GERRY WEBER International AG — M&A Activity 2011

Nov 17, 2011

News Details

Corporate | 17 November 2011 16:41

GERRY WEBER takes over leases from DON GIL to push ahead its international expansion

Gerry Weber International AG / Key word(s): Strategic Company Decision

17.11.2011 / 16:41

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Halle/Westphalia, 17 November 2011

GERRY WEBER takes over leases from DON GIL to push ahead its international
expansion

Yesterday's takeover of lease rights from bankrupt 'DON GIL' Textilhandel
GmbH marks the next step in the ongoing international expansion of GERRY
WEBER.

Up to this date, the Retail segment of GERRY WEBER has operated 23 own
HOUSES OF GERRY WEBER in Austria. After the conclusion of the bidding
procedure, Managing Director Thomas Kronefeld expressed his satisfaction:
'We are extremely pleased that we have been successful in this process.
This will enable us to put our expansion plans in Austria into practice
much faster than originally planned. All stores taken over are in prime
locations, both in the city centres and in the shopping centres. The
visibility of the additional locations will further increase the brandname
awareness of GERRY WEBER'. In the days ahead, the company will make a
detailed analysis and fine-tuning to identify those locations that will be
operated by GERRY WEBER and those that may be run by third parties. Most of
the 29 stores, which have a combined space in excess of 12,000 square
metres, will be operated by the company as HOUSES OF GERRY WEBER sell GERRY
WEBER Collection, GERRY WEBER Edition, G.W., TAIFUN and SAMOON.

GERRY WEBER has not yet decided what to do with the trademark and name
rights that were acquired in the process. Says Managing Director Ralf
Weber: 'If a third party is interested in the trademark rights, we might be
willing to enter into negotiations.'

In spite of the difficult situation of DON GIL, the qualified employees of
the company achieved a relatively high productivity of the DON GIL stores
in the past. This confirms the experience gained by GERRY WEBER that
Austria is a very profitable output market.

The takeover will further accelerate the expansion of GERRY WEBER's own
Retail activities, which had already been stepped up significantly in the
fiscal year that has just ended, when 64 new own stores were opened. Going
forward, the Group will therefore be able to focus even more strongly on
making inroads into new markets in Eastern Europe. With the first
company-run HOUSE OF GERRY WEBER just opened in Poland and more to follow
before the end of the calendar year, the activities now focus on the Czech
Republic and Slovakia. GERRY WEBER's excellent liquidity and equity
position will enable the company to finance future acquisitions in the
Retail segment from its own funds.

The takeover is subject to approval by the Austrian anti-trust authorities
and the Austrian cartel office.

Investor relations contact:
GERRY WEBER International AG
Jörg Stüber
Neulehenstraße 8
D - 33790 Halle/Westfalen
Tel.: +49 (0) 52 01 - 185 0
Fax: +49 (0) 52 01 - 5857
E-mail: j.stueber@gerryweber.de

End of Corporate News

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Language: English
Company: Gerry Weber International AG
Neulehenstraße 8
33790 Halle/Westfalen
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)5201 185-0
Fax: +49 (0)5201 5857
E-mail: j.stueber@gerryweber.de
Internet: www.gerryweber-ag.de
ISIN: DE0003304101
WKN: 330410
Listed: Regulierter Markt in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt (Prime
Standard); Freiverkehr in Berlin, Stuttgart

End of News DGAP News-Service

146859 17.11.2011