Hilding Anders acquires Crown Bedding

Hilding Anders acquires Crown Bedding Ratos's associated company Hilding Anders today acquired Crown Bedding, which is one of the largest bed manufacturers in Belgium. As a result of the acquisition, Hilding Anders is now represented in 14 European countries. - Crown Bedding is a welcome addition to the Hilding Anders group. The acquisition is part of our long-term strategy of expansion in Europe, says CEO Bengt Adolfsson commenting on the deal. Crown Bedding is one of the largest manufacturers of beds in Belgium, with annual sales of approximately SEK 360m, EBIT of approximately SEK 70m and 150 employees. The company is led by CEO Lucien Peleman, who will continue to hold this position. The vendors are financial investors NIB Capital and 3i as well as members of the management team. Hilding Anders is the largest manufacturer of beds in Europe. The deal strengthens the group's presence in the Benelux region, adding to the position held by Hilding Anders's Dutch group company Pullman Matrassen Fabriek. Hilding Anders today has annual sales of approximately SEK 3,5bn, and 2,300 employees. The group is today represented in Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Austria. Ratos's holding in Hilding Anders is 27 %. For further information, please contact: Arne Karlsson, CEO, +46 8 700 17 00 Clara Bolinder-Lundberg, Head of Corporate Communications, +46 8 700 17 49 Financial calendar 2002: Year-end report for 2001 21 February Three-month report 5 May Six-month report 26 August Nine-month report 13 November Annual General Meeting 10 April Ratos is a listed private equity company. The business concept is to maximise shareholder value over time by investing in, developing and divesting primarily unlisted companies. Ratos thus offers stock market players a unique investment opportunity. The net asset value of Ratos's investments is approximately SEK 9 billion. Ratos's holdings include Arcorus, Atle Industri, Camfil, Capona, Dahl, DataVis, DIAB, Dynal Biotech, Esselte, Exceed, Gadelius KK, Haendig, Haglöfs, Hilding Anders, Hilton Group, HL Display, Industri Kapital, Intervect, Kronans Droghandel, Lindab, Martinsson, Programmera, Q-Labs, Superfos and Telia Overseas. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/12/20/20011220BIT01630/bit0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/12/20/20011220BIT01630/bit0001.pdf