Disposal & Acquisition

The Vitec Group PLC 08 December 2003 8 December 2003 The Vitec Group plc ('Vitec') Disposal and Acquisition Introduction Vitec, the international supplier of products, services and solutions to the Broadcast, Entertainment and Media industries, announces that it has entered into a conditional agreement to sell ALU to Manfrotto SA for a total cash consideration of £11.88 million. In addition, Vitec has conditionally agreed to purchase from Lino Manfrotto the part of the headquarters of its Italian operations in Campese that it does not own for £0.55 million, plus any attributable Italian VAT. Manfrotto SA is a company controlled by a trustee associated with Lino Manfrotto and Abramo Manfrotto. Lino Manfrotto and Abramo Manfrotto are directors of a number of Vitec subsidiary undertakings. Abramo Manfrotto is a director of ALU. Consequently the transactions constitute related party transactions under the Listing Rules and are conditional upon the approval of shareholders, which will be sought at an Extraordinary General Meeting. A circular setting out the full details of the transactions and convening the Extraordinary General Meeting will be posted to shareholders shortly. Information on ALU ALU designs, manufactures and distributes flexible retail fixture systems, primarily in North America and Europe. The business sells a range of modular flexible standard products which are designed and manufactured or sourced in Italy. Some standard accessories, such as shelving, are also sourced locally in North America and Scandinavia. ALU sells directly to retailers in its main markets, and through distributors in other markets. In the year ended 31 December 2002, ALU's profit before interest and tax was £1.6 million on turnover of £17.8 million, and net assets, including the property used by ALU, were £11.3 million. Details of the disposal Most of Vitec's businesses operate principally within the broadcast, media and entertainment industries. However, ALU supplies the retail display market, has a different customer base from Vitec's other businesses, and manufactures products which are distinct from those sold by Vitec in Italy. Therefore, ALU has for some time been identified as non-core by Vitec. The cash consideration for the disposal is £11.88 million, £11 million of which is payable on completion of the transaction, with the balance being paid over a two year period following completion. Receipts from the sale will be used to pay down Vitec's current borrowings and as working capital to facilitate the Group's future core business initiatives. The disposal contract includes a five year supply agreement for products made in Manfrotto facilities, and a number of agreements for the provision of IT and admin services to ALU. As previously announced, ALU is presently upgrading some products for a major customer, for which a provision of 1.5 million euros was taken in the first half of the year. While the amount of work involved is proving to be higher than initially expected, it is presently not possible to estimate with any precision the final overall cost. Under the agreement, Vitec assumes liability below 2.8 million euros, with any excess shared equally with ALU, up to an overall cap on Vitec's liability of 4 million euros. On completion of the disposal, Abramo Manfrotto will continue to work for Vitec's subsidiary, Gruppo Manfrotto SrL, for at least three months in order to effect a smooth handover to his successor. Thereafter, he will operate in a non-executive role at the subsidiary. Acquisition of the Group's Italian headquarters in Campese Vitec, through its wholly owned subsidiary Reco SrL, has entered into a conditional agreement with Lino Manfrotto to pay £0.55 million (to be paid in full in cash on completion of the transaction), plus any attributable Italian VAT, to gain total ownership of the site of the Group's Italian headquarters in Campese, which is currently partly owned by Lino Manfrotto. -Ends- Notes to Editors - About The Vitec Group The Vitec Group supplies a wide range of equipment and services to the broadcasting, entertainment, photographic and retail display industries. Its products are distributed in nearly 100 countries, either through dealerships or direct to the end user or corporate sector, and it has manufacturing facilities in five countries. The Vitec Group is a major force in its chosen specialised fields. More information can be found at: www.vitecgroup.com. Contacts: Gareth Rhys Williams Telephone: 020 8939 4650 The Vitec Group Rob Gurner Telephone: 020 7269 7221 Financial Dynamics This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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