DGAP-News: Vita 34 AG / Key word(s): Investment Vita 34 AG pursues growth strategy by taking over the majority stake in Stellacure 07.01.2014 / 17:14 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Vita 34 AG pursues growth strategy by taking over the majority stake in Stellacure - Vita 34 takes over 75.24 percent of the shares in Stellacure GmbH - Further strengthening of market leadership in German-speaking area by take-over - Future growth potential by establishing a second location in Germany Leipzig, 7 January 2014 - Vita 34 AG (WKN A0BL84), trailblazer of the umbilical cord blood storage in Europe and specialist in cryo-preservation, takes over the majority stake in the umbilical cord blood bank Stellacure GmbH. Through the application, which was already made, and the registration in the Commercial Registry, which is expected in January 2014, Vita 34 will take over 75.24 percent of the Stellacure shares. Both parties agreed not to disclose the sales price. With this take-over, Vita 34 acquires an established brand in the sector of Vita 34 private umbilical cord blood banking and thus pursues the aspect of the growth strategy of further expanding its own share in the German market. The Stellacure GmbH was founded in Hamburg and Frankfurt in 2006 in cooperation with the Blood Transfusion Service Baden-Württemberg-Hesse of the German Red Cross (DRK). The operating activities of the Stellacure GmbH include the extraction and processing of umbilical cord blood allowing for the highest quality and safety standards. The cord blood is stored at Stellacure's facility located in the building of the DRK Blood Transfusion Service in Frankfurt on the Main. In addition to storages from Germany, Stellacure furthermore works on the Italian and Spanish markets. The team comprises specialists in transfusion and laboratory medicine as well as experienced experts such as biologists, chemists, biotechnologists, and engineers. Being the fourth eldest provider of umbilical cord blood storage services in Germany, Stellacure produced a turnover of about 0.4 million Euros in the fiscal year 2012. Dr. André Gerth, CEO of Vita 34 AG: 'We are the market leader in the entire German-speaking area with more than 98,000 stored stem cell preparations. Our ambition is to strengthen this dominant position in a sustainable way. We currently see a growing tendency to consolidation on the market of private umbilical cord blood banking. This process provides us as the market leader with considerable opportunities to gain additional market shares. By taking over the majority of Stellacure, we now have a second location in Germany besides Leipzig, based on which we are able to establish a purposeful regional distribution and thus intensify the contact with our relevant target group.' Company profile Vita 34 was founded in 1997 as the first private umbilical cord blood bank in Europe and as a full-service provider takes care of the collection logistics, processing, and storage of umbilical cord blood and umbilical cord tissue. Its successful operation is based on an excellent position in the technological segment of cryo-preservation. Cells and tissue are kept alive at temperatures around minus 190 degrees Celsius and can be applied in medical therapies if required. Parents of more than 98,000 children already make use of this offer and have taken provisions for their children by means of a stem cell depot at the company from Leipzig. End of Corporate News --------------------------------------------------------------------- 07.01.2014 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a company of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. DGAP's Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de --------------------------------------------------------------------- Language: English Company: Vita 34 AG Deutscher Platz 5a 04103 Leipzig Germany Phone: +49(0341)48792-40 Fax: +49(0341)48792-39 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.vita34.de ISIN: DE000A0BL849 WKN: A0BL84 Listed: Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, München, Stuttgart End of News DGAP News-Service --------------------------------------------------------------------- 247170 07.01.2014