Heliad provides overview of developments in its portfolio during the first months of 2009


Heliad Equity Partners GmbH & Co. KGaA / Miscellaneous
Release of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a company of EquityStory AG.
The issuer / publisher is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

The portfolio companies of listed private equity company Heliad Equity Partners GmbH & Co. KGaA (DE000A0L1NN5/ WKN A0L 1NN) have reported largely stable developments in spite of extremely difficult market conditions. They have mainly benefited in this respect from their business models, which are mostly non-cyclical and focus on specialist services. What is more, Heliad maintains close contact with the relevant management teams, so as to be able to take suitable measures as and when required.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PORTFOLIO

++ assona

This company, the German market leader for electronic cover notes, has acquired EURONIC, the largest consumer electronic association in terms of sales in German-speaking countries, as a strong new sales partner. This means that electronic cover notes can now be concluded directly at EURONICS retailers. The transactions can be handled quickly and easily using assona's online mask, with ongoing customer support then also being provided by assona.

Alongside EURONICS, assona also acquired T-online as a new sales partner at the beginning of the year already. Further cooperations have been agreed with providers such as Technikdirekt, my-extra and KOMSA. To further promote the company's growth, assona has also expanded its sales team.
++ RT Reprotechnik

This reprography, printing and archiving services company managed to post marginal sales growth in the first quarter of 2009 in spite of the difficult market climate. A further positive piece of news is that the Mainz-based printing company 'Druckwerkstätten Dieter Hoffmann GmbH', which was bought out of insolvency in March and now operates under the name 'RT Druckwerkstätten GmbH', has been successfully integrated into the group.

RT has extended its product range with the www.fabidoo.de website launched at the end of May. Here, users can generate an individual design scheme online for their key tags and USB sticks and then have this implemented as a 3D print. RT continues to be on the lookout for suitable acquisition targets, as well as for innovative business ideas to promote the company's dynamic growth.

++ RTT

This company presented its new 'RTT Power-House' software on the occasion of the 10th RTT Conference held in Munich on 7 and 8 May. This technology enables users to work with 3D visualisations independently of expensive hardware, as these are located in a central real-time server which users can access by internet. This means that high-quality 3D visualisations can be animated in real time on home computers or laptops.The cooperation with Microsoft Germany resolved at the end of last year has already borne fruit in this area. With the assistance of 'Microsoft Surface', a computer which manages without a keyboard or mouse by reacting to natural hand movements, touch and the positioning of real objects on the display, 'RTT PowerHouse' has become even more intuitive to use. Users can thus zoom, turn, or configure photorealistic models by means of hand movements.
RTT received two awards at once at the WorldMediaFestival held in Hamburg on 13 May 2009 for a film created and produced by the company for the market launch of the Toyota iQ. The film, in which real and virtual scenes alternate, is currently being shown in abridged form as a TV spot in several European countries. The complete film can be viewed in the 'News' section at the website www.realtime-technology.de.
++ Seven Principles

This IT consulting company, which focuses on the telecommunications sector, can report a successful start to the 2009 financial year. At EUR 17.2 million, the company's sales in the first quarter of 2009 were 25 % higher than in the equivalent quarter in the previous year. Consolidated earnings amounted to EUR 0.3 million in the first quarter of the current financial year, as against EUR 0.7 million in the first quarter of 2008. It should be noted, however, that the quarterly earnings figure for 2008 was positively affected by other operating income of EUR 0.5 million, chiefly from the reversal of provisions.

The trend towards customers focusing on only a small number of suppliers has intensified further in the wake of the economic crisis. As a leading provider in its core telecommunications market, Seven Principles has profited from this development. The company has made increasing use of subcontractors to handle orders, as a result of which its workforce grew by only 13 %, and thus less rapidly than sales. The increased involvement of subcontractors and ongoing restructuring measures due to be completed in the first half of 2009 led to a lower earnings margin in the first quarter than in the previous year.

Seven Principles is offering 7P Corporate iPhone Management as a new service. This solution enables iPhones to be securely integrated into company networks and managed centrally. The services offered by Seven Principles include advising customers on optimal rollout strategies, company-specific software packaging, configuration of appliances and technical support for the entire lifespan.

++ SHB

This provider of closed real estate funds reported a satisfactory performance for the first quarter of 2009 and was able to place equity of EUR 21 million. This represents a decline of 28 % compared with the equivalent period in the previous year, but compares favourably with the overall market for closed real estate funds, which fell by 70 % to 90 % over the same period. As a result, SHB has expanded its market share. This is chiefly due to SHB'S savings plans focusing on German real estate, which investors still view as representing interesting investment opportunities.
Building on the foundations laid in the fourth quarter of 2008, especially the inception of the fund SHB Renditefonds 6, the company was able to generate sales of EUR 6.6 million in the first quarter of 2009 (Q1/2008: EUR 5.2 million) and quarterly earnings of EUR 1.7 million (Q1/2008: EUR -0.7 million).

Alongside its successful operating performance, SHB also succeeded in achieving a longer-term structure for its liabilities. The company has thus created a robust financial foundation for its further development.
++ time:matters

This company has further developed its cooperation with Jetpak, the Nordic market leader for time-critical express logistic solutions. Together, the companies have developed a transport network for time-critical spare parts linking cities in Central Europe with destinations in Northern Europe. Customers therefore stand to benefit from broader geographical coverage for the depositing and delivery of packages, as well as from faster delivery times.

In the Asia-Pacific region, time:matters has acquired a new cooperation partner in the Philippine airline Cebu Pacific Cargo. The airport in Manila, an important location in the Asia Pacific region, has thus been integrated into time:matters' route network, as have the flight links offered by Cebu Pacifc Cargo.

A more detailled overview of the developments in Heliad's portfolio companies is available in the latest corporate newsletter: http://www.heliad.com/unterlagen/newsletter/newsletter.2009-07-09.73013148 08/file.

Contact:
Heliad Equity Partners GmbH & Co. KGaA
Thomas Kunder
Chief Financial Officer
Phone: +49 69 71 91 59 65 39
E-Mail: investor-relations@heliad.com


10.07.2009  Financial News transmitted by DGAP

 
Language:     English
Issuer: Heliad Equity Partners GmbH & Co. KGaA               Grüneburgweg 18
              60322 Frankfurt am Main
              Deutschland
Phone:        +49 69 71 91 59 65 0
Fax:          +49 69 71 91 59 65 11
E-mail:       info@heliad.com
Internet:     www.heliad.com
ISIN:         DE000A0L1NN5
WKN:          A0L1NN
Listed: Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr               in Berlin, München, Stuttgart
 
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