Wolters Kluwer nv announced today that it has sold its Dutch training company ROVC Technische Opleidingen to the Dutch based Professional Training Group, which is related to Dirksen Opleidingen (Arnhem, The Netherlands), a training institute specialized in ICT training. The divestment of ROVC is a consequence of Wolters Kluwer's strategy to concentrate on exploiting the growth opportunities of its clusters Legal, Tax & Business, International Health & Science, and Education. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
ROVC Technische Opleidingen offers technical training products for the Dutch industry and is headquartered in Ede, The Netherlands. The company employs approximately 60 people and with more than 300 teachers training about 12,000 course-members a year, it realizes sales of approximately EUR 8 million (year 2000).
Last year Wolters Kluwer divested the Professional Training companies Krauthammer International, IEC and HQ, representing EUR 47 million annual sales, equal to more than a third of total cluster sales. This year the company sold the UK based Financial Training Company with sales of approximately EUR 47 million and the American training company Blessing White (sales approximately EUR 17 million). The sale of the cluster Professional Training is almost completed, with only the Dutch training company ISBW left to be sold. Wolters Kluwer expects to sell ISBW during 2002.
In line with Wolters Kluwer's general policy, the result on this divestment will be accounted for under 'Results on Divestments'.
Note for the editor: Wolters Kluwer is a multinational information services company with annual sales of approximately EUR 3.7 billion, employing approximately 19,000 people in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. The company's core activities are Legal, Tax & Business, International Health & Science, and Education. The Wolters Kluwer shares are quoted on the Euronext Amsterdam. The financial results for the year 2001 will be announced on March 19, 2002.