Possible Acquisition of Desso by Bencis and the Current Management Board

WAALWIJK, The Netherlands, February 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Desso Group BV, with headquarters based in the Netherlands, today owned by NPM Capital and current management, announces that NPM Capital and Desso's Management Board have the intention to sell the company to Bencis Capital Partners, whereby the current management will continue to invest in the company. This intended transaction will take place under certain conditions, including that the relevant competition authorities approve this transaction and that financing by the banks will be approved. The relevant Works Councils have received this planned decision for review and advice.

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Stef Kranendijk, CEO Desso Group: "In NPM Capital we have an excellent shareholder, who has always actively supported the Management Board in the execution of its plans. Despite the economic crisis, Desso's market share and profitability have developed from year to year very favorably over the past four years. We thank NPM Capital for the terrific cooperation over the past four years."

Thanks to its focus on innovation and sustainability, Desso is renown for its exceptional designs, its unique Cradle to Cradle(R) approach and its patented products such as Desso AirMaster(R) (which reduces fine dust in the air), Desso EcoBase(R) (which enables complete upcycling of carpet tiles) and Desso GrassMaster(R) (soccer pitches of natural grass strengthened by artificial grass, which are present in the top stadiums of the world, most recently installed at Wembley). In addition, Desso is considered to be one of the most aspiring branded residential textile flooring companies in Europe with consumer brands Parade, Bonaparte and Desso.

Kranendijk continues: "Desso has been approached by Bencis Capital Partners, who wish to become a shareholder and support the further development and growth of the Desso business.

"Next to strengthening our position as leading player in Europe we see major opportunities to grow our business in Latin-America and Asia with our strong product portfolio. NPM Capital and the Management Board have positively accepted the offer of Bencis Capital Partners and intend to fully support the timely completion of the intended transaction. We are impressed by our new partner and are convinced that Bencis Capital Partners will actively cooperate to further develop the profitable growth of Desso and its outstanding and highly motivated colleagues."

Bencis Capital Partners (http://www.bencis.nl) is a reputed Dutch private equity firm that invests in companies with net sales of between EUR 30 to 500 million.

About DESSO

Desso focuses primarily on superior floor design and Cradle to Cradle(R), in providing high quality carpet tiles and broadloom. It's commercial product offering, business carpets, represents more than half of total sales and can be found in offices, banks, retail units, public buildings, schools, universities and care centers. Clients include ABN AMRO, Rabobank, AkzoNobel, Dutch Ministry of Safety & Justice, KPMG, PWC, Deloitte, Allianz, Canon, EDF, HSBC, Porsche, Procter & Gamble, SNCF, Nestle and many more.

Desso's innovation strategy is concentrated in 3 key areas: Creativity, Functionality and Cradle to Cradle(R). For Desso, creativity is synonymous with CARPETECTURE(R), which is a powerful example of Desso's commitment to creative carpet design and its dedication to meet the needs of architects, interior designers, building owners and end users. In the field of functionality, Desso develops pioneering solutions that make a difference for health, wellness and well-being. As a result of this innovation and creativity strategy, Desso has launched a number of patented products like Desso AirMaster(R), for 8 times lower fine-dust concentration in the air (versus hard floors), and Desso EcoBase(R), which enabled the world's first and only Cradle to Cradle(R) Silver Certification for an entire carpet tile product.

Desso Consumer Carpets is represented by three strong brands: Parade, Bonaparte and Desso. All with a rich history in manufacturing high-end consumer carpets where products are available through specialist retail traders, plus selected carpet stores and home furnishing shops. Desso Consumer Carpets is the only European high end consumer carpet company with sales in Benelux, Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria.

Desso's creative carpet design and service oriented approach has enabled Desso to become a leader in developing solutions for the Hospitality, Marine and Aviation (HMA) markets. Desso's HMA division works with companies such as Hilton, Intercontinental, Maritime, KLM, Virgin, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and Holland America Line.

Desso Sports Systems is a leading player in the provision of artificial turf for sports fields and reinforced natural grass systems that provide the perfect surface at every level of sport. Desso GrassMaster(R) is a sports field of natural grass reinforced with Desso synthetic grass fibres, which has been installed in World Championship stadiums in South Africa and in 'football temple' Wembley.

Cradle to Cradle(R)

In signing a partnership agreement with the Hamburg-based Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA), Desso has become the first carpet manufacturer in EMEA to adopt the Cradle to Cradle(R) design. It marks Desso's radical decision to move beyond 'mere' sustainability in producing its carpets and artificial grass. In the Cradle to Cradle(R) principles, products are made from pure components that are easy to disassemble, in order to create new products (= up-cycling) in both the biological and technical cycles.

Desso is active in 110 countries and can look back on almost 80 years of proven performance, having built a reputation as a leading manufacturer of high quality carpet tiles, broadloom and artificial grass pitches. Desso has four factories and two major distribution centres in Europe, as well as specialist customer service centres throughout Europe, in America, Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Australia.

For more information, please see http://www.desso.com

SOURCE Desso Group BV