Gigaset AG

Earnings Release • Sep 27, 2006

News Details

Corporate | 27 September 2006 11:05

ARQUES sells first real estate with a net volume of EUR 14 million

Corporate news transmitted by DGAP – a company of EquityStory AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. —————————————————————————— ARQUES sells first real estate with a net volume of EUR 14 million Starnberg, September 27, 2006 – The Starnberg-based equity investment company, ARQUES Industries AG (ISIN DE0005156004), announces the first two sales from the ARQUES group real estate portfolio with a net volume of more than EUR 14 million. These transactions represent the first steps in the previously announced sale of portions of the company’s real estate. Properties of the ARQUES subsidiary, Sommer Fahrzeugbau GmbH & Co. KG in Bremen, which were not necessary for operation, were sold by deed to the English Halverton Group for EUR 8.15 million net. The proceeds of these transactions remain within the ARQUES group as liquid assets. The sale price was above book value. The ARQUES subsidiary, ARQUANA International Print & Media AG, has also successfully sold real estate property rights of Evry Rotatives S.A.S. in Paris to British real estate investors. The sale only partly concerns properties necessary for operation. In this regard long-term leases were agreed upon on the existing level. Therefore operating profits will not be affected in the future. As purchase price, net proceeds of EUR 6 million were obtained. The sale price was above book value. The ARQUES group owns real estate with a total appraisal value significantly above EUR 100 million. Numerous investors have shown interest in the remaining real estate. Due diligence assessments are currently underway in this regard. Both package solutions and individual solutions are being negotiated. Sales proceeds are available for further acquisitions The sales proceeds not only increase the operational earnings within the company, but also increase the financial flexibility of ARQUES and/or ARQUANA for further acquisitions which may possibly still be concluded in this financial year. The executive board was pleased that both trades were above book value. ‘This illustrates that conservative measures were applied to the purchase price allocation.’ With the largest takeover to date, that of the former Degussa subsidiary Oxxynova (sales volume approx. EUR 200 million), ARQUES announced the tenth acquisition in the financial year 2006 on September 11. Thereby ARQUES has already exceeded its goal of annualised group revenues of one billion Euro. About ARQUES ARQUES Industries AG, Starnberg, (www.arques.de), is a turnaround specialist who focuses on the acquisition and the active restructuring of companies in transitional situations, in order to develop these, with its own team and own resources, to competitive enterprises with a positive yield. ARQUES revitalises its subsidiaries’ potential for creating value for the benefit of all its stakeholders, taking on the relevant social responsibility. ARQUES has made a duty of identifying underestimated companies with reduced survivability but with high appreciation potential, at the same time mastering complex company structures and transitional situations. The shares of ARQUES Industries AG are traded in the regulated market (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol ‘AQU’ (ISIN: DE0005156004) and are listed in the SDAX since September 19, 2005. Contact: ARQUES Industries AG Investor Relations & Corporate Communication Anke Lüdemann, CEFA/CIIA Tel.: +49 (0) 8151/ 651 0 Email: luedemann@arques.de (c)DGAP 27.09.2006 ————————————————————————— Language: English Issuer: ARQUES Industries AG Münchner Str. 15a 82319 Starnberg Deutschland Phone: +49 (0)8151 651-0 Fax: +49 (0)8151 651- 500 E-mail: info@arques.de WWW: www.arques.de ISIN: DE0005156004 WKN: 515600 Indices: SDAX Listed: Geregelter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr in Berlin-Bremen, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, München, Stuttgart End of News DGAP News-Service —————————————————————————