WENDEL : MATERIS FINALIZES THE SALE OF CHRYSO

The transaction to sell Chryso to LBO France, initiated in August 2014, has obtained all necessary agreements and authorizations and has been finalized.
                                          
The transaction values Chryso at an enterprise value of ca. €290 million after fees or 8.3x 2013 EBITDA, and the proceeds will enable Materis to repay ca. €125 million of the €150 million shareholder loan provided by Wendel in August 2014.
                                                     
Following the sales of Kerneos and ParexGroup in March and June 2014, respectively, and the refinancing transactions carried out over the summer, Materis has:

• generated total proceeds of €1.7 billion;
• reduced its net debt to €275 million, or ca. 4x EBITDA (on a seasonally-adjusted basis);
• reduced its average borrowing cost from Euribor+6% to Euribor+4.75%;
• fully refocused its operations on its Paints business.

Wendel plans to maintain its role as an active shareholder supporting the Materis Paints management team and will help drive business expansion in the coming years.

About Wendel
Wendel is one of Europe's leading listed investment firms. The Group invests internationally, in companies that are leaders in their field, such as Bureau Veritas, Saint-Gobain, Materis, Stahl and IHS in Africa. Wendel plays an active role as industry shareholder in these companies. It implements long-term development strategies, which involve boosting growth and margins of companies so as to enhance their leading market positions. Through Oranje-Nassau Développement, which brings together opportunities for investment in growth, diversification and innovation, Wendel is also a shareholder of Van Gansewinkel Groep in the Netherlands, exceet in Germany, Mecatherm and Parcours in France, Nippon Oil Pump in Japan and Saham Group in Africa. 
Wendel is listed on Eurolist by Euronext Paris.
Standard & Poor's ratings: Long-term: BBB-, stable outlook - Short-term: A-3 since July 7, 2014.
Wendel is the Founding Sponsor of Centre Pompidou-Metz. In recognition of its long-term patronage of the arts, Wendel received the distinction of "Grand Mécène de la Culture" on March 23, 2012.

Press contacts                                                                                                                                           Analyst and investor contacts

Christine Anglade-Pirzadeh: +33 (0)1 42 85 63 24                                                                               Olivier Allot: +33 (0)1 42 85 63 73