AURELIUS Equity Opportunities & : subsidiary Conaxess Trade Norway acquires Galleberg AS

AURELIUS subsidiary Conaxess Trade Norway acquires Galleberg AS

- Strategic add-on acquisition doubles revenues of Conaxess Trade Norway to more than 45 million euros

- Increased market share and new distribution channels

Søborg (Denmark) / Skedsmokorset (Norway), January 8, 2018 - The Conaxess Trade Group, an exclusive distributor of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) to large-scale retail organizations in Europe, acquires Galleberg AS, one of Norway's leading distributors of brands to grocery, convenience, horeca and health- / lifestyle shops. The company is headquartered in Skedsmokorset near Oslo, vendor of Galleberg is the Styrmoe family. This add-on acquisition nearly doubles the size of Conaxess Trade Group in Norway to more than 45 million euro in revenues per year and aims at increasing the market share in Norway by expanding its FMCG portfolio and exploring new distribution channels based on strong sales capabilities. Olaf J. Styrmoe, owner and Chairman of Galleberg will join the Board of Directors of the combined company and bring in his expertise regarding brand owners and customers. The financial terms of the deal are undisclosed.

Conaxess Trade employs around 500 employees across Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, Austria and Germany and is operating as an exclusive distributor within FMCG reaching more than 130 million consumers, handling marketing, sales as well as physical distribution for many strong brands. Since 2016, Conaxess Trade is a subsidiary of AURELIUS Equity Opportunities SE & Co. KGaA (ISIN DE000A0JK2A8).

Nils Haase, Vice President of AURELIUS and responsible for the realignment of Conaxess Trade: "We are very pleased about Conaxess' acquisition of Galleberg. The deal provides Conaxess with additional market expertise, and will strengthen its market position to offer even better services to our brand owners. Furthermore, we are confident that Conaxess will also benefit from synergy effects of this add-on acquisition."

Olaf J. Styrmoe, owner and Chairman of Galleberg AS: "Conaxess' acquisition of Galleberg is of course a turning point. It marks the end of 95 years of successful family business. Likewise, it is the beginning of a promising future that opens up new perspectives to our employees and continued growth for our brand owners."
 

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AURELIUS Group is a pan-European asset manager with offices in Munich, London, Stockholm and Madrid. Over the last ten years AURELIUS has grown from a local turnaround investor to an international multi-asset manager investing in a wide range of sectors and across the capital structure.

AURELIUS Equity Opportunities SE & Co. KGaA (ISIN: DE000A0JK2A8, Ticker Symbol: AR4) represents the listed entity within the AURELIUS Group that focusses on investing in Special Situations and MidMarket transaction opportunities. AURELIUS Equity Opportunities currently has 22 portfolio companies located across Europe which employ around 20,500 people and generate annual revenues of more than EUR 3.5 billion. The shares of AURELIUS Equity Opportunities are traded on all German stock exchanges with a market capitalization of c. EUR 1.7 billion as of December 2017.

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About Conaxess Trade Group

Conaxess Trade is an exclusive distributor of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) to large-scale retail organizations and alternative sales channels. Conaxess (former: Valora Trade) proudly represents some 300 prestigious brand owners of branded food and non-food goods. The Conaxess Trade Group maintains distribution organizations in all Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland) as well as in the German-speaking countries ( Austria and Switzerland). Conaxess is a long-term partner providing regional market access to FMCG products for its customers and business partners and also offering comprehensive, tailor-made services across the entire value chain - from market intelligence and key account management to trade marketing and category management all the way through to purchasing, logistics, warehousing and point-of-sale services. Since 2016 Conaxess Trade is owned by AURELIUS, which is one of the leading European investment groups, with a long-term investment horizon and offices in Munich, London, Madrid and Stockholm.

About Galleberg AS

Galleberg AS is one of Norway's leading importers of brands to grocery, convenience, horeca and health- / lifestyle shops. The Galleberg headquarter is located at Skedsmokorset near Oslo. The company has 33 employees and a turnover in 2016 of 180 million Norwegian kroner (18 million euros). Galleberg AS was established in 1922 by Jørgen Galleberg, and is still family-owned. Galleberg distributes exclusively FMCG to the Norwegian market, and is currently represented in the categories of Confectionery, Snacks & Biscuits, Food & Beverages, Lifestyle and Home & Personal. Gallebergs services include transport, import, customs clearance, commodity registration, customer negotiations, category development, marketing, operational sales and merchandising.