SIGNA RETAIL TO BUY INTERNETSTORES FROM EQT EXPANSION CAPITAL AND RENÉ MARIUS KÖHLER

• EQT Expansion Capital II sells its entire investment in internetstores
• The partnership with SIGNA Retail will greatly help internetstores to successfully enforce its multi-channel business, internetstores will support SIGNA Retail in its international e-commerce strategy
• Management stays on board. Markus Winter becomes CEO and founder René Marius Köhler becomes chairman of the board

Esslingen, November 8th 2016

Internetstores Holding GmbH, Europe’s leading e-commerce company in bike and outdoor sets its future course and has found a new strong partner in SIGNA Retail. EQT Expansion Capital II Limited („EQT Expansion Capital II“) sells its entire investment in internetstores after 4 very successful years.

The transaction is the next logical step in internetstores’ growth strategy. Since it was founded in 2003 by René Marius Köhler, the company has been one of the few profitably growing German e-commerce companies. Supported by EQT Expansion Capital II since 2012, internetstores has strengthened its position as the leading European online retailer for bike and outdoor by emphasizing technology and logistics as well as by a systematic focus on efficient internationalization. Shops in seven new European countries have been established, and Addnature, the market leader in Swedish outdoor e-commerce has been acquired and successfully integrated. Since 2012, internetstores has achieved annual growth of ~30%.

Based on the combination of online and offline competencies and channels, the two partners are confident of a successful joint development. internetstores will preserve its independence.

“This is an important strategic step for both parties. After several successful years of profitable growth with EQT, we are now happy to have found a new strong partner in SIGNA Retail for the next phase of the development of internetstores,” comments the founder René Marius Köhler.

“With internetstores we have shown how you can combine e-commerce and excellent service.The excellent platform of SIGNA Retail will help us to develop our business faster and even more efficiently, with particular upside potential in multi-channel”, says Markus Winter, CEO of internetstores. In return, the best-in-classe-commerce and internationalization competencies of internetstores would greatly benefit the retail strategy of SIGNA Retail.

Jens Zuber, Director at EQT Partners and Investment Advisor to EQT Expansion Capital II, comments: “We are proud of the way EQT has supported the founder, René Marius Köhler, and the management team at internetstores.The EQT industrial expertise and long-term TMT and retail experience as well as the broad EQT Industrial Network has helped internetstores to develop into a sustainable and profitable market leader. Based on a trusted partnership, a strong technology platform for future scaling and continuous internationalization has been built.”

René Marius Köhler, founder of internetstores in 2003, will stay with the company as chairman of the board. New CEO as of October 1st 2016 is Markus Winter, who has been driving the development of internetstores as Managing Director e-commerce and internationalization since 2013. Managing Directors Bernd Humke (CFO) and Ralf Kindermann (COO) will also remain with the company.

The transaction is subject to approval from the relevant antitrust authorities.

ABOUT INTERNETSTORES

internetstores Holding GmbH is Europe’s leading e-commerce company in bike and outdoor. The group runs numerous onlineshops across 14 European countries: Bikester, Addnature, CAMPZ, fahrrad.de and Brügelmann. With its broad assortment, the shops attract enthusiasts as well as newcomers to the bike and outdoor experience. More than 750 brands and 70.000 products make it easy to select the perfect equipment. internetstores is one of the few e-commerce companieswith sustainable profitable growth.The company employs about 400 people in Esslingen am Neckar, Berlin and Stockholm.

ABOUT EQT

EQT is a leading global private equity group with approximately 30 billion EUR in raised capital. EQT Funds has portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than 15 billion EUR and approximately 100,000 people. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership. More information at www.eqtpartners.com.

Contact internetstores:
Antje Wiedemann, PR-Manager, +49 711 93305 217, presse@internetstores.com

Contacts EQT:
Jens Zuber, Director at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT Expansion Capital II, +49 89 2554 9913
Kerstin Danasten, EQT Press Officer, +46 8 506 553 56