Bilia — M&A Activity 2018

Sep 3, 2018

Pressmeddelande Press info

Bilia has today reached an agreement to acquire a BMW and MINI dealer in Flandern, Belgium. The operations are run in the companies Verstraeten NV and Gent Store by Verstraeten BVBA. The companies had during the last three years a yearly turnover of about SEK 750 M and an operating profit of about SEK 40 M. The number of employees amounts to around 60 persons. The operation's capital employed, plus agreed-on surplus values, amounts to about SEK 270 M. The agreement also includes take-over of two facilities, where the operations are run, at a value of about SEK 100 M. The facilities are leased with an option to acquire the facilities. The yearly leasing cost, charged to the operations amounts to about SEK 7 M. The deal will increase the Bilia Group's capital employed and net debt by a total of about SEK 370 M.

The closing is expected to take place during the fourth quarter. This agreement is subject to approval by the Belgian Competition Authorities.

"It's gratifying that we today, in line with our growth strategy, can welcome another BMW and MINI dealer to the Bilia Group. Verstraeten and Gent Store are well established and very well managed companies, that will create opportunities for increased growth and future synergies with Bilia's other business in Belgium and Luxembourg" says Managing Director, Per Avander, Bilia AB.

Former owners Pascale De Paepe and Benoit Verstraeten says: "We are happy, that our business since 25 years back will have the opportunity to develop together with the Bilia Group. As a member of the future board of the company, we will have the advantage of following the future development of the business."

"We are confident, that Bilia will develop the BMW dealership Verstraeten and MINI Gent Store further as they have already done in Luxembourg city and the province of Luxembourg in Belgium with Bilia-Emond. This will strengthen our customer experience and our strategy to a future professional dealer network" says Eddy Haesendonck, BMW's Group President and CEO, Belgium.

Pressmeddelande Press info

Gothenburg, 3 September 2018

Bilia AB (publ)

For further information, please contact CEO Per Avander or CFO Kristina Franzén, Bilia AB, tel: +46 10 497 70 00.

This is information that Bilia AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, on 3 September 2018, at 10:45 a.m. CET.

Bilia offers car sales, service and supplementary services and is one of Europe's largest car chains with operations in Sweden, Norway, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium. Bilia reported a turnover of SEK 27.5 bn in 2017 and had 4,708 employees.

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