December 21, 2010

Acquisition of SCHOCK GmbH

Equita GmbH & Co. Holding KGaA has acquired SCHOCK GmbH, Regen. As part of the transaction, the management of SCHOCK Group also took a stake in the company. Former shareholder CMP bought the company 10 years ago when it was going through a difficult phase, before successfully restructuring the firm and in recent years turning it into one of the world’s leading providers of high-grade kitchen sinks, enjoying profitable growth on the basis of exclusive new products.

Schock is the inventor of the granite sink and has been the international technology and quality leader in the segment for more than 30 years. Around 75 percent of the 2 million coloured granite sinks produced annually in the world today are manufactured with the Schock method. The sinks are composed of 75 percent quartz, the hardest constituent of granite. Binding it with high-grade acrylic produces a premium product that is three times as hard as natural granite. Schock is the only producer to manufacture its granite sinks exclusively in Germany. Production operations at the company’s headquarters in the Bavarian Forest are certified according to the most stringent environmental standards, EMAS and ISO 14001. Production places high priority to the use of resource-saving technologies and natural, ecologically sound materials. The Schock product portfolio, with its CRISTADUR and CRISTALITE materials, provides a sink for every style of kitchen and any taste: modern, classic or country-style. Customers from more than 70 countries place their trust in Schock products. The SCHOCK Group, including subsidiaries OPTIGLUE and ACRYLSTONE, generated revenues of around EUR 34 million in 2010 with a workforce numbering approximately 210. EQUITA will work with the management to continue the company’s expansion, drawing upon the longstanding expertise of the SCHOCK Group and its employees.

Background
EQUITA is an independent investment holding company headquartered in Bad Homburg, which invests in small and medium-sized enterprises in German-speaking countries. EQUITA, a company which developed out of the entrepreneurial tradition of the Harald Quandt family, generally takes a majority stake in companies offering significant potential for growth and value creation. Equita GmbH & Co. Holding KGaA has no limitation on its investment period, enabling it to invest in companies for the long term. SCHOCK is the 26th company to be acquired by EQUITA since 1992. There are currently eight other companies in EQUITA’s portfolio besides SCHOCK. Please refer to the website www.equita.de for more details.

CMP is an investment company specialised in acquiring and restructuring small and medium-sized enterprises in critical situations. Since its inception in 2000, CMP has invested or managed EUR 150 million in nine different companies. Besides making capital available, CMP also takes responsibility for the operational management of the companies in which it invests. Schock is now the eighth company to be sold from CMP’s portfolio. Please refer to the website www.cm-p.de for more information on CMP.

For more Information:

Equita Management GmbH

Dr. Michael Hönig
Telephone: +49-6172 9441-0
michael.hoenig@equita.de
www.hqequita.com

More Information to CMP:

Kai Brandes
Telephone: +49 30 39 40 69 0
kai.brandes@cm-p.de
www.cm-p.de