Acquisition
International Greetings PLC
22 March 2007
Under embargo until 0700, 22 March 2007
INTERNATIONAL GREETINGS PLC
('International Greetings' or 'the Group')
Acquisition of German gift wrap company
-Strategy of consolidation and international expansion underlined-
International Greetings PLC (AIM: IGR), the leading designer and manufacturer of
private label greetings products and film and television character based
licensed stationery, today announces that its Netherlands' based subsidiary,
Hoomark, has acquired Eick Pack GmbH & Co. KG ('Eick Pack'), a German
manufacturer of gift wrap counter rolls, which are specifically made for
in-store gift wrapping by retailers.
The acquisition will provide International Greetings with a further European
platform through which it can sell its existing products, as well as a new
product range for potential and existing clients.
The maximum consideration for the acquisition is €510,000 (including shareholder
loan repayments), €255,000 of which is deferred based on future performance
targets. Eick Pack, which has been trading for 70 years, is located in north
west Germany and has an annual turnover of approximately €3 million, 80% of
which is derived in Germany, with the remainder coming from the rest of Europe.
This acquisition underlines the Group's stated strategy of increasing its focus
on international growth in order to reduce its exposure to the UK retail sector.
Whilst trading in the UK continues to be challenging, the Group's 2007 earnings
will show an improvement over the previous year, underpinned by growth in
International Greetings' existing overseas operations.
The Company also announces that it is in the latter stages of negotiations with
regard to a number of potential acquisitions in the UK and abroad, in accordance
with its acquisition strategy.
Joint Chief Executive, Nick Fisher, commented: 'As the foremost market
consolidator in our sector, the acquisition of Eick Pack further underlines our
commitment to the growth of International Greetings' presence in continental
Europe. Additionally, it complements our existing gift wrap activities and
provides entry into all our markets for retail in-store gift wrapping services.
'With our associated product ranges and large customer base throughout Europe,
Eick Pack is a great platform for future growth in this sector of our market.'
For further information:
Nick Fisher, Joint Chief Executive, International Greetings plc: 01707 630 630
Richard Sunderland, Tavistock Communications: 020 7920 3150
Notes to Editors:
International Greetings PLC is a leading designer and manufacturer of private
label wrapping paper, greetings products and film and television character based
licensed stationery. It currently has over 2,000 employees and produces gift
wrapping paper, gift tags, ribbons, Christmas crackers, greeting cards and other
decorative accessories.
The Group provides wrapping paper and gift products to most of the major high
street retailers and holds the licences to produce merchandise for most of the
well-known family blockbusters, including the Harry Potter and Shrek series and
the forthcoming Simpsons Movie.
International Greetings was founded by Anders Hedlund in 1979 and has successful
operations in the United States, Hong Kong and, as part of its continued
worldwide expansion, has recently opened facilities in China and Latvia. The
Company has a strong platform for growth in Europe, through its Dutch based
Hoomark subsidiary and, in May 2005, it acquired Anker International, an
international design, import and distribution business with interests in the UK,
Holland and Hong Kong for a consideration of £35.5 million. Anker International
supplies a wide assortment of greetings, festive, stationery and photographic
gift products, which both complement and add to the Group's existing ranges.
International Greetings listed on AIM in 1995 and is currently capitalised at
about £190 million.
Further information is available at www.internationalgreetings.co.uk
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange