News Archive
Press releases and news
23.12.2017 // Donation drive at the Christmas party raises EUR270,000 for the AURELIUS Refugee Initiative
- Numerous projects successfully implemented in 2017
- Increased involvement planned for 2018, especially for integration projects in Germany
21.12.2017 // AURELIUS successfully closes the Studienkreis Group exit
- Selling price EUR 71.7 million
- Multiple of capital employed of 11.6x
- Significant increase in revenues and profitability after successful realignment by AURELIUS following acquisition in 2013
- Record dividend for 2017 of EUR 5.00 per share
21.12.2017 // Aurelius acquires UK-based Connect Books
- European multi-channel wholesaler, distributor and retailer of books with revenues of approx. EUR 250 million in 2017
- Non-core asset of UK-listed Connect Group as it focuses on its specialist logistics business
- Significant potential for the AURELIUS operating model
- Connect Books to be rebranded back to Bertram Group
20.12.2017 // AURELIUS Refugee Initiative e.V. supports “Plant-a-Talent”
- Non-profit organisation places refugees in vacant jobs
- Work as a key element for integration
- More than 125 candidates already placed successfully
19.12.2017 // AURELIUS portfolio company Cargill Animal Nutrition Switzerland renamed “Granovit”
- Rebranding to be completed by early February 2018
- Customer focus to be even stronger in future
14.12.2017 // AURELIUS School for Syrian refugee children in Turkey
- AURELIUS Refugee Initiative e.V. to fund a school for Syrian refugees in Turkey
- Improved prospects of a return to their home country for refugee children and their families after the conflict in Syria has ended
12.12.2017 // AURELIUS subsidiary SILVAN opens new DIY centre
06.12.2017 // AURELIUS subsidiary Office Depot Europe solidly on the path to sustained profitability and growth
- Comprehensive turnaround program until mid-2019
- Stronger focus on e-commerce and customer satisfaction
- Initial positive results of Realignment
05.12.2017 // AURELIUS Executive Board to propose payment of record dividend of EUR 5.00 per share
- Base dividend rises to EUR 1.50 per share (+ 50 %)
- Participation dividend from successful exits of EUR 3.50 per share
- Change in dividend policy – basic dividend raised permanently, dividends from this year’s exits to be spread over several years
- Current dividend return of over 9%
01.12.2017 // AURELIUS wins “Private Equity Turnaround of the Year” award for successful exit from Getronics
- Recognition by prestigious Institute for Turnaround (IFT) for the Group’s most successful exit to date
- Jury impressed by the strategic realignment and substantial growth of Getronics under the AURELIUS umbrella
30.11.2017 // AURELIUS expands Executive Board
- CFO Steffen Schiefer to become Executive Board Member
- Fritz Seemann to join the Executive Board with focus on realignment of portfolio companies
- Basis created for further growth
29.11.2017 // Aurelius acquires Spanish core board and solid board packaging specialist Abelan
- Deal represents Aurelius’ third acquisition in the European packaging sector since 2015
- Three manufacturing facilities in Spain and France
- Projected revenues of c.€70m in 2017
- Closing expected for end December 2017
22.11.2017 // AURELIUS sells Studienkreis Group
- Selling price EUR 71.7 million
- Significant increase in revenues and profitability after successful reorganisation by AURELIUS following acquisition in 2013
20.11.2017 // AURELIUS subsidiary Office Depot Europe is investing 20 million euros in E-commerce expansion
17.11.2017 // AURELIUS subsidiary GHOTEL continues to expand
- Three new hotel openings signed in Bochum and Düsseldorf
- GHOTEL group positioned as an approved franchisee
- Additional hotel projects in planning
06.11.2017 // AURELIUS acquires Cargill’s Switzerland-based animal feed business
- Extensive product and service know-how in animal feed with state-of-the-art production sites in Switzerland
- AURELIUS’ positioning as expert in complex carve-out situations again re-confirmed
27.10.2017 // AURELIUS Equity Opportunities: First nine months of 2017 characterized by successful transactions – EBITDA of the combined Group nearly quintupled
- Total consolidated revenues at EUR 3,133.7 million (+46% year-over-year)
- EBITDA of the combined Group at EUR 575.1 million (+371% year-over-year)
- Record exits of Secop and Getronics contributed substantially to the result
- NAV of portfoliorises to EUR 1,521.5 million despite dividends and share retirements
- Cash portfolio at a record level
- Outlook remains positive – financial year 2017 will be a new record year
06.09.2017 // AURELIUS sells Regain Polymers to Imerys
01.09.2017 // AURELIUS successfully completes acquisition of Danish do-it-yourself retail chain Silvan
- Already the fifth acquisition in the current financial year
- AURELIUS’s presence in Scandinavia pays off
- Transaction pipeline remains well filled
10.08.2017 // AURELIUS Equity Opportunities reports successful results for the first half of 2017
- Total consolidated revenues of EUR 2,282.9 million (+66% over H1 2016)
- Already four new acquisitions in the first half of 2017
- EBITDA for the combined group at EUR 303.0 million (+ 204% over H1 2016), positive earnings effects from record sales (SECOP, Getronics) to follow in the third quarter
- Operating EBITDA of Group companies at EUR 75.7 million (+59% over H1 2016)
- Net asset value rises to EUR 1,475.6 million, despite dividend payment and share retirement
- Record earnings expected for 2017; outlook is still very positive
01.08.2017 // AURELIUS Refugee Initiative e.V. supports "Haus des Lernens"
- Financing after-hours school tuition for Syrian refugee children in Lebanon
- Future prospects for refugee children and their families as incentives for staying close to their Syrian home
31.07.2017 // AURELIUS successfully closes sale of compressor manufacturer SECOP to the Nidec-Group
- Sales price EUR 185 million
- Approx. EUR 100 million positive effect on Group profit
- Two very successful disposals so far this year, with sales proceeds totaling more than EUR 400 million
- 2017 will be the most successful year in the history of AURELIUS
10.07.2017 // AURELIUS acquires Danish Do-It-Yourself retail chain Silvan
- One of the largest Do-It-Yourself retailers in the Nordic region
- AURELIUS’ positioning as expert in corporate spin-offs and difficult carve-outs re-confirmed
- AURELIUS' presence in Scandinavia continues to pay off
07.07.2017 // AURELIUS: Sale of the Getronics Group completed – Biggest exit in history
- Sales price EUR 220 million, cash multiple on money invested 18.5x
- Positive effect on EBITDA for the combined group of approx. EUR 160 million in third quarter 2017
- Successful repositioning as a respected ICT partner to medium-sized and large enterprises
- Substantial growth under the roof of AURELIUS through organic growth and strategic add-on acquisitions
- Buyer Bottega InvestCo has extensive experience with ICT services
06.07.2017 // AURELIUS sells the Getronics Group– Biggest exit in history
- Sales price EUR 220 million
- Successful repositioning as a respected ICT partner to medium-sized and large enterprises
- Substantial growth under the roof of AURELIUS through organic growth and strategic add-on acquisitions
- Buyer Bottega InvestCo has extensive experience with ICT services
27.06.2017 // AURELIUS wins “Turnaround of the Year/Small Company” at the TMA Europe Debtwire Award 2017
22.06.2017 // AURELIUS Equity Opportunities SE & Co. KGaA 1.00 per cent EUR 166,300,000 Convertible Bonds due 2020 (ISIN: DE000A168544) (the “Bonds”)
Capitalised terms not otherwise defined in this notice shall have the meaning given to them in the Terms and Conditions of the Bonds.
21.06.2017 // Press release on the 2017 Annual General Meeting
- Resolution adopted on record dividend of €4.00 per share
- Transparency will be further increased; in the future, NAVs will also be audited
- Record year 2017 expected: EBITDA should exceed the €500 million threshold
29.05.2017 // Post-Brexit uncertainty to drive increase in European divestment activity by corporates in 2017
- Special situations investors likely to be most active acquirers of non-core assets
19.05.2017 // AURELIUS acquires catamaran builder Privilège
- Privilège set to strengthen AURELIUS in the maritime sector
- Brand portfolio of AURELIUS subsidiary HanseYachts AG to be complemented
- Takeover of the Privilège shipyard in Les Sables-d’Olonne (France)
- Philosophy and production process of HanseYachts and Privilège very similar to a large extent
02.05.2017 // AURELIUS publishes good earnings for Q1 2017
- Quarterly figures positively impacted by the first-time consolidation of Office Depot Europe
- EBITDA for the combined group nearly tripled at EUR 293.2 million (Q1 2016: EUR 101.2 million)
- Operating EBITDA rises 69 percent for Group entities to EUR 41.3 million (Q1 2016: EUR 24.5 million)
- Successful SECOP exit: dividend proposal increased to EUR 4.00 per share, new share repurchase program launched
24.04.2017 // AURELIUS sells compressor manufacturer SECOP to the Nidec Group and doubles its dividend
- Sales price €185 m; AURELIUS earns approx. 11 times its invested capital after 7 years
- Largest exit in AURELIUS’ history
- Approx. EUR 100 m positive effect on Group profit
- Sustainable realignment of SECOP leads to strong revenue and earnings growth during AURELIUS’ ownership
- Strategic buyer Nidec with considerable synergy potential
- AURELIUS doubles its dividend proposal to EUR 4 per share
08.04.2017 // Detailed second statement by AURELIUS Equity Opportunities SE & Co. KGaA in response to Gotham’s additional assertions
02.04.2017 // Detailed statement by AURELIUS Equity Opportunities SE & Co. KGaA in response to Gotham’s assertions
30.03.2017 // AURELIUS successfully acquires AH Industries
29.03.2017 // AURELIUS publishes its 2016 annual report
- Provisional figures confirmed: total consolidated revenues increase by 44 percent to EUR 2.9 billion
- Operating performance positive despite the sale of profitable and the acquisition of unprofitable Group entities
- Fiscal year 2016 characterized by eight company acquisitions and seven exits
- Dividend proposal of EUR 2.00 per share; increase possible in the event of additional successful exits before the annual general meeting; expansion of share buybacks
- Solid balance sheet figures and further increase in net asset value to EUR 1.4 billion
- Positive outlook for the current 2017 fiscal year
28.03.2017 // Statement by AURELIUS Equity Opportunities SE & Co. KGaA on the short attack by Gotham City and outlook on the development of the business
- Allegations of short-seller Gotham unfounded and distorting reality
- Share buy-back stepped-up: EUR 50m immediately, additionally EUR 160m as of June 21, 2017
07.03.2017 // AURELIUS recognised at the prestigious Private Equity International Awards 2016
- AURELIUS wins “Special Situations/Turnaround firm of the Year” at the 2016 Private Equity International Awards
06.03.2017 // AURELIUS publishes provisional figures for 2016
- Further robust growth of total consolidated revenues to EUR 2.9 billion
- Satisfactory operating performance despite the acquisition of unprofitable and sale of profitable Group entities
- Fiscal year 2016 characterized by eight company acquisitions and seven sales
- Dividend proposal of EUR 2.00 per share, increase possible in the event of additional successful sales before the annual general meeting
- Solid financial resources permit considerable expansion of the share buyback program
02.03.2017 // AURELIUS acquires Wex Photographic
- Online retailer with half a million customers across the UK
- Integration with Calumet Photographic to offer significant synergies and create leading multi-channel, pan-European photographic retailer
- Combination of Wex Photographic with Calumet Photographic brings AURELIUS’ pan-European photographic retail businesses to combined revenues of EUR 175 million
27.02.2017 // Calumet Photographic with Gold Service award at the Amateur Photography ceremony in London
- Milton Keynes company scoops top customer service prize for sixth year running
02.01.2017 // AURELIUS completes its acquisition of Office Depot Europe
- Office Depot Europe boasts strong brands and Europe-wide set-up.
- Brisk transaction activity in 2016: Annualized consolidated revenues rise to approx. EUR 4.5 billion.