ITE establishes a presence in China

RNS Number : 2096T

ITE Group PLC

18 November 2013

ITE Group plc

("ITE" or the "Group")

ITE establishes a presence in China with the creation of Sinostar ITE Ltd

ITE Group plc, ("ITE") the international exhibitions group specialising in emerging and developing markets, today announces that its wholly owned subsidiary, International Trade and Exhibitions Overseas Ltd, has successfully established a 50:50 Joint Venture ("Sinostar ITE"), with Hong Kong based Worldcoat Exhibitions Ltd ("Worldcoat").

As part of the transaction, Sinostar ITE has acquired the ChinaCoat / SF China exhibition from Sinostar International Ltd, a company controlled by Mr Raymond Ho, owner of Worldcoat. ITE's investment in Sinostar ITE is c. £33m, financed out of the Group's existing cash and bank facilities and is expected to be earnings enhancing in the current financial year.

The ChinaCoat / SF China exhibition serves the paints, coatings and surface finishing industries in China and the surrounding region. The exhibition is held in November each year and alternates between Shanghai and Guangzhou. The upcoming 2013 exhibition will be held in Shanghai, marking the 26th edition of this event, which is expected to sell more than 35,000m² net and be attended by over 30,000 professional visitors. The 2012 event, which took place in Guangzhou, was 31,000 m² net and had more than 28,000 visitors.

Out of the total consideration of c.£33m, c.£30m was paid on completion with the balance payable in June 2014 once Sinostar ITE's results for the period ended 31 March 2014 are available. The value of the gross assets being acquired is c. £33m. The total profits generated by the assets acquired by Sinostar ITE in the period ended 31 March 2013 was £6.5m.

The owner of Worldcoat and the current CEO of Sinostar International, Mr Raymond Ho, will become CEO of Sinostar ITE.

Commenting on the acquisition, ITE's Chief Executive Officer, Russell Taylor, said:

"ITE has taken an important step in building a business in China. I am delighted that the creation of Sinostar ITE, in partnership with Worldcoat, further increases our business presence in Asia. This move represents progress in achieving the Group's aims to expand its territorial operations in markets with further potential for growth.

"ChinaCoat / SF China is the leading coatings and finishings exhibition in China and Asia. The addition of these sectors to ITE's portfolio is consistent with our strategy of building market leading positions in key growth markets and sectors.

"ITE, in partnership with Worldcoat, will leverage its international exhibition expertise to continue to grow the existing exhibitions as well as developing a wider portfolio in this sector."

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