ALSO buys networking and security specialist in France

ALSO Holding AG announced today an agreement to acquire DistriWan, a French specialist wifi networking & security distributor headquartered near Lyon. The parties agreed to keep the purchase price confidential. The closing of the transaction is expected in the coming weeks.

"In early 2017, we began to strategically develop our expertise and product range to capitalize on the surging growth of the Internet of Things ("Computing on the Edge", IoT) with the purchase of two value-added distributors of security and network products, Smartsec in Finland and BeIP in France. Our acquisition of DistriWan is the next critical step on this path. In this way, we will further enhance our offering with the technologies that serve as the basis for the Internet of Things," said Gustavo Möller-Hergt, CEO of ALSO Holding AG (SIX: ALSN).

DistriWan is a value-added distributor (VAD) that mainly serves larger corporate clients and resellers with a range of networking solutions, often on the basis of CISCO products, as well as a growing security portfolio consisting of several other brands, including Ekahau and Ucopia. With a dedicated and highly trained pre-sales team, DistriWan provides support on the architecture and design of IT Solutions. Founded in 2002, the company employs about 30 people. Its turnover in 2017 amounted to roughly €24 million.

"Over the past seven years, ALSO Holding AG has optimized its business model mix and systematically expanded its service-oriented offering. The acquisition of DistriWan improves our offering in the relevant security solutions segment and provides us access to an even broader customer base. We are thus strengthening our presence in the market both regionally and in terms of our offering," said Mr. Möller-Hergt.

Direct link to the press release: https://www.also.com/goto/20180628en

Contact person:
Simon Hertwig
Phone:  +49 89 80 99 025 25
E-mail:  shertwig@brunswickgroup.com

ALSO Holding AG (ALSN.SW) (Emmen/Switzerland) brings providers and buyers of the ICT industry together. The company offers services at all levels of the ICT value chain from a single source. In the European B2B marketplace, ALSO bundles logistics services, financial services, supply services, solution services, digital services, and IT services together into individual service packages. ALSO's portfolio contains more than 250 000 articles from some 525 vendors. The Group has 4 058 employees throughout Europe. In fiscal year 2017 (closing on December 31), the company generated net sales of 8.9 billion euros. The majority shareholder of ALSO Holding AG is the Droege Group, Düsseldorf, Germany. Further information is available at http://www.also.com

Droege Group
Droege Group (founded in 1988) is an independent advisory and investment company under full family ownership. The company acts as a specialist for tailor-made transformation programs aiming to enhance corporate value. Droege Group combines its corporate family-run structure and capital strength into a family-equity business model. The group carries out direct investments with its own equity in corporate spin-offs and medium-sized companies in "special situations". With the guiding principle "execution - following the rules of art", the group is a pioneer in execution-oriented corporate development. Droege Group follows a focused investment strategy based on current megatrends (knowledge, connectivity, prevention, demography, specialization, future work, shopping 4.0). Enthusiasm for quality, innovation and speed determines the company's actions. In recent years Droege Group has successfully positioned itself in domestic and international markets and operates in 30 countries. More information: https://www.droege-group.com

Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current assumptions and forecasts of the ALSO management. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the forward-looking statements made here and the actual development, in particular the results, financial situation, and performance of our Group. The Group accepts no responsibility for updating these forward-looking statements or adapting them to future events or developments.

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