Corporate | 23 August 2007 09:48
ARAGON AG / Miscellaneous Release of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a company of EquityStory AG. The issuer / publisher is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ++ Aragon subsidiary Jung, DMS & Cie. AG acquires GAMAX Broker Pool AG ++ An acquisition of 2,200 independent financial advisors (IFA) and EUR 450 million assets under administration ++ Jung, DMS & Cie. now is Germany’s largest broker pool in terms of the number of IFAs With immediate effect, fully-owned Aragon subsidiary Jung, DMS & Cie. AG has acquired 100% of the shares of GAMAX Brokerpool AG from Consal Maklerservice GmbH. The parties agreed to keep the financial details of the transaction confidential. Consal Maklerservice GmbH had acquired GAMAX Brokerpool AG from the Italian Gruppo MEDIOLANUM only in March this year. As from October this year, all 2,200 IFAs working for GAMAX will be able to make use of Jung, DMS & Cie.’s award-winning services and the World-of-Finance advisory technology, which will give them access to more than 12,000 products from over 300 product companies in the investment, insurance and private equity market. Volunteering for an exclusive relationship with Jung, DMS & Cie., they will also have access to structured bank products and certificates under Jung, DMS & Cie.’s liability umbrella. The add-on acquisition is particularly attractive for Jung, DMS & Cie., since rapid migration of the Gamax processes to Jung, DMS & Cie.’s powerful back-office platform will in future allow practically all of the Gamax gross margin to be accounted for as profit. The synergy effects resulting from the transaction provide an impressive illustration of scalability of the Jung, DMS & Cie.’s business model, and will make an upper six-figure contribution to the earnings (EBIT) of Jung, DMS & Cie. and, therefore, to the bottom line of Aragon starting in 2008. Also the seller, Consal Maklerservice GmbH, will benefit from the transaction. By the sale Consal achieves its strategic goal of a wide presence in Germany without larger investments. Consal has found a strong co-operation partner in Jung, DMS & Cie., who will offer Consal's products via the nearly 12,000 pool partners in Germany. Hence, Consal Maklerservice GmbH's managing director, Thorsten Pulli, is very pleased: 'We have a WIN-WIN-WIN-Situation. The most important: GAMAX' investment consultants are in good hands with Jung, DMS & Cie. and its MiFID and VVR conform consultancy technology and its wide service offers. Additionally Jung, DMS & Cie. benefit from synergy effects, and Consal from a larger partner network.' Aragon-CEO and chairman of Jung, DMS & Cie.'s board, Dr. Sebastian Grabmaier, adds: 'The transaction demonstrates Jung, DMS & Cie.'s extremely scalable business model – at the same time that of Aragon. We will continue to support our strong organic growth by further acquisitions, since we have proven our ability to integrate other pool companies quickly and to the distributing partners' satisfaction.' Contact: Aragon Aktiengesellschaft Achim Pfeffer Leiter Investor Relations Tel.: +49(0)611 890 575-574 Fax: +49(0)611 890 575-99 E-Mail: achim.pfeffer@aragon-ag.de 23.08.2007 Financial News transmitted by DGAP ----------------------------------------------------------------------