Corporate | 26 May 2009 12:14
Mutares AG / Mergers & Acquisitions/Acquisition 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Effective June 1, 2009 mutares AG, Munich, will acquire the Primera Group with the brands Laurèl, apriori and cavita from ESCADA AG, Aschheim (Munich). While Laurѐl is an established premium brand in the diffusion segment, the brands apriori and cavita target the bridge and medium segments. The brand BiBA is excluded from this transaction. With their key sales markets in Europe and Asia, Laurèl, apriori, and cavita have generated about EUR 100 m in revenues last year. All brands offer high quality womenswear exclusively. Robin Laik, founder and member of the executive board of mutares, looks ahead after the successful closing of the negotiations. 'After very constructive meetings with Escada we are taking over some of the most renowned brands in the fashion industry. Our goal is to further advance the significant potential of Primera's brands.' Dr. Thomas Kleinhenz, formerly managing director of PUMA Germany and director of M&A at mutares, is set to get involved operationally at Primera Group. 'Together with the teams in Münster and Munich, we plan to quickly return to the brand's former strength. The right measures will enable us to recapture the market positions of Laurèl, apriori and cavita and strengthen them further.' mutares AG, Munich (http://www.mutares.de/), acquires midsized companies in whole and in part, which are sold as a result of a repositioning process at their owners and which exhibit a clear operational improvement potential. Getting engaged with their own teams, mutares actively supports their portfolio companies to generate a significant value increase. The focus of the operational work is to ensure sustainable, long-term growth. The stocks of mutares AG are listed at the Open Market segment of the Frankfurt stock exchange (symbol: MUX, ISIN: DE000A0SMSH2). For further information, we gladly receive your request at: mutares AG Susanne Staudt Investor Relations & Corporate Communications Ph: +49 (0)89 9292776-0 Fax: +49 (0)89 9292776-22 info@mutares.de 26.05.2009 Financial News transmitted by DGAP ----------------------------------------------------------------------