This information is disclosed pursuant to the Swedish Securities Market Act, the Swedish Financial Instruments Trading Act or requirements stipulated in the listing agreement.
Ratos subsidiary Bisnode is to acquire the operations of AIS Nordic and expand its offering in the automotive-information. Based on this acquisition, Bisnode, one of Europe's leading providers of decision support, will become the Nordic leader in automotive-related information services. The purchase consideration of approximately SEK 65m (enterprise value) is financed through equity from the owners, which entails that Ratos will contribute about SEK 45m.
AIS Nordic offers high-quality vehicle data services. These are business-critical services for customers primarily in the automotive and accessories industry to conduct efficient and profitable operations. The company was founded in 2006 and will generate operating profit of approximately SEK 13m on an annual basis.
"Bisnode's position in the decision-support market is further strengthened with this profitable add-on acquisition, which is in line with our strategy of continuing to develop the core operations. With this acquisition, Bisnode will have a leading and comprehensive solution for companies requiring vehicle and vehicle-related information in one or more of the Nordic countries," says Susanna Campbell, CEO of Ratos.
The transaction is expected to be completed on 16 October.
Ratos became a principal owner of Bisnode in 2005. Today, Bisnode is one of the leading European providers of decision support, focusing on helping companies and organisations to make smart decisions.
For questions, please contact:
Henrik Blomé, Deputy CEO and Investment Director, +46 8 700 17 00
Elin Ljung, Head of Corporate Communications, +46 8 700 17 20
Financial calendar from Ratos:
| Interim report January-September 2015 | 6 November 2015 |
| Year-end report 2015 | 17 February 2016 |
| Annual General Meeting 2016 | 14 April 2016 |
| Interim report January-March 2016 | 10 May 2016 |
Ratos is a private equity conglomerate. The company's mission is to maximise shareholder value over time through the professional, active and responsible exercise of its ownership role in primarily unlisted medium sized Nordic companies. Ratos's holdings include AH Industries, Aibel, Arcus-Gruppen, Biolin Scientific, Bisnode, DIAB, Euromaint, GS-Hydro, Hafa Bathroom Group, HENT, HL Display, Inwido, Jøtul, KVD, Ledil, Mobile Climate Control, Nebula, Speed Group and TFS. Ratos is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and market capitalisation amounts to approximately SEK 18 billion.
