Investment in SuperStroy

Aurora Russia Limited 21 December 2007 21st December 2007 Aurora Russia Limited invests £16.1 million for a 24.3% stake in SuperStroy, the largest DIY retailer in the Urals region Aurora Russia Limited ('Aurora Russia'), the AIM-quoted investment vehicle established to make equity or equity-related investments in small and mid-sized private companies in Russia, announces an investment of £16.1 million in cash for a 24.3% stake in Grindelia Holdings Limited which owns 99.5% of the retail chain which operates under the brands 'SuperStroy' and 'StroyArsenal' ('SuperStroy' or the 'Company'). Superstroy is the largest DIY retailer in the Urals region of Russia, home to approximately 20 million people. Aurora Russia's investment will take the form of new equity and will be used to redeem certain existing loans and finance the further expansion of the Company's retail chain in and beyond the Urals region. SuperStroy is the fourth company that Aurora Russia has invested in since its admission to AIM in March 2006. Aurora Russia's three other investments are OSG Records Management, the leading records management company in Russia, Kreditmart, a leading Russian mortgage broker and Unistream, Russia's leading international money transfer company. Of the £71.5 million net funds raised by Aurora in March 2006, £56.8 million has now been committed. Aurora retains a healthy pipeline of potential investment opportunities in the business, consumer and financial services sectors in Russia. About SuperStroy SuperStroy opened its first store in 1994 and is now the largest DIY retailer in the Urals. The Company has successfully expanded its retail network and geographical presence with strong and well-recognised brands. By the end of 2007, the Company will be operating 34 stores comprising 31 SuperStroy stores and three StroyArsenal hypermarkets with a total selling space of more than 53,000 m2. The SuperStroy stores are generally 500 to 2,500 m2 in size with the larger StroyArsenal hypermarkets ranging between 7,000 and 12,000 m2. SuperStroy is a market leading DIY brand in the major Russian cities of Yekaterinburg which is Russia's third largest city, Ufa, Tyumen and Perm. For the year ended 31 December 2006, the Company generated revenues of approximately 2.7 billion Roubles (£54 million at the current exchange rate). Revenue for the 2007 financial year is expected to be about 4.4 billion Roubles (£88.2 million), an increase of 63% from the prior year. Plans for growth The Company intends to grow its store portfolio to 74 stores, encompassing a total selling space of approximately 290,000 m2, by the end of 2011. SuperStroy will initially focus on developing the business in cities with populations of more than 0.5 million people. The DIY market in Russia Over the past 5 years, the average annual growth rate of consumption per capita in DIY goods in Russia has been the highest among the Eastern European countries (Source: Euromonitor). The Russian DIY market is forecast to grow at approximately 12% per annum in the 2007 to 2011 period and the regions are expected to be the key driver of this growth. In 2006, the overall DIY market size in Russia was estimated to be between $7.8 billion and $10.2 billion. Of this total market, about 60% was attributed to the Moscow and St. Petersburg markets and only about 30% attributed to DIY chain retail (non-chain retail includes construction markets, exhibition malls, etc). The Russian DIY market currently lacks strong federal and regional players and SuperStroy's strategy is to enhance its position as the regional market leader. The Russian DIY market also provides consolidation opportunities, as the 5 top players only control about 16% of the market in monetary terms. Expenditure on DIY products per capita is substantially lower than in other Eastern European countries, indicating further room for growth in the Russian DIY market over the next 5 to 7 years. According to Euromonitor's estimates, by 2011 DIY goods consumption in Russia will reach €68.3 per capita up from €42.9 at the end of 2006, an increase of approximately 60%. Commenting on the investment, John McRoberts, Director of Aurora Russia Limited, said: 'The investment in SuperStroy gives Aurora Russia a 24.3% stake in the No.1 DIY retailer in the Urals region. This adds to our impressive portfolio of market leading Russian companies which include Unistream, which recently became the No.1 international money transfer company in Russia by volumes transferred, Kreditmart, fast becoming the No.1 mortgage broker and OSG, the No.1 records management company in Russia.' Commenting on the investment, Kataev Vladimir Borisovich, General Director of SuperStroy, said: 'We are delighted to have Aurora Russia as a major investor. Aurora have the expertise and strong track record of investing in leading and growing Russian companies, we are convinced that we have a partner who can further drive our impressive growth.' Enquiries: Aurora Russia Limited James Cook, Moscow +7 495 644 1662 John McRoberts, London +44 20 7839 7112 Financial Dynamics Ed Gascoigne-Pees +44 20 7269 7132 Felicity Murdoch +44 20 7269 7243 Notes to Editors: About Aurora Russia Aurora Russia floated on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange on 24 March 2006. The Company has been established to make equity or equity related investments in small and midsized private Russian companies focused on the financial, business and consumer services sectors where the Directors believe there is potential for growth together with viable exit opportunities within two to four years of making such investments. The Company intends to provide its investee companies with the necessary capital to continue to expand and develop. The Manager shall provide hands-on operational support to deliver significant step changes in performance and value creation. Aurora Russia targets companies with Enterprise Values of up to approximately £100 million and seeks to secure blocking or controlling stakes and board representation. The Company intends generally to take equity stakes of greater than 20% in each portfolio company. It is anticipated that each equity investment will typically be between £5 million and £25 million. For more information please visit www.aurorarussia.com This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange AUARBORUUAA
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