DGAP-News: DATAGROUP AG / Key word(s): Mergers & Acquisitions DATAGROUP AG: Over 300 IT specialists are coming to DATAGROUP 31.08.2016 / 07:35 The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Over 300 IT specialists are coming to DATAGROUP Pliezhausen, 31 August, 2016. Exactly ten years after its IPO in September 2006 DATAGROUP AG (WKN A0JC8S) initiates the next step of corporate development. The IT service provider will take over 306 IT specialists from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) in Germany on September 1. Accordingly, over 92% of the original 332 HPE employees agreed to a transfer of undertakings to DATAGROUP. The transaction is connected with a multi-year major order from HPE, which will result in an increase in revenues of some EUR 33m for the IT service provider already in the next FY 2016/2017. "The very high rate of change of over 90% is a tremendous success for us", comments DATAGROUP CEO Max H.-H. Schaber. "It was our goal to convince as many as possible of these sought-after SAP and application management specialists to participate in DATAGROUP's growth story. We are very pleased that so many employees see attractive vocational and personal development opportunities at DATAGROUP. While this transaction provides an excellent basis for additional strong growth in the strategic core business segments, it also sustainably improves our profitability." An integral part of this deal is a guaranteed commitment from HPE to purchase DATAGROUP's services in the area of SAP and application management services. For these services, DATAGROUP will initially use the employees taken over from HPE. This guarantees a full utilisation of the new employees in the first year. In the subsequent years, the guaranteed purchase volume will gradually decrease to some EUR 22m. Overall, the contract has a guaranteed term of 64 months and the option to extend it by another 20 months. The total volume of the delivery contract over the maximum term of 7 years is c. EUR 180m. DATAGROUP intends to leverage the resources that will gradually become available to drive organic growth. The IT service provider also plans to exploit additional synergies by standardising the services provided. To this end, the delivery chains will be modified in the medium term, analogous to DATAGROUP's established and ISO-certified CORBOX IT services, the production processes will be changed from a time-and material-basis to defined service level agreements. "This transaction catapults us into the top tier of SAP and application management service providers in Germany at one go", says Dirk Peters, COO of DATAGROUP AG. "What is more, the new employees contribute interesting competencies and extensive experience with customers, for example in business intelligence and SAP Hana. As a result we can significantly further develop the existing offers of CORBOX, our full outsourcing offer, once more." This is the 18th takeover for DATAGROUP since its IPO. The company's integration of the new employees is based on the good practice of careful integration and the guidelines "100 days DATAGROUP". A new subsidiary, DATAGROUP Enterprise Services GmbH, was established for this purpose. It takes over the employees and provides the services for HPE's existing customers. As DATAGROUP's current FY 2015/2016 will end on September 30, one month of the revenue and earnings contributions generated with the new activities will flow into the financial statements. Additionally, DATAGROUP can post a one-time positive earnings effect caused by a negative purchase price, the magnitude of which has not been disclosed by the parties. The deal's impact on revenues and earnings has already been included in the managment's full- year forecast. About DATAGROUP: DATAGROUP is a leading German IT service company. Over 1700 employees (including the new specialists taken over from HPE) in locations across Germany design, implement and operate IT infrastructures and business applications such as SAP. With its product CORBOX, DATAGROUP is a full- service provider, serving over 550,000 global IT workstations for medium and large enterprises as well as for public-sector clients. In other words: "We manage IT." The company is growing organically and through acquisitions. The acquisition strategy is particularly noted for its optimal integration of the new companies. DATAGROUP is actively participating in the IT service market's consolidation process with its "buy and turn around" and its "buy and build" strategy. Contact: DATAGROUP AG Dr. Michael Klein Investor Relations Wilhelm-Schickard-Str. 7 D-72124 Pliezhausen T +49-7127-970-059 F +49-7127-970-033 [email protected] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31.08.2016 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.dgap.de --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Language: English Company: DATAGROUP AG Wilhelm-Schickard-Str. 7 72124 Pliezhausen Germany Phone: +49 (0)7127 970 000 Fax: +49 (0)7127 970 033 Internet: www.datagroup.de ISIN: DE000A0JC8S7 WKN: A0JC8S Listed: Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Munich, Stuttgart, Tradegate Exchange; Open Market (Entry Standard) in Frankfurt End of News DGAP News Service --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 496959 31.08.2016