Teleperformance: Strategic Move on the German Market
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PARIS and MONTABAUR, Germany, January 19 -- Teleperformance SA and United Internet AG have signed a share purchase agreement relating to the acquisition by Teleperformance of 100% of the shares of twenty4help Knowledge Service AG, European leader in Technical support and help desk.
The closing of the transaction will take place in the next coming weeks, as soon as conditions precedent set forth in the share purchase agreement will be fulfilled, especially the closing of 2006 definitive audited accounts and the clearance given by the German antitrust authorities.
twenty4help is the current European leading company in technical support & help desk with a consolidated turnover of more than 100 Millions EUR. The company operates in many European countries, such as Germany, the Netherlands, UK, Sweden, Spain, Poland and Czech Republic and offers technical support in 22 languages.
At the closing date, the acquisition will be paid in cash by Teleperformance for a consideration of approx 85 Millions EUR. This operation is the first step of the external growth 2007 plan, pursuant to the successful increase of share capital achieved in November 2006 by Teleperformance.
Christophe Allard, Chairman of the Teleperformance Board of Directors,
said: "We are really happy about this acquisition. It is perfectly on line with Teleperformance's development and leadership strategy worldwide. The acquisition of twenty4help fully reflects our willingness to provide our clients with a strong and powerful organization in every country covered by the Group Teleperformance.
For many years, Teleperformance has expressed significant interest about the very large potential of the German market. I strongly believe that there was no better choice than twenty4help to strengthen our position in this market.
Considering the excellent relationship we have built throughout the acquisition process with the team of United Internet which will remain a client and a partner, and with the outstanding management of twenty4help, new growth prospects on the German and European market may be expected, as well as closer partnerships with key multinational players.
In addition,for Teleperformance this acquisition together with already existing worldwide activities in technical support & help desk will position ourselves as one of the largest players in this industry sector."
Ralph Dommermuth, CEO of United Internet AG, said: "We are happy to have gained our preferred partner, Teleperformance, for our subsidiary twenty4help. During talks held together with Corporate Finance experts of BHF-Bank, Frankfurt, Teleperformance proved to be our clear first choice. As the core business of United Internet AG has developed increasingly toward internet-based products, portals and online advertising over the past few years, it was only logical that we sell our outsourcing business to one of the world's leading companies in the field and thus also the right decision with regard to twenty4help's future development."
Klaus Gumpp, Chief executive officer of twenty4help, added: "The integration of twenty4help into the organization of CRM specialist Teleperformance represents a milestone for the further growth of the twenty4help group. twenty4help and Teleperformance are ideally matched with respect to both their geographic and product positioning. Their complementary business activities will open up a wide range of growth opportunities benefiting customers and staff - but equally, also the two companies themselves."
About Teleperformance
Teleperformance (Euronext: FR 0000051807, OTC: SEEPF), the world's co-leading provider of outsourced CRM and contact center services, operates under various brands, such as Teleperformance for customer acquisition, customer service and customer growth programs, as well as TechCity Solutions and Cash Performance respectively specializing in technical support and debt collection. In 2005, the Teleperformance Group achieved EUR1,196 million revenues (US$ 1,485 million - exchange rate: EUR1 = US$1.24).
The Group operates nearly 56,500 computerized workstations with more than 70,000 employees (Full-Time Equivalents) across 263 contact centers (including 91 contact centers directly managed in clients' premises) in 42 countries, and conducts programs in more than 60 different languages and dialects on behalf of major international companies operating in various industries.
For further information, visit: www.teleperformance.com
About UNITED INTERNET:
With over 6.1 million customer contracts, United Internet AG is one of Europe's leading Internet Service Providers (ISP). In its "Product" segment, the Group's value-added internet services and fast internet connections are directed at private users, small/home offices (SoHos) and small to mid-size enterprises (SMEs). These groups are served by the brands GMX, WEB.DE and 1&1.
In addition to its "Product" business, the Group is also engaged in "Online Marketing" (via the brands AdLINK, affilinet and Sedo).
Source: Teleperformance
Teleperformance Contacts:
(info@teleperformance.com)
Christophe ALLARD,
Chairman of the Board,
+33-1-55-76-40-43
Michel PESCHARD,
Corporate Secretary,Board Member,
+33-1-55-76-40-22
Nadine DAVESNE,
Press Relations,
+33-1-46-67-63-44,
+33-6-07-15-05-43
For further information please contact:
Marcus Schaps,
United Internet AG,
Elgendorfer Strasse 57,
D-56410 Montabaur,
Phone:+49(0)2602-96-1076,
Fax: +49(0)2602-96-1013,
presse@united-internet.de
