DGAP-News: TOMORROW FOCUS AG increases stake in HolidayCheck AG by a further 14 percent – company founders remain on board with 6 percent

TOMORROW FOCUS AG / Acquisition

12.02.2009 

Release of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a company of EquityStory AG.
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TOMORROW FOCUS AG increases stake in HolidayCheck AG by a further 14
percent – company founders remain on board with 6 percent

Munich, Germany, 12 February 2009 - TOMORROW FOCUS AG today boosted its
stake in the travel and holiday portal HolidayCheck Ltd., which is based in
Bottighofen, Switzerland, by acquiring a further 14 percent of the shares
through its subsidiary TF-Beteiligungs GmbH. The purchase price of EUR 21.6
million will be paid in three instalments - 60 percent immediately, 30
percent on 12 February 2010 and the remaining 10 percent on 12 February
2011. The purchase price includes an accumulated pro rata entitlement to
draw profits and cash.

TOMORROW FOCUS AG now holds 94 percent of the shares in HolidayCheck Ltd.
with the rest still in the hands of the company’s former shareholders. The
existing call/put agreement covering these remaining shares has been
amended so that it can be exercised by either side during the course of the
year 2014. The founding shareholders will maintain their links to the
company on the management team and in an advisory role.

Commenting on the development, Stefan Winners, CEO of TOMORROW FOCUS AG,
observed: 'HolidayCheck has performed extremely well in recent years and
months. Operating results for 2008 were also well above last year’s figures
and higher than we originally anticipated. HolidayCheck appears to be
emerging as one of the winners in this economic crisis, so it makes good
sense to boost our stake to 94 percent. At the same time, I am delighted
that the successful shareholder and management team is holding on to its
own stake in the company. That is a clear signal that the founders are
positive about further expansion. Our specific aim is to establish
ourselves as one of the top three players in the European online travel
market.'


About HolidayCheck AG:
HolidayCheck Ltd. operates the leading free, independent German-language
opinion portal for travel and holidays on the internet. With 4.1 million
visits and 108.6 million page views per month according to figures for
December 2008 from independent circulation reviewer IVW, HolidayCheck is
one of the leading German-language travel websites.
HolidayCheck’s core business activities are its large and fast-growing
hotel rating database, a comprehensive photograph and video archive
containing private holiday snaps and clips and a unique collection of
travel tips.
HolidayCheck also operates another important information channel in the
form of the biggest German-language travel forum, used daily by several
thousands of visitors to discuss a wide range of travel and holiday
subjects.
In addition, HolidayCheck Ltd. runs its own online travel agency certified
by the German Association for Technical Inspection (TÜV), providing a
booking service with low-price guarantee.
The programme of internationalisation initiated in 2006 is already well
advanced. Alongside the German-language portal, there is now a total of
eight international rating portals. At present, the main focus of the
company’s internationalisation strategy lies on the expansion of its
Polish-language website at www.holidaycheck.pl, which is the first of its
international platforms to include a holiday booking service.
As part of its drive to increase the level of diversification, HolidayCheck
launched its own car hire portal in summer 2008 at www.mietwagencheck.de.
The CEOs of HolidayCheck Ltd. are Hakan Öktem and Friedrich von Scanzoni.
TOMORROW FOCUS AG is the majority shareholder in HolidayCheck Ltd., with a
94 percent interest in the company.

About TOMORROW FOCUS AG:
TOMORROW FOCUS AG, Munich, Germany, is an independent and diversified
internet group. The company, whose principal shareholder is Hubert Burda
Media, is listed on the stock exchange under ISIN DE0005495329.
The organisation’s activities are divided into three business divisions:
E-Commerce, Digital Marketing and Technologies:
The E-Commerce division comprises the hotel rating and holiday booking
portal HOLIDAYCHECK, the premium dating agency ELITEPARTNER and Germany’s
leading men’s lifestyle magazine, PLAYBOY.
The Digital Marketing division, including TOMORROW FOCUS SALES, is one of
Germany’s leading online marketers, covering in-house portals such as FOCUS
Online, AMICA Online, CINEMA Online, FITFORFUN Online, MAX Online, TV
SPIELFILM Online and JAMEDA as well as partner sites such as BUNTE Online,
CHIP Online and FAZ.NET.
In the Technologies division, TOMORROW FOCUS TECHNOLOGIES GmbH and CELLULAR
GmbH offer comprehensive IT services for fixed-line and mobile internet
connections.



Media & investor relations contacts: 

TOMORROW FOCUS AG
Armin Blohmann
Steinhauser Strasse 1+3
D-81677 München
Germany

phone: +49 (0)89 9250-1256
fax: +49 (0)89 9250-2403
email: a.blohmann@tomorrow-focus.de 


DGAP 12.02.2009 
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Language:     English
Issuer:       TOMORROW FOCUS AG
              Steinhauserstr. 1-3
              81677 München
              Deutschland
Phone:        +49 (0)89 9250-1256
Fax:          +49 (0)89 9250-2403
E-mail:       a.blohmann@tomorrow-focus.de
Internet:     www.tomorrow-focus.de
ISIN:         DE0005495329
WKN:          549532
Listed:       Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr
              in Berlin, Hannover, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, München, Stuttgart
End of News                                     DGAP News-Service
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