Lista International Corporation to be Acquired by Capvis


Acquisition will bring increased global presence, expanded resources to Lista International Corporation

Lista International Corporation, a leading manufacturer of workspace systems and modular storage cabinets, announces that its parent company Lista B&L Holding has agreed to be acquired by Capvis Equity II LP, exclusively advised by Capvis Equity Partners AG, Zurich, Switzerland's leading private equity firm. "We carefully evaluated various options and Capvis emerged as the ideal partner," said Fredy A. Lienhard, current majority shareholder of Lista B&L Holding and a member of the second generation of the company's founding family.

According to Lista International Corporation president, Don Brown, "This exciting acquisition presents a wealth of opportunities for our company as well as for our loyal and ever-expanding customer base. Our plan is to further build on our existing strong foundation of suppliers and distributors. Our proven, established Lista management team and staff are excited and energized by this new development. We will use new resources and this strong transatlantic platform to continue growing our business - throughout North America and Europe as well as burgeoning markets such as Asia and Latin America - while developing new product initiatives and investing in our future."

"We very much appreciate the trust that the current shareholder of Lista B&L Holding is showing in us as a new majority shareholder. The international market for workspace and storage solutions offers attractive prospects. With a proven management team, we will ensure that the company enjoys further successful development," said Dr. Alexander Krebs, Partner & Chairman of the Board of Directors of Capvis Equity Partners AG.

Lista will build on existing strengths and capitalize on global synergies to meet worldwide demand while availing current and future Lista customers of expanded resources. This acquisition will be characterized by seamless continuity - to this end, Fredy A. Lienhard will remain a significant minority shareholder with a 25% stake, while an additional 10% of the shares are being reserved for management participation.

Capvis is a successful financial investor with many years of experience and a broad portfolio of companies. Capvis buys stakes in leading medium-sized companies headquartered in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. It makes acquisitions in response to succession planning strategies - as in the case of Lista - or corporate spin-offs. It has over 640 million dollars in investment resources. Since 1990 the Capvis Team has executed 35 transactions with a total volume of over 2.4 billion dollars. Since 2005, the Capvis Equity II LP investment fund, which is advised exclusively by Capvis Equity Partners AG, Zurich, has taken majority stakes in Machalke Polsterwerkstätten (Germany), Ticketcorner (Switzerland), Benninger (Switzerland), ACP (Austria) and WMF (Germany), as well as a minority interest in Stadler Rail (Switzerland).

To find out more about Lista International Corporation and its complete line of workspace solutions and modular storage cabinets, call or write: Lista International Corporation, 106 Lowland Street, Holliston, MA 01746; TEL 1-800-722-3020; FAX 508-626-0353; EMAIL sales@listaintl.com. Visit Lista's web site at www.listaintl.com.

Please send all sales leads to
Louise Johnson, Director of Operations,
Pivot Marketing Data Services,
113 Tiogue Ave.,
Coventry,
RI 02816 USA;
Phone: 401-586-6422; Fax: 401-586-6425;
Email: listainfo@pivot-mds.com.

Contact:
Charlene Cloney
Gray & Rice Public Relations
617-367-0100 ext. 107
cdcloney@gr2000.com

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