, whether at maturity, by acceleration, redemption or otherwise, the due and punctual payment of interest on overdue principal of, premium on, if any, and interest and Special Interest, if any, on, the Notes, if any, if lawful, and the due and punctual performance of all other obligations of the Issuers to the Holders or the Trustee all in accordance with the terms of the Indenture and (b) in case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of any Notes or any of such other obligations, that the same will be promptly paid in full when due or performed in accordance with the terms of the extension or renewal, whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise. The obligations of the Guarantors to the Issuers of Notes and to the Trustee pursuant to the Note Guarantee and the Indenture are expressly set forth in Article 10 of the Indenture and reference is hereby made to the Indenture for the precise terms of the Note Guarantee.

Capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the meanings given to them in the Indenture.


[NAME OF GUARANTOR(S)]

By:
		Name:
		Title:

E-1

EXHIBIT F

[FORM OF SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE

TO BE DELIVERED BY SUBSEQUENT GUARANTORS]

SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE (this “Supplemental Indenture”), dated as of , among (the “Guaranteeing Subsidiary”), a subsidiary of Express, LLC (or its permitted successor), a Delaware limited liability company (“Express”), or Express Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (“Express Finance” and, together with Express, the “Issuers”), the Issuers, the other Guarantors (as defined in the Indenture referred to herein) and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee under the Indenture referred to below (the “Trustee”).

W I T N E S S E T H

WHEREAS, the Issuers have heretofore executed and delivered to the Trustee an indenture (the “Indenture”), dated as of March 5, 2010 providing for the issuance of 8.750% Senior Notes due 2018 (the “Notes”);

WHEREAS, the Indenture provides that under certain circumstances the Guaranteeing Subsidiary shall execute and deliver to the Trustee a supplemental indenture pursuant to which the Guaranteeing Subsidiary shall unconditionally guarantee all of the Issuers’ Obligations under the Notes and the Indenture on the terms and conditions set forth herein (the “Note Guarantee”); and

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 9.01 of the Indenture, the Trustee is authorized to execute and deliver this Supplemental Indenture.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the Guaranteeing Subsidiary and the Trustee mutually covenant and agree for the equal and ratable benefit of the Holders of the Notes as follows:

1. CAPITALIZED TERMS. Capitalized terms used herein without definition shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture.

2. AGREEMENT TO GUARANTEE. The Guaranteeing Subsidiary hereby agrees to provide an unconditional Guarantee on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Note Guarantee and in the Indenture including but not limited to Article 10 thereof.

3. NO RECOURSE AGAINST OTHERS. No director, officer, employee, incorporator or stockholder of the Issuers or any Guarantor, as such, will have any liability for any obligations of the Issuers or the Guarantors under the Notes, this Indenture, the Note Guarantees or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Each Holder of Notes by accepting a Note waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the Notes. The waiver may not be effective to waive liabilities under the federal securities laws.

4. NEW YORK LAW TO GOVERN. THE INTERNAL LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK SHALL GOVERN AND BE USED TO CONSTRUE THIS SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO APPLICABLE PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAW TO THE EXTENT THAT THE APPLICATION OF THE LAWS OF ANOTHER JURISDICTION WOULD BE REQUIRED THEREBY.

5. COUNTERPARTS. The parties may sign any number of copies of this Supplemental Indenture. Each signed copy shall be an original, but all of them together represent the same agreement.

F-1

EXHIBIT F

6. EFFECT OF HEADINGS. The Section headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

7. THE TRUSTEE. The Trustee shall not be responsible in any manner whatsoever for or in respect of the validity or sufficiency of this Supplemental Indenture or for or in respect of the recitals contained herein, all of which recitals are made solely by the Guaranteeing Subsidiary and the Issuers.

F-2

EXHIBIT F

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Supplemental Indenture to be duly executed and attested, all as of the date first above written.

Dated: ,


[GUARANTEEING SUBSIDIARY]

By:
		Name:
		Title:

EXPRESS, LLC

By:
		Name:
		Title:

EXPRESS FINANCE CORP.

By:
		Name:
		Title:

[EXISTING GUARANTORS]

By:
		Name:
		Title:

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as Trustee

By:
		Authorized Signatory

F-3