Acquisition

International Greetings PLC 27 May 2005 27 May 2005 International Greetings PLC International Greetings strengthened by major acquisition International Greetings PLC ('IG' or 'the Group') (AIM: IGR), the leading designer and manufacturer of private label greetings products, wrapping paper and film and television character based licensed stationery, today announces the acquisition of Anker International PLC ('Anker') for a total consideration of up to £35.5 million. Established in 1971, Anker is an international design, import and distribution business with offices and facilities in the United Kingdom, its primary market, and in Hong Kong and Holland. It supplies a wide assortment of greetings, festive, stationery and photographic gift products which both complement and add to the Group's existing ranges. For the year ended 31 December 2004 Anker's turnover amounted to £39 million, with an adjusted profit before tax* of £4.2 million. Net assets as at 31 December 2004 amounted to £20.4 million, including freehold property with a net book value of £13.2 million. The maximum total consideration for the acquisition is £35.5 million, which comprises £12.5 million payable by the issue of 3,294,242 new IG ordinary shares and £23 million in cash. £12.5 million of the cash consideration is payable on completion, with the balance of up to £10.5 million payable after 12 months, of which £0.5 million is dependent on Anker achieving a certain level of profitability. IG has today applied for the admission of these new ordinary shares to AIM. Paul Fineman, aged 45, Chief Executive of Anker, will join the board of International Greetings as an executive director, with immediate effect. Commenting, Nick Fisher, Joint Chief Executive of International Greetings said: 'The acquisition of Anker is a major step forward for the Group. The transaction further strengthens our international position and is immediately earnings enhancing. We expect to see additional synergy benefits in the future, as we explore many integration opportunities.' 'We are also delighted to welcome Paul Fineman to the Board. He brings with him a wealth of experience in Far East trading, which will be a major complement to our long standing manufacturing skills. Paul's contribution to the Group will be invaluable during our next important period of corporate growth.' * profit adjusted to : (a) exclude exceptional items, (b) normalise on-going director-related remuneration and expenses (c) apply accounting policies consistent with IG For further information: Nick Fisher, International Greetings PLC 01707 630630 Richard Sunderland, Tavistock Communications 020 7920 3150 About International Greetings: 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 1,000 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 series and the recently released Robots. The Group is based in the UK and continues to strengthen its position in Europe, having just moved its Dutch subsidiary, Hoomark, into a new 400,000 sq ft, storage, manufacturing and distribution facility. The Group also 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. International Greetings was founded by Anders Hedlund in 1979. It listed on AIM in 1995 and is currently capitalised at about £170 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
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