Aurelius SE & Co. KGaA

M&A Activity • Dec 19, 2008

News Details

Corporate | 19 December 2008 12:29

AURELIUS buys British Book Club Associates from Bertelsmann

AURELIUS AG / 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.

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• Acquisition of Britain’s biggest mail-order bookseller
• All shares acquired from DirectGroup Bertelsmann
• Group revenue in the mid double-digit million euro range

Munich, 19 December 2008 – The Munich-based industrial holding AURELIUS is
taking over the biggest British mail-order bookseller, Book Club Associates
(BCA), with effect from 1 January 2009. Contracts governing the transaction
have now been signed with BCA’s parent, Bertelsmann AG.

Beyond a traditional book club for general interest, Book Club Associates
also comprises six special-interest book clubs catering to different target
groups. The theme clubs cover everything from children’s books to Fantasy &
Science Fiction through to history books and collector’s publications. The
company currently counts almost 700,000 members. In 2008, BCA had total
revenue in the mid double-digit million euro range, generated exclusively
by the Club business.

In July, Bertelsmann had announced its plans to initiate the selling
process for DirectGroup’s operations in nine countries and thereby focus
DirectGroup’s business on the major European markets.

The takeover by AURELIUS shows that attractive companies in transition and
special situations can successfully be taken over abroad even without
having a subsidiary in that country. 'AURELIUS already has subsidiaries in
France, Ireland and Switzerland. Book Club Associates is the first company
we’ve bought in the UK,' comments Donatus Albrecht, the AURELIUS board
member in charge of acquisitions.

Commenting on the sale, BCA's CEO George Saul says, 'I am delighted that
this exciting deal was successfully concluded. Over the past four years we
have created a promising platform and I believe that AURELIUS will bring
the enthusiasm and expertise to BCA's business which will ensure that it
prospers in the future.'

After losses in the past, the company is expected to return to
profitability in 2009. The parties agreed to keep the purchase price
confidential. The transaction is expected to close by the end of January.

For more information on AURELIUS, we are happy to serve you:

Ingo Middelmenne
Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
Fon +49 (89) 544799 - 56
Fax +49 (89) 544799 - 55
ingo.middelmenne@aureliusinvest.de

About AURELIUS AG

AURELIUS AG with headquarters in Munich acquires medium-sized businesses
and group subsidiaries, which no longer correspond to the core business of
its former owner. AURELIUS also acquires companies with complex structures
and actively continues to develop them. With the help of a separate,
specialized task force the company lifts the potential for added value of
its subsidiaries for the benefit of all stakeholders and is well aware of
the related social responsibility. The shares of AURELIUS AG are traded in
the Open Market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ISIN: DE000A0JK2A8).

About the DirectGroup Bertelsmann

DirectGroup Bertelsmann is comprised of media clubs as well as bookstores
and internet, publishing and distribution businesses in 16 countries. Here,
the group operates an extensive sales network of more than 800 club centers
and bookstores. Its clubs include renowned brands like Der Club in Germany,
France Loisirs in France and Círculo de Lectores in Spain. DirectGroup is
France’s second-biggest book retailer with its Chapitre.com brand, and No.1
in Portugal with its Bertrand brand. In Spain, the Bertrand bookselling
chain is being expanded to reflect the development of its sister company in
Portugal. DirectGroup also draws on its decades of direct-marketing
expertise in the media business to sell other products to members and new
groups of customers. DirectGroup has its headquarters in Gütersloh,
Germany, and is wholly owned by Bertelsmann AG.

Press contact DirectGroup Bertelsmann:

Matthias Wulff
Senior Director Corporate Communications
Fon +49 (5241) 80 - 42403
Fax +49 (5241) 80 - 642403
matthias.wulff@bertelsmann.de
19.12.2008 Financial News transmitted by DGAP

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