Symrise is planning an IPO

(Holzminden/Frankfurt) Symrise AG, one of the world's leading suppliers of flavours and fragrances, intends to go public before the end of this year.

Symrise AG is planning to obtain a listing in the Official Market (Prime Standard) at Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The company is seeking for a wide placement of the shares and will also be aiming at attracting private investors.

The planned IPO strengthens the equity basis in order to create scope for further growth.

Dr Gerold Linzbach, Chairman of the Management Board of Symrise AG: “The IPO planned by Symrise AG is the logical extension of the growth strategy we have been following since the completion of our successful merger. We have provided impressive evidence of the effectiveness of our business model and are now entering a new growth phase. Symrise grew considerably faster than the market in the first nine months of the current financial year and has increased its profitability sustainably.”

In the context of the IPO the Swedish financial investor EQT and further investors intend to make their planned partial exit. In conjunction with a planned capital increase amounting to around EUR 650 million, a free float of well above 50% is targeted. Thereby the offering will rank among the largest IPOs in Germany this year.

Symrise has global operations in the areas of flavours and fragrances and cosmetic ingredients. With an estimated current market share of nine per cent by sales value, the Group considers itself to be one of the four biggest suppliers in the world market for flavours and fragrances, which had a total volume of EUR 12.6 billion in 2005, according to calculations by experts. Symrise manufactures about 30,000 products in 19 countries on five continents and sells these products in more than 160 different countries.

Symrise's customers include Beiersdorf, Coca Cola, Colgate, Danone, Diageo, Dior, Guerlain, Henkel/Schwarzkopf, Kraft, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble and Unilever.
 
In the first nine months of the 2006 financial year Group sales increased by 9.1 per cent over the same period of the previous year, from EUR 865.3 million to EUR 944.4 million (IFRS figures). The adjusted operating profit EBITDA* improved by 34.3 per cent over the same period, from EUR 143.1 million to EUR 192.2 million. This corresponds to an EBITDA* margin of 20.3 per cent. Symrise had 4,819 employees on September 30, 2006.

In the 2005 financial year, the Group generated sales of EUR 1.149 billion after EUR 1.135 billion in the 2004 financial year. The adjusted EBITDA* amounted to EUR 193.1 million after EUR 190.7 million in the previous year.

Symrise AG shareholders are the private equity investor EQT (50.95 per cent), a group of co-investors (27.11 per cent), Gerberding Vermögensverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG (18.32 per cent), Braunschweig GmbH (2.1 per cent) and a management investment company (1.52 per cent).

* Earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation/amortisation adjusted for integration and restructuring expenses

About Symrise:
Symrise AG is one of the world's leading suppliers of fragrances and flavourings and has roots that go back to 1874. Our products are essential features of everyday life today. They are used by perfume, cosmetics and food manufacturers. We focus on the development of innovative trend and lifestyle products with a specific additional benefit for the consumer. They include flavourings in which advantage is taken of modern technologies to reduce the sugar, salt and fat content of food considerably. Thanks to the use of selected active substances from Symrise, cosmetic products can be manufactured without any preservatives in future.

Press inquiries:
Kirchhoff Consult AG
Division Manager
Dr Kay Baden
Tel. +49 40 60 91 86 50

Disclaimer
These materials are not an offer of securities for sale in the United States. Any securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the Securities Act), and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or pursuant to an available exemption from registration under the Securities Act. Any public offering of securities of Symrise AG to be made in the United States would have to be made by means of a prospectus that could be obtained from Symrise AG and that would contain detailed information about the company and management, as well as financial statements. Neither Symrise AG nor EQT III fund intends to register any securities referred to herein in the United States.