Klarius Group Acquires Quinton Hazell Group From US-based Affinia Group Inc

MANCHESTER, England, February 2 /PRNewswire/ --

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On the 2nd of February 2010, Klarius, Europe's fastest growing automotive aftermarket manufacturing and distribution business completed the purchase of the Quinton Hazell automotive group (QH) from US-based Affinia, boosting the Group's annual turnover to over EUR416million.

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Quinton Hazell is headquartered in Leicester, England with strong manufacturing and distribution assets in France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The purchase brings a wide range of well known automotive aftermarket and OEM brands together, combining extensive manufacturing resources from both companies with global sales and distribution networks.

"This acquisition is ideal for both companies as Quinton Hazell products are largely complementary to the existing Klarius range - with very little crossover," said Klarius Chairman, Tony Wilson. "We have the opportunity to grow the business in two ways: by developing new channels for our wider product range globally; and by exploiting our existing channels to the full, by providing customers with a wider range of quality products from a single source."

As a privately owned concern, Klarius believes it is better placed to be flexible in terms of product and business development; focussing on strategic investment in increasing efficiency and optimising production rather than being driven by short-term shareholder returns. The new business has the potential for significant growth and a management team with a strong track record on delivering both profitability and sales growth.

By adding the extensive Quinton Hazell product range to its portfolio, Klarius now offers over 100,000 parts, covering the majority of the European Car Parc, supplying over 40,000 parts every day, to over 5000 delivery points in more than 136 countries.

    The combined product range includes:

    - Engine electrics, cooling system parts, pumps, filters and drive belts.

    - The complete emission control system: catalytic converters, diesel
      particulate filters, exhausts, silencers and lambda sensors.

    - Key drive-train components including: clutches, bearings, suspension
      and braking systems, as well as a huge range of accessories.

Klarius and QH Group combined offer a range of prestigious brands which now come under Klarius Group Company:

- Quinton Hazell - Lip (Lipmesa) - Commercial Ignition - Krooklok - Moprod - Friesen

This also includes the distribution of Wix (Big X in Germany) filter products and FTE Automotive products in Europe.

Klarius Group was advised on the acquisition by the Manchester office of law firm Hill Dickinson. The company has also agreed a new funding structure with Burdale Financial, the asset finance arm of Bank of Ireland. It will replace the firm's existing funders, Landsbanki Commercial Finance. Manchester based Ford Campbell acted for Klarius on the deal.

More information is available from the official launch website at http://www.Klarius-QH.com where visitors can watch interviews with each of the directors.

About the Klarius Group

Formed in 2007, the Klarius Group has 645 employees across Europe; Klarius operates three manufacturing production facilities and a research and development facility located in the UK. Added to that are European warehousing and four strong independent distribution platforms: in the UK, France, Germany and Spain. The Klarius technical centre has its own approved test track (the only parts manufacturer to have one) for undertaking type approval of parts. See http://www.klarius.eu for more information on Klarius

About Quinton Hazell

Quinton Hazell's success in the supply of original equipment reflects the company's consistently high standards across the whole product range. QH have over 800 employees across Europe. QH products are fitted to the latest generation of vehicles on the production line and the OE/OES sales team has the knowledge and experience to work with vehicle manufacturers, including their recognised aftermarket service operations, from concept to delivery. See http://www.qha.com for more information on Quinton Hazell.

Visit the DMA Europa website for the full text in PDF format and the associated high resolution image and video files: http://www.DMAEuropa.com

Editorial contact: DMA Europa Ltd. : Roland Renshaw Tel: +44(0)1299-05454 Web: http://www.dmaeuropa.com Email: [email protected] Address: 2nd Floor, SnuffMill Warehouse, Park Lane, Bewdley, Worcestershire, DY12 2EL, UK

Klarius contact: Klarius Group Ltd. : Véronique Auger Tel: +44(0)1524-751 292 Web: http://www.klarius.eu Email: [email protected] Address: HQ Klarius Group Ltd. Glasson Dock, Lancaster, LA2 0DA, UK

SOURCE Klarius Group Ltd.