DGAP-News: ARAGON AG: Aragon enters market of consulting services for mass affluent private customers in Germany

ARAGON AG / Miscellaneous

13.08.2010 07:03 

Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by
DGAP - a company of EquityStory AG.
The issuer / publisher is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

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  - Aragon enters market of consulting services for mass affluent private
    customers in Germany

  - Majority interest in FINUM.FINANZHAUS serves as anchor investment

  - Objective: Finum to be positioned as Germany's leading mass affluent
    advisor

With an economically and strategically important acquisition, Aragon AG is
about to expand its market positioning. For this purpose, Aragon will
directly acquire the assets of the premium intermediary firm
FiNUM.FINANZHAUS, thereby entering the field of consulting services for
demanding private customers for the purpose of securing a leading position
in this attractive customer segment.

Since its establishment in 2004, Aragon AG has successfully built up its
market leadership in the field of broker pools by means of a consistent
buy-and-build strategy with Jung, DMS & Cie. AG. Furthermore, Aragon AG has
also gained a foothold in multi level marketing sales with Compexx and
specialized sales with inpunkto. As the next step within the framework of
the consistent growth strategy following the entry to the Austrian mass
affluent market through the takeover of MLP Austria, Aragon AG will now
address this market in Germany via FiNUM.FINANZHAUS. Thus, Aragon AG will
successfully expand its multi-brand strategy.

Aragon will purchase all assets of the intermediary business from Finum AG
by way of the new jointly established FiNUM.FINANZHAUS GmbH, Cologne, in
which Aragon AG holds 74.9% of the interests.

'Finum is the perfect nucleus for the entry to the mass affluent market in
Germany', says Wulf U. Schütz, Member of the Management Board of Aragon.
'Over the next years, our objective is to make Finum the address of choice
for experienced financial advisors and demanding private customers in the
field of independent, comprehensive financial consultancy. Therefore, we
believe that we have good chances of growing against the market trend and
of assuming a market-leading position in this market segment.'

Established in 2007, FiNUM.FINANZHAUS currently provides consulting
services to more than 26,000 customers with approximately 100 highly
experienced advisors. With more than 12 contracts for every adviced family,
the company already has a high cross-selling rate. FiNUM.FINANZHAUS offers
product-independent, holistic consulting services for all asset classes.
Half of the sales are made up of financial investment products (investment
funds, certificates, and closed funds), and the other half of insurance
business. In the financial year 2009, FiNUM.FINANZHAUS generated revenues
amounting to approximately EUR 7.6 million (+17% compared to 2008). In its
brief company history, FiNUM.FINANZHAUS introduced a number of
market-leading consulting processes and technologies.

To underline the significance of FiNUM.FINANZHAUS for the future growth
strategy of Aragon AG, Mr. Wulf U. Schütz, Member of the Management Board
of Aragon, will also join the operational management of FiNUM.FINANZHAUS.

The conclusion of the contract is subject to conditions precedent that the
Management Board of Aragon expects to be realized in September. The initial
consolidation of FiNUM.FINANZHAUS is planned for the fourth quarter of
2010. The first positive contributions to the earnings of the Aragon Group
are expected in the financial year 2011.

Aragon AG's announcement of the results of the second quarter of 2010 on
August 31, 2010 will be accompanied by detailed information on the
expansion of the business model by means of the investment in
FiNUM.FINANZHAUS and the associated opportunities. The Management Board of
Aragon is very pleased with the business performance in the current
financial year and targets a new revenue record, along with an earning
power similar to that of 2007.

About Aragon AG

Aragon AG is a broadly diversified financial services group with four
business units: Broker Pools, Financial Consulting, Institutional Sales and
Holding. Aragon AG is actively engaged in the market with several
independent subsidiaries. The aim is to integrate a variety of sales models
under one roof without any of the sales teams losing their own identity.
The effect is a broad diversification across various asset classes and
sales types, with a consequently high stability in corporate earnings.
Further information about the company and its subsidiaries can be found at
www.aragon.ag.

About FiNUM.FINANZHAUS GmbH

Financial service provider FiNUM.FINANZHAUS focuses on consulting services
for demanding private customers. Currently, about 100 Finum advisors use a
holistic, product-independent consulting approach for all asset classes,
fully complying with the expanded documentation and product liability
requirements of the EU Insurance Mediation Directive and the reforms of the
German Insurance Contract Act. Further information on the company is
available at www.finumfinanzhaus.de.



Contact:
Aragon Aktiengesellschaft

Ralf Funke
Investor Relations
Tel.: +49(0)611 890 575-0
Fax:  +49(0)611 890 575-99
E-Mail: ir@aragon.ag




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