DGAP-Adhoc: A.S. Création Tapeten AG: French Cartel Office issued penalty notice

A.S. Création Tapeten AG  / Key word(s): Legal Matter

23.12.2014 10:30

Dissemination of an Ad hoc announcement according to § 15 WpHG, transmitted
by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

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Following on from the search of the offices in November 2010 and the
opening of administrative offence proceedings in July 2013, the French
Cartel Office ("Autorité de la concurrence") has now issued a penalty
notice against SCE - Société de conception et d'édition SAS ("SCE") and MCF
Investissement SAS ("MCF"), two members of the A.S. Création Group. Both
companies received the penalty notice on December 22, 2014. The French
cartel office alleges that the companies have engaged in an information
exchange in the years from 2006 and 2010 which it considers to constitute a
violation of anti-trust law.

The penalties issued against SCE and MCF amount to a total of EUR 5.0
million. As A.S. Création hadn't acquired the majority of the shares in the
two French companies before December 2008, the former majority shareholder,
the French Décoralis SA, is still jointly and severally liable for the
penalties. The companies involved are currently analysing the decision and
are assessing their procedural options. Irrespective of the companies'
decision, an appeal against a penalty notice does not have a suspensive
effect under French law, meaning that the penalties will definitely have to
be paid swiftly after receipt of the request to pay.

As reported earlier, Germany's Federal Cartel Office has maintained only
two of its originally five allegations and these two allegations could
potentially result in penalties worth EUR 10.5 million being imposed on
A.S. Création and company executives (for details please refer to the
ad-hoc announcements of February 25, 2014 and December 1, 2014). Now the
maximum penalty amount payable in France has also been established. In
respect of the risks arising from the administrative offence proceedings in
Germany, A.S. Création has so far, as a precautionary measure, established
a provision of EUR 2.0 million in its consolidated financial statements.
Management will now examine to what extent there may be a need to establish
an additional provision for the French penalties in the consolidated
financial statements for the fiscal year 2014.

Gummersbach, December 23, 2014

A.S. Création Tapeten AG

The Managing Board

Contact:
Maik Krämer
Director of Finance and Controlling
Südstr. 47
D-51645 Gummersbach
Telefon + 49 - (0)22 61/542-387
Fax + 49 - (0)22 61/542-304
E-Mail: m.kraemer@as-creation.de


23.12.2014 The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements,
Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.
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Language:     English
Company:      A.S. Création Tapeten AG
              Südstraße 47
              51645 Gummersbach
              Germany
Phone:        +49 22 61 54 2-0
Fax:          +49 22 61 54 2-3 04
E-mail:       investor@as-creation.de
Internet:     http://www.as-creation.de
ISIN:         DE000A1TNNN5
WKN:          A1TNNN
Listed:       Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr
              in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, München, Stuttgart
 
End of Announcement                             DGAP News-Service
 
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