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M&A Activity • Apr 29, 2010

News Details

Corporate | 29 April 2010 10:18

ARQUES sells camping equipment specialist, Fritz Berger

ARQUES Industries AG / Miscellaneous

29.04.2010 10:18

Dissemination 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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• Exit after successful restructuring

• Positive net return

Munich, April 29, 2010. ARQUES Industries AG has sold the camping and
outdoor specialist, Fritz Berger, situated in Neumarkt (Bavaria), to a
strategic investor. The net return for ARQUES is within the middle,
single-digit millions range after consideration of minority interests, the
purchase price, transacted investments and profit distributions.

ARQUES acquired Fritz Berger in May 2006 from the erstwhile KarstadtQuelle
Group for a symbolic purchase price and fundamentally restructured the
company. In addition to developing medium-size structures and
re-establishing Fritz Berger's operational and financial independence,
ARQUES implemented measures for improving inventory control. After
comprehensively realigning the product range and repositioning the Fritz
Berger brand, ARQUES introduced a growth strategy for the company. In
February 2010 the longstanding management staff members, Alfons Mertens and
Wolfgang Haas, were appointed managing directors of Fritz Berger GmbH.

In 2009 Berger opened seven new leisure markets and in the first few months
of 2010 a further four branches were added to the branch network now
totalling 45. With approximately 240 employees the company expects to
generate revenues to the value of more than 48 million EUR in the current
year.

'The sale of Fritz Berger underlines the restructuring expertise of ARQUES
and proves that it is possible to sustainably develop companies in
economically difficult times. We wish Fritz Berger and its employees a
successful future', said Hans Gisbert Ulmke, Chief Executive Officer of
ARQUES.

About ARQUES

ARQUES Industries AG, Munich, (http://www.arques.de), is an equity
investment company focusing on the restructuring of companies in
transitional situations. ARQUES develops these companies, mainly acquired
within the context of company spin-offs, to competitive enterprises with a
positive yield in order to sell these afterwards with added value.

The shares of ARQUES Industries AG are traded in the Prime Standard of the
Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Symbol: AQU, ISIN: DE0005156004.

Contact:
ARQUES Industries AG
Investor Relations
Hubert Wiedemann
Email: wiedemann@arques.de
Tel: 089/ 25 55 00 - 330

29.04.2010 Ad hoc announcement, Financial News and Media Release distributed by DGAP.
Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de

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Language: English
Company: ARQUES Industries AG
Arnulf Office Park - Arnulfstraße 37-39
80636 München
Deutschland
Phone: +49 89/255500-0
Fax: +49 89/255500-200
E-mail: schneider@arques.de
Internet: www.arques.de
ISIN: DE0005156004
WKN: 515600
Indices: SDAX
Listed: Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr
in Berlin, Düsseldorf, München, Hamburg, Stuttgart

End of News DGAP News-Service

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