Acquisition

Compagnie de Saint-Gobain 21 June 2005 press release SAINT-GOBAIN ACQUIRES OPTIMERA GRUPPEN AS, NORWAY'S THIRD LARGEST DISTRIBUTOR OF BUILDING MATERIALS Saint-Gobain's Building Distribution Sector would like to announce the acquisition, through its Scandinavian holding company Saint-Gobain Nordic, of the Norwegian-based distributor of building materials, Optimera Gruppen AS. Optimera Gruppen AS reported sales of NOK 4.3 billion (€ 514 million) in 2004, up 11.4% year-on-year. Its commercial network is made up of 95 branches, 81 in Norway and 14 in Sweden. Optimera Gruppen AS is Norway's third largest distributor of building materials, and the largest excluding sales generated with franchises. The group currently employs over 1,400 people. This acquisition enables Saint-Gobain's Building Distribution Sector, already established in Scandinavia since 2004 through the DAHL group, to enter the general trade market in Norway and Sweden. The completion of the transaction is subject to the approval of the relevant competition authorities. Saint-Gobain's Building Distribution Sector reported 2004 sales of €13.7 billion. It currently has more than 60,000 employees and a network of over 3,300 sales outlets located in 20 countries. It is the leading distributor of building materials in Europe and its main brands are Point.P, Jewson's, Raab Karcher, Dahl, Lapeyre la maison and La Plateforme du Batiment. June 21, 2005 Investor Relations Department Mme. Florence TRIOU-TEIXEIRA Tel. : +33 1 47 62 45 19 M. Alexandre ETUY Tel. : +33 1 47 62 37 15 Fax : +33 1 47 62 50 62 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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