Connecta and Albatros Network A/S (Denmark) conclude agreement

Connecta and Albatros Network A/S (Denmark) conclude agreement Following the customary study of acquisition transactions, Connecta has today signed a final agreement covering acquisition of Albatros Network A/S, a Danish Internet-consulting company. The purchase price is SEK 69 M. Albatros Network A/S, with approximately 60 employees, has offices in Copenhagen and Århus. Albatros Network is a leader in the business-to-business field in Denmark and works primarily with customers in the banking and finance, industrial and retail sectors. Its clients include Day2Day.dk, Bestseller, Danfoss, Dansk Industri and Oticon. Albatros Network began operations in Århus in 1996 and opened an office in Copenhagen in 1999. Its business has grown by approximately 50 percent annually. Sales this year are expected to amount to approximately SEK 45 M. Albatros Network's growth areas are in industries where Connecta has been highly successful. Albatros Network's assignments for customers are focused on strategic business development, with the Internet as a medium. Connecta AB and Information Highway AB are planning to merge. This will create one of Europe's largest Internet-consulting firms, with 1,200 employees. Information Highway has had business in Denmark since 1999 and at the end of that year it acquired the operations of ELK, a Danish Internet company with 27 employees and core expertise in complex Internet solutions. Information Highway has a approximately 40 employees in Copenhagen and also has operations in Malmö with about 30 persons. Including Albatros Network A/S and Information Highway's acquisition of Pyramid in Helsingborg, Connecta/Information Highway will have a total of 170 employees in the Öresund Region (Malmö-Helsingborg-Copenhagen-Århus). "We view our first foreign acquisition as a springboard to the Continent," says Christer Jacobsson, Connecta's president and CEO. "Together with Information Highway, we will now become the strongest Internet company in the Öresund area, where we see an enormous growth potential." "Before we established contact with Connecta, we were approached by a large number of companies, many of whom were skilled but who lacked Connecta's total approach, primarily with respect to what large companies and organizations expect from an Internet-consulting company," says Hans Henrik Højberg, the president of Albatros Network A/S. "In Connecta/Information Highway we have found the perfect partner and now, together with ELK in Copenhagen, we can build an extremely strong company here in Denmark." With the acquisition of Albatros Network, Connecta will have nearly 600 employees in the Nordic Region. Connecta's clients are primarily large multinational companies. In addition to operations in Sweden, Connecta currently has projects in Denmark, England and Germany. In addition to members of management, the sellers of Albatros Network A/S include EDB Gruppen A/S, a publicly listed company. For additional information, please contact: Christer Jacobsson, President, Connecta AB (publ) Tel.: +46-8 412 30 00 Mobile: +46-70 571 74 47 E-mail: christer.jacobsson@connecta.se Hans Henrik Højberg, President, Albatros Network A/S Tel.: +45-44 74 75 83 Mobile: +45-22 49 83 83 E-mail: hhh@albatros.dk Connecta [www.connecta.se] Connecta AB is an international consulting company that works in the area of business development with the Internet. The company offers services in the following areas: Strategy, Internet and Human Resource Management. With its "total approach" concept, Connecta can be a full-service supplier to large companies and organizations and can offer consulting services that strengthen its customers' business ability in the new digital economy. Connecta, which was founded in 1993, today has approximately 580 employees. The company's shares are listed on the "O" List of the Stockholm Stock Exchange. The chief executive officer is Christer Jacobsson. Connecta is supplying solutions for SEB, Skandia, Ericsson, Folksam, Volkswagen and Thompson (Fritidsresor), among other clients. Information Highway [www.infohwy.se] Information Highway helps companies take advantage of business opportunities in the new network economy. We strengthen the competitiveness of our customers and make them successful in the digital arena by supplying Internet-based solutions that are characterized by business acumen, creativity and cutting-edge technical expertise. "A safe ride to the new economy." Information Highway was founded in 1994 and 540 persons are currently employed in the company's Business, Interactive and Technology Consulting sectors in ten locations in Sweden, as well as in Norway, Denmark, Finland and England. The company's shares are listed on the "O" List of the Stockholm Stock Exchange. The chief executive officer is Göran Wägström. Information Highway has a customer base of approximately 300 companies and is providing solutions for ABB, Ericsson, Telia, ATG, Fondex, SAS, Stadium, SMHI and Locus Medicus. ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/03/14/20000314BIT00220/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/03/14/20000314BIT00220/bit0002.pdf